 |
Reaching
Out Changing Lives (ROCL) |
ROCL
is not for profit organisation led by
women and committed to women’s issues.
Our work in Kenya supports UN MDGs especially
promoting gender equality and women’s
empowerment. ROCL has been working with
Women4Resources UK for the since 2006
in gender issues.
Our missions is to make a positive difference
in the lives of girls and women primarily
through community based initiatives that
are sensitive to the needs of women and
girls and help them make informed choices
as it relates to sexual health and reproductive
rights and able to address gender based
issues to their benefit.
ROCL focuses on targeted action needed
to help girls from poor rural areas stay
in school. Girls in rural areas who would
necessarily be from the poorest households
require targeted interventions to encourage
them to enrol in and stay in school. While
eliminating fees, ensuring a safe school
environment and promoting later marriage
have boosted girls’ attendance in
school, lack of a conducive environment
for homework, reading material and no
role models to look up to greatly counteract
efforts being made. In one school 24 girls
out of a class of 25 girls have dropped
out of school in one term (span of 3 months)
due to pregnancy (Sept 2009). 3 million
children are involved in child labour
some as young as 5 yrs. Most affected
is the girl child.
Three community libraries and information
centres have been opened and are operational.
All the libraries are in the rural areas
of Western Kenya and are managed by women.
Health
awareness:
Maternal
mortality remains unacceptably high. 1
in 22 women risks dying from treatable
or preventable complications of pregnancy
and childbirth over the courses of her
lifetime.
ROCL will be involved in carrying out
awareness raising sessions on reproductive
health, sexual health, breast cancer,
teenage pregnancy, maternal health, cervical
cancer, proper hygiene and undertake research
in women’s health to inform and
influence policy.
We shall liaise with like minded partners
and stakeholders including government
agencies to initiate programmes that address
the health needs of women and young people
and jointly initiate timely interventions.
ROCL taps into the training of female
college and University students from targeted
areas as role models and peer educators.
They contribute their time on to the project
through mentoring and helping out with
school work during their school holidays.
Peer mentoring helps achieve sustainability
and effectiveness. We hope that through
peer mentoring we will support transition,
attainment, attendance and behaviour.
We aim to challenge and change where need
be.
