Regional Editor, Coast Nation Media Group In the compound of a quiet hotel in Naivasha, Nakuru County, a group of women gather under the shade of an acacia tree during a lunch break, their faces etched with a mixture of determination and hope. They are members of Women Fighting Aids in Kenya (Wofak). The organisation started with the vision of offering support and empowerment to women affected and infected in the face of stigma and discrimination due to HIV/Aids, and finding ways to provide for their families.
Leonora Obara happily scrolls her phone after a heavy lunch. Just five years ago, her life looked different. Living with HIV and struggling to provide for her children, she often worried about where their next meal would come from.
But now she is one of the many women whose lives have been transformed by the Gender and Entrepreneurship Together (Get) Ahead programme. The project, run by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in collaboration with UNAIDS, Unicef, and UNDP, provides women with business management and training in skills needed to embark on their entrepreneurial journey. “For many of us living with HIV, this opportunity has been a lifeline, allowing us to provide for our families and live with dignity, despite the challenges posed by the virus.
I have been able to take my children to school and we get at least two nutritious meals every day,” Leonora says, terming it a testament to the power of targeted interventions in transforming lives. Leonora,.