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Kenana
women
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Kenana Knitters |
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About us |
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Home |
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Kenana around the world |
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Contact us |
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OUR STORIES |
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Rural women in Kenya have very few opportunities for employment, and the domestic burden is almost always left to them. This may comprise of fetching and carrying water and firewood from many kilometres away, caring for the small but essential vegetable garden and looking after not only their own children but also the children of relatives too ill or otherwise incapable of caring for them. Women may also end up taking care of elderly parents and in-laws no longer capable of carrying out necessary daily tasks. All of this means that most rural women in Kenya have very little time for themselves and they certainly have no independence outside the home.
The traditional Kenyan set-up is for the husband to work and the woman to stay at home and do the domestic chores . It is up to the man to provide enough income for all of the family medical bills, food and for the books and uniforms required by his children for school (although primary education is now free in Kenya, the parents must still buy all of the equipment and clothing needed). In truth, a single income is rarely sufficient, and it is the wife and children who suffer as a result.
Kenana Knitters provides the option for women to gain some independence and supplement the family income. |
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A PERSONAL STORY |
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Mary Wairimu has worked at the Knitters for almost 7 years. She is unmarried and has no children. Mary used to live on the farm but since starting work for the Knitters she has saved enough to move into a house a short distance from the farm independently from her family. She now has the means to support herself and her parents and her out-look on life has improved enormously. She says that working at Kenana Knitters gives her options and choices that would otherwise be unavailable to her. Kenana Knitters provides a safe working environment away from the demands of domestic life. Babies and toddlers are welcome, so women who would normally be working at home can also join the group. The group also provides a |
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number of facilities and services for the women: lunch is cooked every day and is free for all women present. A series of health clinics is run covering everything from HIV/AIDS to Family Planning and homeopathy. We have also recently introduced a new monthly counseling service. These clinics serve not only to treat the women but also to educate them so that the women are well informed and more able to look after themselves and their families. There is a small (but rapidly growing) library available for the women to access containing mostly books on important subjects such as nutrition and healthy eating. The group also offers daily adult literacy classes and has initiated a monthly couseling facility. Free computer lessons are also popular!
The group works on a piece-rate basis. This allows the women to work at their own pace, and they are paid accordingly. It also allows for flexibility and the women can work at home or at the workshop depending on the other pressures on their time.
Most importantly, Kenana Knitters gives rural women in Kenya the independence of an independent income, and savings accounts at the Knitters means that the women don't have to hand over all of their money to their husbands but can save it for important purchases and the occasional treat. |
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200 Kenana Knitters |
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