For the past three months, Peperusha Binti has continued to work tirelessly to engage young women in Kisumu, Kenya on the Generation Equality Forum, a global gathering that promotes gender equality.
Peperusha Binti Founder Sharon Jesscah Odhiambo told The Weight She Carries that the adolescents Generation Equality Forum held in Kisumu in partnership with Young Women’s Leadership Institute aimed to help girls understand more about Beijing+25 and have a say in what they want for the future as girls with regard to generation equality.
“Since July we have been having conversations around generation equality,” she said. “There were commitments made when the Forum began in 1995 that have not been implemented, so the conversation still continues.”
The Generation Equality Forum kicked off in Mexico City in March and culminated in Paris on July 2.
Sharon and her team were able to bring together 20 Girls on June 1. This year, the Forum was online due to the pandemic and different CSOs and the Kenyan government made commitments towards ending different issues in Kenya like gender based violence, Sharon said.
“We talked to them about the 12 critical areas of Beijing+25 that was issued in 1995, and one of the top critical areas is the girl child,” Sharon said. “We talked so much about sexual and reproductive body autonomy, mental health and gender-based violence.”
Peperusha Binti also held a women and health dialogue involving different CSOs and women from the informal settlement areas of Kisumu to discuss the six priorities towards better health for women.
“We discussed the things that are hindering the wellbeing of women and found out that in order to achieve healthy communities for women, we need to be more concerned with gender equality,” Sharon said.
As someone living with sickle cell anemia, Sharon also uses her platform to support others living with the condition and raise awareness. She has hosted Zoom events and Instagram live sessions in recent weeks to provide valuable information to people with sickle cell.
“I brought on a doctor for one of our sessions so that we get the ideas on sickle cell and know how we can help people living with sickle cell, especially at this time of COVID-19 where we have different challenges and inadequate of drugs,” she said.
To continue this important work, Sharon stressed the need for support in the form of volunteers and donations.
“Currently, we only have five volunteers, sometimes we have plans but when we start mobilizing, we’re not able to get adequate funds,” she said.
To lend your support, contact Peperusha Binti on the website below:
Vimbai E. is a content marketer, ghostwriter, and the founder of The Weight She Carries. With hundreds of articles and stories publishing online, in print and for broadcast, her love of language and storytelling shines through every piece of writing that bears her name.