Women empowerment
Women Infected and Affected by HIV empowered through the Gender and Entrepreneurship Together Ahead Program
13 June 2024
The International Labour Organization (ILO) has been partnering with Women Fighting AIDS in Kenya (WOFAK) to economically empower women living with and affected by HIV as part of the UN Joint Team on HIV initiatives in alignment with the UNAIDS Global Strategy 2021-2026 on End Inequalities. End AIDS. The partnership was initiated in 2021 to mitigate the negative socioeconomic impacts of the unprecedented COVID-19 Pandemic in collaboration with UNAIDS, UNICEF, and UNDP.
In 2021 the ILO trained WOFAK members through their women groups on business skills and provided business start-up kits with linkage to financial services providers in Kilifi, Nairobi, and Homabay counties. An advocacy brief for HIV-Sensitive social protection was developed through consultative processes. In 2022, the ILO conducted a Training of Entrepreneurs using the Gender and Entrepreneurship Together (GET) Ahead Toolkit for women entrepreneurs with subsequent follow-up done of their businesses amongst the trained groups. The companies span different sectors including clothing and textiles, hair and beauty, food and catering.
To enhance the program's sustainability, the ILO organized a GET Ahead Trainers of Trainers bringing together 15 women drawn from WOFAK, representatives of the Central Organization of Trade Unions in Kenya, and the National Syndemic Diseases Control Council (NSDCC). The training was conducted through a six-day workshop in Naivasha in June 2024.
"The ILO in Kenya has been strengthening the world of work response towards HIV by supporting work-based programs and enhancing HIV-sensitive social protection. Some of our key interventions include the VCT@Work initiative and the ongoing partnership with WOFAK to train individuals in entrepreneurship and business as a socio-economic mitigation model," National Project Coordinator, ILO Kenya, Dr Hellen Magutu Amakobe.
WOFAK, established in 1994, has been a cornerstone of support for women, young people, and children living with HIV in Kenya. Their efforts include psychosocial support, care, and livelihood assistance across various counties.
"The partnership with ILO creates a multiplier effect, with 15 women from across WOFAK membership in Kenya participating in the Training of Trainers workshop. These women will return home to train other women entrepreneurs living with and affected by HIV," says WOFAK Founder and CEO Dorothy Onyango.
The recent workshop focused on the GET Ahead Toolkit, designed to build entrepreneurial skills among women with basic literacy and numeracy levels. The program combines business management training with soft-skills development and includes personalized coaching sessions. The ILO trains Master Trainers who then build the capacity of Training Entrepreneurs trainers, ensuring rapid and high-quality program delivery.
"GET Ahead is an experiential and participatory training program that focuses on developing and running successful businesses while addressing gender and cultural issues," says Master Trainer Jane Maigua.
The program focuses on sustainability by equipping WOFAK members with the skills to deliver the GET Ahead model, fostering local ownership effectively. The goal is to ultimately empower women living with and affected by HIV, enabling them to achieve economic independence and build their resilience. This initiative highlights the power of collaboration in creating lasting change, offering hope and opportunities for a brighter, more equitable future for women.