In Mulanjo, a rural community in Tana River County, Kenya, women, girls, boys and persons with disabilities face interconnected barriers linked to economic exclusion, low literacy, harmful gender norms, sexual and gender-based violence, child marriage and school dropout.
This case study highlights how the Kenya Red Cross Society, with support from the Finnish Red Cross, used a gender-transformative Village Savings and Loan Association model to address these challenges through an integrated PGI and education approach. By combining financial empowerment, literacy and numeracy, male engagement, school-retention support, menstrual hygiene activities and community-led protection mechanisms, the initiative helped strengthen women’s agency, support children’s education and reinforce local action to prevent violence, child marriage and school dropout.
The experience shows how linking economic empowerment, education and protection can contribute to longer-term, community-led gender-transformative change.
Download the full case study: From Exclusion to Empowerment: Gender-Transformative Solutions for Addressing Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and Education Barriers in Mulanjo, Kenya
Download the summary version here.