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prevalence is more than 16 percent and even higher for women. Tis is attributed in part to traditional practices such as wife inheritance (a widow becomes part of her brother- in-law’s family). In addition, Kenya has a high rate of sexual violence, and aſter the national elections of 2007 hundreds of women were raped and infected with HIV. Koyo, 57, a leader of church-


Participants canvass an open-air market in Santiago, Chile, to help prevent violence against women. Their health education techniques can be replicated around the globe.


training program. She carried back to Kenya the seeds that sprouted into the HFAW, which she co-founded with Hellen Njoroge, a counseling psychologist at the Nairobi Hospital’s Gender Violence Recovery Center. Mose has a doctorate and works in domestic violence prevention. Mose returned to Santiago in


January with five other women, including Njoroge and Generous Turinawe, director of ACT-Muko (Agape Community Transforma- tion) in Uganda. Te group learned the methodology that has been key to EPES’ success. Tey immersed themselves in participatory commu- nity assessments, learn-by-playing techniques, strategic planning and creative evaluation methods.


Hands-on learning Teir teachers, health promoters trained by EPES, shared knowledge, skills and experience gained over decades of work in their com- munities in Chile. As the teachers demonstrated such popular educa- tional techniques as murals, skits and neighborhood canvassing, language


40 www.thelutheran.org


proved no barrier to communication and new friendships. Aſter canvassing the local open-


air market with health promoters to raise awareness about violence against women, the Kenyan and Ugandan women were enthused. Tey shop in similar farmers’ mar- kets at home, but had not imagined their potential for health education. Te group’s time in Chile was


the first step of an HFAW plan to adapt the EPES model to address widespread violence against women, HIV/AIDS and female circumcision (also known as female genital mutila- tion) in Kenya. HFAW is undertak- ing a six-month pilot project to train community health promoters, with ongoing support from EPES via Skype and email. Te 2011 U.N. Global Report on HIV/AIDS indicates that 1.6 million Kenyans live with HIV and more than a million children have been orphaned as a consequence of AIDS. Te prevalence of AIDS among women (8 percent) is nearly twice as great as for men (4.3 percent). In Kisumu, where Koyo lives, the


women, has raised 12 children (most of whom were orphaned by HIV) in addition to her five children on income from selling chickens at the market. Oſten the only other paid work for women is found in the rice fields. Tat wet environment, coupled with annual floods from Lake Victoria, brings periodic bouts of malaria, typhoid and stomach problems. Amoyi, 36, said her village,


Nyaronde, has had “a population explosion because women do not know about family planning.” Te dense population exacerbates a general lack of basic services and employment. Unemployment mul- tiplied during the years of political unrest when people leſt cities, seek- ing safety in rural areas.


Genital mutilation a concern Te practice of female genital mutila- tion also contributes to population expansion because girls between 9 and 11 are regarded as adults aſter this rite of passage and begin having babies, Amoyi said. It’s an ironic trend, since this rite is performed on girls to control their sexuality. Many young mothers drop out of school and don’t return due to social stigma. Tis was a particular concern for


Amoyi, a mother of five girls and one son. Backed by her husband, she refused to submit her daughters to this tradition. Strengthening her resolve was Mose’s warning that it


COURTESY OF EPES


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