Greetings from the Flone Initiative! We are thrilled to share with you the activities we engaged in throughout June and to give you a glimpse of the exciting events we have lined up for July.
June Activities:
Firstly, we partnered with Heinrich Böll Stiftung Nairobi to host a Stakeholders Sensitization Workshop in Machakos County. This workshop brought together various public transport stakeholders from the county to discuss the implementation of the Machakos County Public Transport Sexual Harassment and Gender-Based Violence Policy. Our goal was to sensitize 40 stakeholders and create a platform for them to commit to and recommend steps towards implementing the policy. I’m proud to announce that we signed a five-year MOU with the Machakos County Government, which will undoubtedly strengthen our collaboration and efforts to create safe and inclusive transport systems within the county. You can view the highlights of the workshop in our album here.
In partnership with Heinrich Böll Stiftung Nairobi and the Little Angels Network, we conducted a Sexual Reproductive Health Rights Training on Child Adoption with the WIT Machakos chapter. The training aimed to empower women to advocate for children’s rights, raise awareness on the adoption process, and explore different ways women can experience motherhood through adoption. The discussions were enlightening, particularly as many women resonated with the need for their current partners to legally adopt their children from previous relationships. However, we also encountered significant cultural resistance to adoption, with many women still valuing biological motherhood over adoption. This training opened up important dialogues about the cultural beliefs and practices surrounding motherhood and child adoption.
We were honored to present at the Architectural Association of Kenya Urban Thinkers Campus, where we addressed the crucial question of how to ensure sustainable mobility solutions are equitable, inclusive, and address social inequalities in transportation access. You can access our full presentation here.
Additionally, our table banking activities with the WIT chapters in Nairobi and Machakos continued mid-June. Unfortunately, the Mombasa meeting had to be postponed. Our next table banking meetings are scheduled for July 27 in Nairobi and July 18 in Machakos.
This month, we also held our WIT elections. It was time for a change, as the last elections were held in 2019. With 20 women, including stage clerks, drivers, conductors, and a trainer, participating, we had an exciting round of ballot-style elections. I’m delighted to introduce our new leaders:
- Chairlady: Ursular Khamuye
- Vice-Chairlady: Caroline Mathenge
- Secretary: Jescinter Adhiambo
- Vice-Secretary: Stamina
- Treasurer: Josephine
- Chief Whip: Sarah
Lastly, I presented at the Nairobi City Council Disability Inclusion Working Group Meeting. Our brief presentation focused on advocating for disability-friendly mobility systems. It was a collaborative session with contributions from the Aga Khan Foundation, Kenya Institute for Special Education (KISE), National Council for Persons with Disability, and the Vitiligo Society of Kenya. We look forward to continued collaboration with these organizations and the Nairobi City County to champion inclusive mobility.
Upcoming Events in July:
We have scheduled our next table banking meetings for:
- Nairobi on July 27
- Machakos on July 18
As always, our commitment to creating safe, inclusive, and equitable public transport systems, advocating for children’s rights, and promoting disability-friendly mobility remains unwavering. Thank you for your continued support and partnership.