In early 2017, the researchers and I were busy collecting data for the challenge in Kisii. I felt the same excitement and sense of curiosity that motivated the previous Female Rights Challenge, and I wasn’t disappointed. It was mesmerizing to learn something new every day – and directly from the people we were engaging rather than from a classroom.

Getting the Important Information from the Community

We found the interview partners very forthcoming, in no small part because local researchers introduced us to key local players. They accompanied us from one end of town to the other on some occasions, and they helped us navigate the hilly terrain. We enjoyed the boda boda (motorbike) rides, and we felt comfortable with the interview partners from the start. They readily discussed efforts to improve their economic status, the benefits they received, and the barriers they faced. Out of 40 people that we interviewed, only two people were suspicious and would not provide us with any information. I found the whole process invigorating, and somehow seemed to get more energy as the long days progressed. I always looked forward to meeting more people.

What Came Out of the Women Empowerment Challenge?

I discussed the focus group meetings we had with the community members in a previous blog, but what amazed me was how the community members yearned for knowledge. Most of the stakeholders we spoke with had received some kind of education, but most of them hadn’t completed secondary school for one reason or another. They spoke passionately about ADRA, an organization that had offered a short stint of adult education and information on female circumcision. Most of them were eager to figure out a way to eliminate corruption, and they attended the first training that had been organized during one of the last focus group meetings.

Mission Accomplished?

A year later, I still find myself thinking about the wonderful people I met and the interesting twist on the results. While education was certainly a barrier to enhancement, the women and men of Kisii all agreed that corruption was the main barrier. Corruption – a word loaded with layers of endemic meaning – cannot be looked at in isolation. The community was willing to take action to combat it, and I have a strong sense that this is just the beginning. From my continued communication with some of the stakeholders, I learned that the recent election complications in the country slowed people down, but that did not extinguish the fire of enthusiasm to enhance themselves through civil education.

Lessons Learned

Participatory Action Research has taught me that great minds are everywhere. I have learned from this challenge that actions can be taken to reduce corruption, but only if those actions are integrated into reforms at both the community and state levels. The reason is that a certain role of the community and the state almost inevitably create a fertile ground for corruption. I have also learned that when entire communities, meaning the women and the men, work together, great things happen. I love these lessons. I want to keep learning.

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After one month in Kisii, the interviews during the Women Empowerment Challenge are progressing well. We are learning a lot from the interviews. One lesson is that both men and women are being empowered through community Self Help Groups. We are also learning a lot just from observing the daily proceedings of the community and state of affairs, from unofficial economy to the politics.

Preparation for the interviews

My local team – meaning local researchers Mary and Godfrey, plus myself – agreed on starting with six Self Help Groups (in Swahili a self-help group is known as Chama). Why six groups? Mary and Godfrey were familiar with these groups, which were within Nyaura sub-location/Ward within the Kisii County. While deliberating during the workshop in preparation for data collection, we talked about our styles of working and about the research design. We agreed to start with individual interviews and then move on to focus-group meetings. We also agreed to start with the leaders of the groups, and then move on to the members.

Observation

One of the Self Help groups (Muungano) invited me to attend one of their weekly meetings. They meet on Wednesday every week. It was good to observe their proceedings. One thing I realized was that while it was a group whose members were both male and female, there were more women present for that meeting.

“pay your fine!”

The meeting began at exactly 3 pm with the treasurer explaining how much people had contributed within the week, how much they had made from renting out the chairs and the public address system, and the balance they had in the books. I later learned that they had purchased chairs and the public address to rent so they could make a profit. The chairman then took the floor – and was immediately interrupted by a ringing phone. He pointed to the person and said, “pay your fine.” I came to learn later that one of the clauses in the constitution states that one’s phone has to be off or on silent when s/he attends the meeting, or else s/he pays a fine.
There were about fifty people in the meeting. Later, one member expressed his dissatisfaction with one of the leaders, so the leader was asked to remain behind afterwards. We started with data collection the following week. People were welcoming and ready to talk about their positions as either leaders or members in the groups, their reasons for joining or forming the groups, and their status before and after joining the groups.

A visit to the Chief: a Challenge on itself

We wanted to see the chief and give him the report from the previous project (female circumcision: the gap between law and practice) and also interview him as a leader of the community, on his role where women empowerment and self-help groups are concerned. We went on two different days, but he wasn’t there. We decided to visit him a third time, but still missed him. Godfrey said that the chief may have been walking around people’s homes in the constituency making sure they had identification cards, which are needed for one to vote in the elections taking place this coming August.

Illicit Brews – Illegal Business

We decided to wait for a while and see if the chief would show up. While we sat on a tree trunk in the shade, a jeep came into the compound and stood right next to the chief’s main office door. People were then led out of the car, and some of them were handcuffed. There were two ladies and three men. There were two jerry cans that were also taken out of the car, and put on the ground and later taken in the office along with the people. On enquiring, I learned that those people were arrested for either brewing, selling or drinking illicit brew (there are two common brews: Chang’aa and Busaa). They were then brought to the Chief’s office which has a small cell, and were later to be taken to a police station with bigger cells. The region is known for the illegal brewing and the police every so often crackdown the drinking dens and arrest those involved.

What will happen to them? I asked. Godfrey laughed softly and said they will have to pay a bribe or they will spend a few nights in jail. I was further told that the brewing will not stop because not only will those people pay, but there is some arrangement between those who brew and the authorities. Some of them pay a monthly fee to the authorities so that if there’s a raid in the community for the people brewing, they are not affected. Therefore, those who were caught either did not pay the fee or were not on the list. I asked where the brew that was in the jerry cans would go since it is supposed to be used as exhibit, but if they were bribing their way out, there was no use for that. The administrative police officers (APs) in the chief’s camp either drink it or sell it off to the ‘legit’ brewers.
There was an AP sitting outside the office along with two women when we came in. After the supposed brewers were taken in along with the brew, the older woman who was sitting with the AP went to one of the houses in the compound where the AP’s live and came out with a bottle inside a plastic bag. The AP took it, went inside the chief’s office and after a few minutes, came out with the bottle and gave it back to the woman. Allegedly, that was some of the brew that had been brought in.

As we were walking out, one gentleman passed us, and Godfrey seemed to know him. They talked a bit, and the gentleman said he had gone to give a bribe for his friend and was told he had to bring Kes. 2,000 (about 18 Euros). What amazed me was the fact that it seemed like the order of the day. I remember when I went for the public meetings (barazas) last year, the problem of illicit brews the problems they create in the community was mentioned in every single one of them. I realized it was a bigger problem than it seemed, and unless another approach is taken, depending on the authorities to solve the problem is a waste of time.

Warembo Nauri Group

We were invited to a women’s group meeting one afternoon as we were doing our interviews. We were told the group was going to talk about development and some politics. I thought this was a good chance to observe further, how women empower themselves. The meeting that was supposed to start at 2 pm started an hour and a half later. It turned out that the group was political and represented women who were supporting Jubilee, the current political party in power. The group was strategizing how they would welcome the president and other politicians who came to Kisii County to campaign, being that it is an election year.

The treasurer of the group stated that the group was well known nationally, and there was a central system for those who had registered from different counties. She stated that there were women who were trying to mimic the group so that they would get money from the politicians, but they failed because their names were not in the system. She also stated that their aim was to not only get money from the politicians, but also have a long-term vision that would benefit the women in the community. However, this vision was not discussed; but instead, we learned two songs from a music teacher they had invited to prepare us for the politicians who would come at any time. We were also asked to wear red dresses when they alert us (which they would do at any time, so we had to be ready) and meet on time at an agreed location. The meeting ended with provision of tea that the treasurer said had been paid for by one of the politicians.

See below our first results on Self Help Groups (Infographic created by Loes Jeucken, Challenge participant of the Women Empowerment Challenge).

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Here I am, in Kisii, Kenya, working on an issue that everyone agrees is important, but no one seems able to define: “Women Empowerment”. What is Women Empowerment?

English-language dictionaries equate “empowerment” with liberation, emancipation, inspiration, encouragement, confidence-building and equality. Bilingual dictionaries, however, often don’t even have an entry – because there’s no corresponding word in most languages.

Look more specifically for “women empowerment”, and you’ll find the phrase is generally used in the context of issues like economic empowerment, political participation, and girls’ education. You’ll find various references to increasing and improving the “social, economic, political and legal strength” of women, or ensuring equal rights, or helping them build the confidence to claim their rights – which could themselves range from determining financial and economic choices, getting equal opportunity for education, and having complete control of their lives, both inside and outside their homes.

UN Women states that “empowering women to participate fully in economic life across all sectors is essential to build stronger economies, achieve internationally agreed goals for development and sustainability, and improve the quality of life for women, men, families and communities.” One of the principles that offer guidance to empower women in the community is to promote equality through community initiatives and advocacy.

Kenya, one of the most populous countries in Africa, has policies and programmes geared towards the improvement of women socio-economic standing and overall development. I am interested in seeing whether and how these programmes have worked for the women (and men) in Kisii.

Hello Kisii, Again

I am very happy to be in Kisii again. I’ve come back to the place I stayed last year – the Eye hospital. I even got the same rooms for me and Loes, the student who will join me. I met with some of the people who I had spoken with about female circumcision last year and who had stated then that their interest was to enhance themselves economically. It was nice to see them, and talk to them again. I told them why I had come back again – to understand how they wanted to enhance themselves, what they had done so far, and what barriers/challenges they were facing.

Local Researchers

What I like about doing participatory action research (where as the researcher, you don’t just collect data from the community, but act as a facilitator and allow the community to fulfil an active role in the co-creation and implementation of local solutions within their range of possibilities) is that you have a team that you work with, and members of the local community make up part of the team.

I spent my first two weeks getting to know my two local researchers: Mary Gesare Getugi and Godfrey Ragogi. Both of them seem enthusiastic about working together.

Mary, a single mother of two, is an avid business woman. After finishing high school, she started buying clothes in Kampala, Uganda, and selling them locally – a business she built up after navigating the markets of Kampala on her own. She got married, and after giving birth to her second child, things got a bit tough, and she decided leave her husband and go back to her parents. She has a bit of savings, but she is planning on going back to doing business. She is very passionate about empowering women and youth.

Godfrey has worked with AMREF international. He worked in Kericho, where they had to assess the proposals of different groups to see if they were eligible for funding to start different projects.

The Start

We started with a workshop where we introduced each other and talked about how we would go about doing the data collection. We want to find out whether and how women are empowered economically (and otherwise) through the self-help groups. To answer this question, we will look at the execution of the groups, and what barriers/challenges they face. We decided to look at the different self-help groups in Nyaribari Chache Constituency, and concentrate on Kisii Central Ward. Our aim is to see how women (and men) have enhanced themselves through the self-help groups, what challenges they are facing in these groups, and what their dream for the future is.

We decided to start with the leaders of these groups and then the members. Other stakeholders that we thought we would approach were people who were not in self-help groups, people who worked for the county government, and people who worked for the national government. We also decided to approach different organizations that work with the groups.  We then assigned ourselves the task of looking for the different groups. We hope to investigate how the women (and men) in the community through these groups realize the sustainable development goal 5 that addresses the achievement of gender equality and women empowerment of all women and girls.

The post What is women empowement? appeared first on SevenSenses.

Phyllis Livaha is Coordinator of the Female Rights Challenge in Kenya. She conducts PAR for her PhD at the Erasmus University College. For SevenSenses she writes blogs about the progress of the project.

It’s only been a month since we wrapped up our 90 days in rural Kenya, but seems so long ago, yet I’ll never forget how well the team interacted with the community, and how open the community members were to us – from the leaders to the children – not to mention how well the team worked together!

Female Rights Challenge in action

There were four of us, and we divided ourselves two units of two people each. Each day, one unit would go to one area and the other unit would go to another. We would then exchange the results later in the day.
The community chiefs were always very cooperative and invited us to more barazas (public meetings) where we either interviewed some of the community members or made arrangements to interview them in their homes. We met village elders at these barazas, and the elders also gathered people for us when needed.

The Jehova’s Witnesses’ perspective

One day, while in the town, Sinde saw another mzungu (white person) speaking with a local, and curiosity got the better of her, so she decided to call him over. We found out that he was a Witness for Jehovah, and he invited us to Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall the following day to celebrate Easter. Neither Sinde nor I had never attended a Jehovah’s Witness meeting, so we decided to try it out. Needless to say, it was very interesting, and an invitation to their house followed. There, we talked about many things, female circumcision included. They then sent us information explaining how they dealt with it.

What we found out

While some community members said that female circumcision is no longer practiced, most said that it was, but in secret. Almost all of them, including the leaders, said it was now being practiced by medical practitioners, and not traditional circumcisers.
Many people did not know what the different laws on female circumcision stated, but only knew it was wrong to practice female circumcision and one would be arrested if caught. Two leaders were confronted with cases, and reacted to them. Others said they did not get any cases, whereas some community members said the leaders were not arresting anyone because they were being given bribes. While some people thought the law worked, most people did not think the law was a good way to end the practice.

They said the community members need to be made aware of the problems with the practice. Some said there is resistance because of fear and lack of consultation.

A few participants stated that the issue of female circumcision should not be tackled in isolation. It should be integrated in day to day issues, and not only give campaigns or provide rescue centres in August and December when it’s normally practiced.

Local Organizations in the driver’s seat

We managed to locate four local organizations that were working on the issue: (a) The YWCA, which had worked on the issue of female circumcision before but stopped when the funding ran out; (b) Fulda-Mosocho Project, which is still very active and uses a different method to create awareness; (c) Vinbel Foundation, a newly-formed organization that is working with women and girls through empowering them with information on several issues affecting them like female circumcision, feminine hygiene, rape, education among others; and, (d) Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA).

YWCA offered a rescue camp for girls during the months that circumcision is practiced, mainly in December. They also recruited some community members who they trained and used them as volunteers to go to the villages to talk to other community members. When the funding depleted, the volunteers found it difficult to go to the villages, because they lacked fare. While they were willing to spread the word, lacking the fare made it impossible to do it.

Fulda-Mosocho Project does not provide rescue centres or camps for the girls. The do it very differently from other organizations. They use the value-centred approach method which focuses on the needs of the community. What is taught is not “forced upon” the participants. Local multipliers, like teachers and clan elders are trained, and then they disseminate the information to their families, in class and in the neighbourhoods. Through this program, community members are given the chance to make individual decisions in favour of the integrity of their daughters without coming under pressure. The organization does not use the term prohibition or eliminating the practice, but use the term overcoming because they give ideas to the community members and then the members themselves make their own decisions.

Focus Group Meetings

While we interviewed individuals, we also met with groups. One group, consisting of seventeen women, stated that female circumcision was no longer practiced in the village. When asked the reason for stopping the practice, most of them stated that it was because of the side effects that girls and women had from the procedure, one being difficult childbirth. On being asked if they had experienced difficulty during childbirth, they all said they never had any complications. When asked where they got the information on the side effects, some said they heard it on the local radio (there is a program on the radio about female circumcision) and some said they heard it from organizations that came to the village.

The women expressed their concerns on other issues. Their main concern was being self-sufficient through creation of a business as a group. They had formed a group previously, but that was dissolved. They said that while they were eager to work together, they were not educated, and did not know how to make it work.

The other focus group consisted of various participants of different ages and different careers. There were also leaders in this focus group. There was a good debate in this group. While some supported female circumcision, most did not. At the end, the group came up with points to consider as a way to move forward, among them being to involve the people in the community and very clearly explore both the pros and cons of the practice and to stop the medical practitioners from doing the procedure. One participant, the program coordinator of YWCA said it would help to look at the issue alongside other issues, like health, and not in isolation.

We had another meeting with three women who had philosophical questions. Some of the questions were: what should be done if a woman who has undergone the practice does not experience any complications? Why should one who has not undergone the practice feel that she is more of a woman than the one who has? What about circumcising professionally, which is what is happening now? Is the need for ending the practice from people practicing it or just those reading about it from books? How are the laws crafted and who is doing it, and for what need?

Winding up and the way forward

I enjoyed every single day of work. One highlight was meeting the young women of Vinbel Foundation who were passionate about sharing with the young girls and did it purely on voluntary basis. The community members on seeing the passion of these young women, offer to assist so that their daughters can be taught. They provide different resources like food or fare for the girls to attend camp sessions. Another lesson I learned was the reason why female circumcision is termed as female genital mutilation (FGM), and why it is different from male circumcision. Someone who had undergone the procedure said it is funny how people who have not undergone the procedure get to debate on what to call it, without consulting the women and girls who have undergone the practice.

Another thing I learned was that there was a catholic priest who condemned the practice in Nyamira location back in 1970, and was almost chased away. The community claimed that he was not Kisii. The catholic church therefore stopped being vocal about the issue.
On the last day of the Female Rights Challenge, we had a meeting with the program coordinator of Fulda-Mosocho and the chief of the Nyakoe location. We had a fruitful discussion on what would be done moving forward. One of the things discussed is looking for ways to advertise about the work of the organization on the radio so that more people can hear about them. The lack of government assistance was a concern that was raised. While the government has stated in the National Strategy that it is working with local organizations, that is not exactly the case in Kisii. Facilitators from Fulda-Mosocho Project, for example, have operational costs that are difficult to cover. Although some of the community members volunteer, for example providing vehicles for transportation, resources and support from the government would help this organization and others reach more people.

I am still in touch with the organizations because one observation during the conversations with these organizations was that they don’t coordinate, but work in isolation. Since all the organizations are doing such a good job in working with the community, this can be further strengthened by their collaboration. While we completed the Challenge, I strongly believe change will continue in Kisii and Nyamira counties and the community members will succeed in overcoming the practice!

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Phyllis Livaha is Coordinator of the Female Rights Challenge in Kenya. She conducts PAR for her PhD at the Erasmus University College. She writes blogs about the progress of the project.

Where Does the Time Go?

Wow! It feels like I just came to Kisii the other day, and I’m in the middle of my second month of research. I hit the ground running, literally. After landing in Nairobi and celebrating the New Year, I went to Kisii on the 4th of January 2016 to meet with Francis Maina (Maina) and Lydia Mukami (Lydia), the local researchers.

Getting Familiar

Although born and raised in Kenya, I never lived in Kisii; so for me, this was a new experience. I have a cousin who has lived here for a while, so I called him, and he happily said I could stay with his family. I had never met his wife and son after all, so it was a perfect time to get to know them. They welcomed me very well. For the two nights I stayed with them, I went back in the evening after a day with Maina to home-cooked meals and warm water for my bath. Caleb, their three-year-old son, was very social, and happy to give me many stories.

On the second day, my cousin took me to meet Maina.
One thing I realized was that the streets were packed. My cousin explained that it was because it was a market day, although I came to learn that Kisii is densely populated.

Maina grew up in Central Kenya, but he has lived in Kisii since 1991 and even speaks the language. He received me well and immediately started showing me around. We walked all day, and in the evening, he wanted me to meet one of the chiefs who was his friend. We went to this small restaurant where men were sitting around drinking coffee. They offered me ‘teargas’, a drink made from lemon and ginger, but I politely declined. I later came to learn that it was the place where people, mostly men, meet to talk about politics. I spoke with the chief briefly outside, and he later became a big asset to our project. The following day, after meeting with Maina for a few hours and walking around some more, I went back to Nairobi.

House Hunting and Beginning of Data Collection

I tried to look for a place to stay while in Kisii, but wasn’t lucky. Both Maina and my cousin were not very familiar with short-term living arrangements, apart from hotels. The following week, I travelled back to Kisii with Lydia. I had been trying to house-hunt online, but with no luck. We got to Kisii on a Wednesday evening and decided to stay in a hotel. We went to Zonic, the one I was familiar with, since that is where I had met Maina. Not the best choice, though. My bathroom was flooded, and there was water dripping from the toilet cistern. The water in the shower was cold, and I was told it’s because it comes from the top floor and takes time to get warm…

“While I thought it would be difficult to talk to people about a sensitive subject like female circumcision, both leaders and the common “mwananchi” (civilian) easily shared their thoughts on the practice, and a clear consensus emerged: female circumcision is still practiced, but secretly.”

The following morning, we had breakfast and then met Maina to start the long day of looking for places. We went from hotel to hotel, and I called my friends in Nairobi who also started helping. Finally in the evening, with the help of one of my friends, we got an expensive apartment. It had the basics, but for the amount of money they were charging, they could have done more. I was happy to get a place, but continued to look for a cheaper one.

Both Lydia and Maina wanted to start the immediately, and we conducted two team workshops in the first week. During the workshops, we talked about our styles of working and about the research design. The days seemed long, but they were productive. We agreed to start with individual interviews and then move on to focus-group meetings.

That weekend, I went to visit my parents, who live about 3 hours away in a small town. It was good to see them again, and I got energized to start the data collection.

While I thought it would be difficult to talk to people about a sensitive subject like female circumcision, both leaders and the common “mwananchi” (civilian) easily shared their thoughts on the practice, and a clear consensus emerged: female circumcision is still practiced, but secretly. Most people, including the leaders, didn’t know what the law stated, but just knew if someone was caught circumcising a girl child, he/she would be arrested. A few people know about the health hazards of the practice, but most of them also said that medical practitioners are the ones who encourage it the most, and charge a hefty fee for doing so, regardless of whether it’s part of their culture or not.

Welcoming the Challenge Participant

At the end of January, the challenge participant from the Netherlands arrived. Her name is Ermesinde de Strijcker, and it was exciting to wait for her to get here to join the rest of the team. My friend’s mum picked her up at the airport and brought her all the way to Kisii to make sure she was safe. I made food for them, and made sure Sinde had enough sleep that night. The following day, I walked her around the town, and gave her tips on how people socialize.

She was the only ‘mzungu’ (white person) in the area, so she attracted a lot of attention. This still happens to date. I took her to the research field after the weekend, and together we interviewed a few people. She learned very fast, although at some point, she still wanted us to practice a role play to boost her confidence.

We have interviewed about 100 people in both Kisii and Nyamira counties. I have met so many good people who are willing to assist us with our research.

One in particular, Chief Opanga, made sure he connected us with other chiefs, and introduced us during a ‘baraza’ (public meeting) to several people, some of whom we interviewed. It was also a good opportunity to observe what the community does during a public meeting. This was a whole-day affair, and many issues were touched, from roads to illicit brews, and even female circumcision (although I believe this was because we were there).

Two other people who stick on my mind are a deaf lady we interviewed and her interpreter. The two met when the lady’s husband, who is also deaf, came to look for a job for her at her interpreter’s restaurant. He then found out the interpreter knows sign language. The interpreter learned how to sign from her sister-in-law (her husband’s sister, who is also deaf). She never went to school to learn it, but was very efficient. It was fascinating to watch them communicate.

Play Time

But of course it was not all work. Sinde and I went to Kakamega Forest on one weekend and attended a huge birthday party on another weekend. We also visited the Ogembe Tea Factory, here in Kisii. Maina, who knows the production manager, made the arrangements for us. It was fun to see the process of tea-making from the beginning to the end, and go through the various steps of transformation. It made me think of our lives and how we transform.

This past weekend, we decided to go and visit our other colleagues, Alim and Anouk in Nairobi (Education & Talent Challenge, red.). We walked with them to the area where they will work in Mukuru slum. Seeing how people live in these slums gave me focus again, and made me remember to be grateful for what I have. It’s not much, but I don’t have to walk through the sewage every day.

At the same time, this slum has also produced amazing people who are willing to give back to their community. We met just a few of them, but hope to meet more in the near future.

Focus Groups

This week, we hope to prepare a focus group. We’re all looking forward to it, but we haven’t discussed it in detail. How will it be? What will it look like? How many participants will we invite? What will we give them to eat and drink? And most important: what will the participants come up with? Are there any alternatives to female circumcision? Are people willing to change the practice? So many questions. Look for the answers in my next blog!

The post Female circumcision in Kisii, Kenya: secret practice, openly spoken about appeared first on SevenSenses.

Phyllis Livaha is Coordinator of the Female Rights Challenge in Kenya. She conducts PAR for her PhD at the Erasmus University College. She writes blogs about the progress of the project. ‘Never say never’ is her very first blog.

Read more about the Female Rights Challenge.

Growing up, there were two jobs I always said I would never take: secretary and teacher.

Well, as it turns out, I’ve taken both, and I still have one – and I love it, because as a teacher of human rights law at Erasmus University in the Netherlands, I find I have as much to learn from my students as they do from me. Every day is an opportunity to learn something new – whether from colleagues or from students.

But being in academia also requires doing research, which is something that I dreaded until I got in touch with Madelon Eelderink, the founder of SevenSenses.

Don’t get me wrong. I love learning, but I didn’t see the value in writing a book or some articles that would only be seen by a committee of ten other academics who would question me for forty-five minutes after a fifteen-minute presentation on work I had done for maybe four or more years.

How do I create impact with my work?

I wanted my work to have some sort of impact – to matter – and to reflect what communities had done for themselves, rather than what I, the ‘wise’ outsider, learned about them and how I could recommend they improve their lives, knowing that none of these words would never be put to use.

It was a conversation along these lines that brought me to SevenSenses. I was speaking with Ashleigh, one of my colleagues of Erasmus University College, who told me SevenSenses would be something that I would love to do. And boy, was she right!

Hello SevenSenses

After a few days Ashleigh told me that Madelon wanted to talk to me. Of course I wanted to hear it from the horse’s mouth. Madelon told me all about SevenSenses and the projects they conduct, the “SevenSenses Challenges”. I got very excited, and that night, I stayed up till 3 am working on my proposal on Female Circumcision, a topic that has been of interest to me for a while. But that’s a story for another day. I sent off my proposal on Female Circumcision in Kenya and to Madelon and the board of the SevenSenses Foundation. A few days later, I got the good news that my proposal had been accepted. I was part of SevenSenses Action Research Academy. Wow!

What Next?

Madelon then contacted me and told me that there was one other person called Anne Braakman -alias Alim- who was interested in doing a Challenge in Kenya about education and talent development. I came to meet Alim at a leadership festival hosted by NHTV University of Applied Sciences – our very first SevenSenses Academy day.

That day was the kick-off of intensive training sessions to get us ready for our Challenges. SevenSenses uses a different kind of method to do research, the main thing that attracted me to the Academy. Participatory Action Research involves the community from the start. As a researcher, I don’t just collect data from the community, but I act as a facilitator and allow the community to fulfill an active role in the co-creation and implementation of local solutions within their range of possibilities, empowering them to tackle social issues.

The Training

We started with a bang, and we crammed a lot into a few weeks. We began with the writing of proposals and how to approach various organizations, and then we went into the content of the research, which covered the research design, collection of data and intercultural differences. The training is continuing, and the irony is that after a long day I go home more energized than tired!

During the Academy in the Netherlands, I have also met amazing people who have great energy. One of them is Evert Jan van Hasselt, who captured my attention when he talked about Dreams during the festival at NHTV.

I also got to meet other people who are using Participatory Action Research in different projects as well as the pioneers of this type of research. I am now looking forward to the next step of my journey, which is the SevenSenses Challenge itself!

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