First Lady Rachel Ruto calls for collective efforts to uplift young girls

Samuel Maina and Beth Ndirangu-KNA

 The First Lady Rachel Ruto has called for concerted efforts to help young girls attain their full potential in life.

Mrs. Ruto singled out abject poverty as one of the greatest impediments that hinders girls from realizing their lifelong dreams with majority of them being forced to shoulder the burden of assisting their parents to fend for the family.

 She said no effort should be spared in ensuring every girl can access quality education and other essential services that can equip her with skills that can transform her life and make her contribute to the development of the nation.

The First Lady was speaking during celebrations to mark this year’s World Thinking Day at the Nyeri Moi Complex in commemoration of 105 years since the founding of the Kenya Girl Guides Association.

“Poverty remains one of the pressing issues limiting access to education, health and essential services for many girls. This is worsened by climate change that threatens the livelihoods of many communities, making it difficult for many girls to remain in schools.

A strategy to achieve the government’s target of 100 per cent enrollment and retention is ensuring Kenya meets its feeding goal of 10 million children accessing food by 2030,” she said.

The First Lady similarly challenged learning institutions to support the Girl Guides Association in coming up with practical intervention that can help mitigate some of the challenges facing the country such as climate change and food insecurity.

Mrs. Ruto noted that with proper training and support from other organs such as the 4K club, the movement can greatly help transform their immediate community by coming up with activities that will eventually have an enduring impact countrywide.

“As girl guides, we have the one tree campaign as an environmental flagship project. However, I urge the guides to increase the tree cover from one tree to 30 trees a year.

"Some of those trees should be fruit trees. Collaborate with the 4K Club and allocate a piece of land for planting fruit trees and help mitigate against food insecurity,” she added.

Gender PS Ann Wang’ombe lauded the First Lady for spearheading efforts in advocating for gender equality and women empowerment in the country.

Wang’ombe said it is through such initiatives that women can be placed on a vantage position that can thrust them to leadership positions that can contribute to the development of the country.

“This movement (Girl Guide) is not only about learning skills, but also about building character. It is about courage and standing for what is right. It is very hard to find a Girl Guide on the wrong. So, we must carry that virtue along with fostering a world, where women and girls are valued, respected and given equal opportunities,” she said.

The PS also welcomed the recent formation of a 42 taskforce to address soaring femicide cases in the country, saying it will help in a big way to curb the vice.

She further dispelled the false notion that gender equality only advocates for the rights of the girl child, while maintaining that on the contrary, it involves fighting for the welfare of both sexes.

On her part, Terry Chebet Maina, who is the National Chair, Kenya Girl Guides and Girl Scouts called upon the movement to keep the spirit of the pioneers of the movement alive.

 Maina said when General Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell and his wife Olave St. Clair formed the Scouting Movement, it was to help nurture young men and women who can be dependable in the society.

She therefore said this year’s celebration is to help reflect about the spirit behind the formation of the Boy Scout and Girl Guide movement and ensure its founding clarion call endures for posterity.