Championing Freedom and Dignity: ENAF Celebrates International Day of the Girl Child 2026

11 October, 2026 ENAF Communications

Championing Freedom and Dignity: ENAF Celebrates International Day of the Girl Child 2026

Echo Network Africa Foundation (ENAF) joins the global community in celebrating girls on this International Day of the Girl Child.

The world over, girls have been subjected to unnecessary burdens that have come in the way of progress. While some notable strides have been made, much more remains undone in the fight against barriers that continue to hold girls back: FGM, early marriages, teenage pregnancies and period poverty.

On this International Day of the Girl Child, ENAF urges all people of goodwill to take action, however small, to end these harmful practices and help girls everywhere to enjoy their God-given freedom and dignity.

Safeguarding Kenya’s Forest Cover: ENAF Partners with Local Communities for Mazingira Day

10 October, 2026 ENAF Communications

Safeguarding Kenya’s Forest Cover: ENAF Partners with Local Communities for Mazingira Day

Happy Mazingira Day!

Dr Jennifer Riria, President of Echo Network Africa Foundation, wishes to remind Kenyans of the key role that girls and women play in the protection of the environment. Together we can safeguard Kenya’s forest cover.

This Mazingira Week, Echo Network Africa Foundation (ENAF) recognises women, young women and girls as leaders and agents of environmental action. A healthy environment is deeply connected to women’s lives, livelihoods, dignity and future. ENAF champions the message that women are powerful environmental actors who build climate-resilient livelihoods, rather than simply being beneficiaries of environmental programmes.

Putting this core message into practice, ENAF facilitated a community-led tree planting exercise on Friday, 9th October. The successful coordination of the day was driven by the ENAF Local Implementing Partner (LIP), Jivunie Vismart CBO, who actively mobilised the Rafiki Women Group to take the lead in restoring their local environment. This active participation highlights that when women have the opportunity to shape how natural resources are managed, the benefits extend to households, communities and future generations.

This impactful event was made possible through a valuable collaboration with the Kenya Scouts Association, Kilifi Branch. ENAF highly values this partnership, which saw the Association generously donate 100 indigenous tree seedlings to support the restoration efforts. By providing these essential resources, the Kenya Scouts Association demonstrated a shared commitment to advancing women’s agency and building sustainable ecosystems alongside local communities.

Financial Inclusion YISA

Owning the Lake: The Women Rewriting the Rules of Aquaculture

30 September, 2026 ENAF Communications

Owning the Lake: The Women Rewriting the Rules of Aquaculture

For generations of women living along the shores of Lake Victoria, economic survival in the fishing industry often meant navigating a deeply entrenched system of exploitation. Wida Akinyi, a resident of Mulukoba Beach in Busia County, knows this harsh reality firsthand. As a member of the Bukani Mama Toto Group, Wida experienced a restrictive culture that deliberately kept women away from direct production, forcing them to rely on the “Jaboya” system just to secure fish for basic trading.

“We were completely at their mercy, there was a culture where you could not even buy fish to sell unless you traded your dignity with the boat owners. We were kept at the absolute bottom, with no voice and no way out,” Wida recalls.

The turning point for Wida and her community arrived through the Youth in Sustainable Aquaculture (YISA) program. This initiative provided the Bukani Mama Toto Group, a women-led aquaculture enterprise, with the critical infrastructure needed to transition from vulnerable traders to empowered cage fish farmers.

“When the Youth in Sustainable Aquaculture program arrived, it rewrote our story,” Wida explains. “Through KES 4.5 million revolving loan fund, we received a 28-foot boat, quality feeds, and fingerlings. We were finally given the power to farm our own fish and control our own destiny.”

This KES 4.5 million investment was more than just funding; it was a complete toolkit for commercial independence. To ensure the women could command the waters safely and competitively, they were equipped with heavy infrastructure, including a secure fish cage fitted with reflectors, a motorized engine boat, and modern tools like solar lighting, oxygen meters, and a CCTV system.

Beyond the hardware, the initiative breathed life into their new enterprise by supplying 35,000 tilapia fingerlings alongside a full cycle of specialized fish feeds. With their local security costs covered and their entire stock fully insured, the group finally had the safety net required to step out of survival mode and run a thriving business.

Taking ownership of the waters: Wida Akinyi inspects the Bukani Mama Toto Group’s fish cage at Mulukoba Beach following a feeding session.

The shift from dependency to ownership has yielded incredible financial results. By breaking the traditional barriers that denied women access to the lake, the group successfully completed one full harvest cycle. During this production phase, the women harvested approximately 6.720 tonnes of tilapia. Proving their capacity to operate at a corporate level, the group successfully secured a market for their produce, selling the entire yield for KES 2,029,400.00.

“Because the initial capital was a loan, we made sure to pay back every shilling of the principal and interest,” Wida notes proudly. “The profits we kept went straight into our table banking to uplift one another, and we immediately reinvested to multiply our stock in the water.”

The Bukani Mama Toto Group is focused on long-term sustainability and continuous growth. Following their highly successful first harvest, the group immediately reinvested in their enterprise by restocking their fish cage with 35,000 tilapia fingerlings in November 2025.

Currently, Wida and her team are meticulously managing their stock as they approach their next major harvest in August 2026. The socio-economic impact on their households has already been profound.

“As we speak today, our children are in class with a zero fee balance,” Wida shares. “Not a single child is being sent home. For the first time, we have a voice and real economic power in this village. We no longer beg; we stand entirely on our own.”

Through the strategic support of the YISA program, the women of Bukani Mama Toto are no longer waiting on the shorelines. They are actively commanding their own economic futures and building a lasting legacy for the next generation.

Organizational News Women's Leadership, Political Participation & Governance

The Echo Effect: From Kenya to the rest of Africa

23 September, 2026 ENAF Communications

The Echo Effect: From Kenya to the rest of Africa

Echo Network Africa Foundation (ENAF) held its inaugural South-to-South Pan-African Dialogue on Women’s Leadership on September 17, 2026. The virtual dialogue brought together more than 200 participants from eleven countries, most of whom were from Africa. The dialogue focused on the theme: “Women to the Seat, On the Seat, Beyond the Seat.” Speaking at the event, Dr. Jennifer Riria, ENAF’s President and CEO, anchored the dialogue in the “Echo effect,” the idea that a solution developed in one community can be easily replicated in other countries on the continent, hence the ‘Echo’ effect. Setting a tone of fierce urgency, Dr. Riria challenged the continent with the shocking question: “Are we prepared to wait 120 to 150 years for Africa to close the gender gap?” Dr. Riria emphasized that “girls and women are central to societal transformation. The future of Africa is its women, and it is time we stand together, step forward, and boldly declare that we will lead Africa.”

Dr. Jennifer Riria, President and CEO of ENAF, delivering her opening keynote address

Other notable speakers included Dr. Angelina Mattijo-Bazugba, Founding Director of the National Transformational Leadership Institute (NTLI) in South Sudan, who spoke extensively on affirmative action. Others included Dr. Oliver Waindi of Uraia Trust (Kenya), who spoke on trends in governance and women’s inclusion; Ms. Mercy Mwangi of KEWOPA (Kenya) on legislative mastery; Dr. Mufuliat Dasola Fijabi of International IDEA (Nigeria), who spoke about resource mobilization; Mrs. Jeannette Uwizeye of FECCLAHA (Kenya) on electoral security; and Ms. Juliana Kiio of DTF (Kenya) on campaign financing. At the end of the dialogue, participants agreed that representation is a doorway, influence is the destination, and no woman should have to build a political career alone. They also agreed that Africa already has many of the experiences needed to inform the next generation of women’s leadership programs and committed to adapting these cross-border solutions to support candidates across the continent.

The inaugural webinar is part of the ENAF Expansion initiative, which seeks to extend the ENAF model of development and women-centric approaches to other countries on the continent, hence the South-to-South dialogue. By creating a regular space for practical exchange, ENAF aims to build a platform for sharing, learning, and unlearning, as well as to provide indigenous solutions to systemic leadership challenges as it expands its regional footprint.

Panelists and moderator of the Inaugural South-to-South Pan-African Dialogue on Women’s Leadership, held on 17th September 2026

Watch the full recording of the Inaugural Pan-African Dialogue on Women’s Leadership on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/live/9NM4x2tJY_k

Peace & Conflict Resolution

International Day of Peace: ENAF Calls for Proactive, Grassroots Action Ahead of 2027

21 September, 2026 ENAF Communications

International Day of Peace: ENAF Calls for Proactive, Grassroots Action Ahead of 2027

To mark the International Day of Peace 2026, Echo Network Africa Foundation (ENAF) joined fellow Kenyans, national peace actors, security agencies, and civil society at Prestige Plaza in Nairobi. In a colourful event under the global theme “Invest in Peace: For Everyone, Everywhere, Every Day,” ENAF’s President and CEO, Dr. Jennifer Riria, emphasized the importance of Kenya’s peace preparedness ahead of the 2027 General Election. Addressing a high-level convening that included the National Steering Committee on Peacebuilding and Conflict Management; the National Police Service; and the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC), Dr. Riria challenged stakeholders to shift from reactive emergency responses to proactive, community-led peacebuilding. “Peace is not something we inherit automatically,” Dr. Riria told the assembled peace actors and duty bearers. “Every generation must choose it, protect it, and invest in it”.

ENAF President and CEO Dr. Jennifer Riria delivering her remarks on the importance of proactive, community-led peacebuilding at the International Day of Peace 2026 convening in Nairobi.

In alignment with this call for local action, ENAF continues to drive grassroots peacebuilding through its flagship program, the Tuvuke Initiative. This year alone, ENAF reached nearly 16,000 individuals across five counties, actively training 52 Women Peace Champions to help identify emerging tensions, facilitate dialogue, and connect affected community members to appropriate support. Using simple but effective tools like WhatsApp networks, local safe desks, Nyumba Kumi elders, and the 1195 gender-based violence hotline, these women are actively mediating local conflicts, identifying protection concerns, and referring survivors to appropriate services. Crucially, ENAF has expanded this grassroots network by working directly with local boda boda operators, empowering them to resist political manipulation and work alongside the women champions to keep their neighborhoods safe.

Demonstrating this commitment during the event, peace actors including boda boda riders signed the Tuvuke Initiative Peace Charter, a voluntary public commitment where they pledged to respect the rule of law, protect women and girls, and serve as trusted peace ambassadors.

To ensure these frontline peace actors have the support they require to safely and effectively carry out their work, ENAF is actively advocating for structural support from local authorities. ENAF continues to challenge local police and security agencies to provide Women Peace Champions with direct, 24-hour contact lines, ensuring that when a mother calls for help late at night, the phone is actually answered. Furthermore, ENAF urges the public, particularly the youth and boda boda riders, to be careful about the media they consume, asking them to verify information before forwarding inflammatory videos or voice notes on WhatsApp. Dr. Riria concluded her participation by joining fellow leaders in launching “The Dear Kenya Peace Campaign” and signing the official Commitment to Peace pledge, cementing ENAF’s commitment to inclusive, community-led peacebuilding and social cohesion.

A group photograph of stakeholders, including ENAF leadership, security agencies, and national peace actors who attended the event.

Blue Economy & Climate Action

World Lake Day 2026: Protecting Our Lakes, Sustaining Our Livelihoods Through Women-Led Fish Farming

27 August, 2026 ENAF Communications

World Lake Day 2026: Protecting Our Lakes, Sustaining Our Livelihoods Through Women-Led Fish Farming

Lakes are vital lifelines for food security and local economies across Kenya and East Africa, yet pollution and environmental degradation continue to threaten freshwater ecosystems. Through our Blue Economy and Climate Action programming, Echo Network Africa Foundation (ENAF) supports lakeside communities, particularly women, to build sustainable livelihoods while safeguarding our waters.

In Homa Bay, Busia, Siaya, and Kisumu Counties, we support women-led fish farming groups with durable modern cages and solar-powered water harvesting equipment, alongside practical mentorship in environmental stewardship. This enables grassroots producers to manage viable enterprises while actively conserving local lakes.

Alongside responsible fish farming, community-led beach clean-ups keep shorelines free of plastic waste to protect aquatic breeding grounds. This World Lake Day, ENAF remains committed to partnering with national and county governments, development actors, and grassroots participants to protect and conserve lake ecosystems for the communities that depend on them.

Girls Excel

ENAF Champions School Re-entry for Teenage Mothers on International Youth Day

13 August, 2026 ENAF Communications

ENAF Champions School Re-entry for Teenage Mothers on International Youth Day

To mark International Youth Day 2026, Echo Network Africa Foundation joined community members, youth advocates, and adolescent mothers at the Amani Kibera BookHouse for an open community dialogue on Wednesday, August 12, 2026.

Held under the global theme, “Different Contexts, Common Aspirations,” the forum drew inspiration from CFK Africa’s publication, Still, I Rise, which highlights the lived experiences and resilience of teenage mothers in informal settlements. The session provided a safe space to discuss the systemic barriers adolescent mothers face and explore collective solutions to support their aspirations.

Through its Girls Excel Initiative, Echo Network Africa Foundation championed the right to education for young mothers, advocating for community-backed re-enrolment and school retention to ensure that early motherhood does not end a girl’s learning journey.

To provide immediate, practical support, Echo Network Africa Foundation distributed dignity kits to the teenage mothers in attendance, addressing hygiene needs and restoring self-confidence. The engagement reinforced the foundation’s commitment to eliminating stigma, fostering inclusive learning environments, and empowering adolescent mothers to return to school and thrive.

Women's Leadership, Political Participation & Governance

Shaping 2027 and Beyond: ENAF, DTF and UN Women Evaluate Historic Gender Gains in Bungoma

5 August, 2026 ENAF Communications

Shaping 2027 and Beyond: ENAF, DTF and UN Women Evaluate Historic Gender Gains in Bungoma

Echo Network Africa Foundation (ENAF), alongside the Democracy Trust Fund and the UN Women East and Southern Africa Regional Office, successfully concluded a two-day evaluation mission in Bungoma County. The joint field assessment evaluated the long-term impact of the Ireland-funded Preserving and Expanding Gender Gains Programme, implemented across Bungoma and Vihiga Counties from 2023 to 2025. Designed as part of UN Women’s outgoing 2023–2026 Strategic Note review, the mission’s findings will directly inform strategic investment priorities for the upcoming 2027–2029 cycle.

During the mission, the delegation held high-level discussions with key county leadership, including Deputy Governor H.E. Pst. Janepher Mbatiany, Gender CECM Mr. Benedict Emachar, county gender officials, and Members of the County Assembly. To capture the full scope of the program’s impact, the team also conducted community focus groups with grassroots women and beneficiaries across various sub-counties. These discussions highlighted significant gains in women’s leadership capacity, civic engagement, and political readiness ahead of the 2027 General Elections.

The evaluation highlighted major milestones, including the launch of the Bungoma County Women’s Manifesto, the adoption of progressive gender, child protection, and disability policies, and the operationalization of the Women’s Leadership Pillar within the Intergovernmental Gender Sector Working Group. Building on these successes, ENAF and its partners will use the mission’s insights to help translate existing policy frameworks into enforceable regulations, securing sustainable governance measures for women’s empowerment across the region.

Girls Excel Organizational News

ENAF and Ministry of Education Review Girls Excel Initiative and Mobile Science Lab Impact

28 July, 2026 ENAF Communications

ENAF and Ministry of Education Review Girls Excel Initiative and Mobile Science Lab Impact

Echo Network Africa Foundation (ENAF) hosted officials from the Ministry of Education at its Nairobi offices for a progress workshop. The session provided a platform to review the Girls Excel Initiative report covering program activities and milestones achieved from July 2025 to date across 21 schools in 18 counties.

By pairing mobile STEM laboratories and Hesabu Clubs with mentorship and dignity kit distribution, the initiative directly addresses period poverty and classroom absenteeism. The program brings essential science equipment and structured learning support directly to underserved primary and secondary schools.

Partner institutions continue to see marked improvements in student STEM performance as hands-on experiments replace purely theoretical lessons. Recent deployments, including a specialized unit for the Ngala School for the Deaf, have further expanded access to practical science resources for learners with special needs.

Women's Leadership, Political Participation & Governance

Stakeholders Unite to Advance Gender-Responsive Electoral Governance Ahead of 2027 General Elections

27 July, 2026 ENAF Communications

Stakeholders Unite to Advance Gender-Responsive Electoral Governance Ahead of 2027 General Elections

As Kenya prepares for the 2027 General Elections, key institutions and civil society partners gathered in Nairobi for a national dialogue focused on dismantling systemic barriers to women’s political leadership.

Echo Network Africa Foundation (ENAF), in partnership with the Democracy Trust Fund (DTF) and with support from the Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF), convened the National Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue and Sensitization Forum on Gender-Responsive Electoral Governance. The high-level forum brought together over 70 representatives from across Kenya’s electoral governance ecosystem to establish concrete strategies for inclusive democratic processes.

Participating state and non-state actors included the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP), the National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC), the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC), the Political Parties Liaison Committee (PPLC), the State Department for Gender and Affirmative Action (SDGAA), and the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal (PPDT). They were joined by representatives from political parties, security agencies, civil society organizations (CSOs), and women’s rights organizations (WROs).

Throughout the deliberations, delegates addressed the persistent structural, financial, and socio-cultural barriers that continue to limit women’s active political participation. The discussions generated actionable recommendations aimed at strengthening the enforcement of existing electoral laws, enhancing party-level compliance with gender parity principles, and safeguarding female candidates throughout the electoral cycle.

Crucially, the forum underscored that achieving true gender responsiveness requires cross-sectoral coordination and shared accountability. The commitments established during the session will serve as a framework for continued advocacy, joint monitoring, and targeted capacity-building. By aligning key institutions behind a unified agenda, the coalition aims to foster an electoral environment that effectively prepares, positions, and supports more women to successfully run for and win elective office in 2027.m, including the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP), the National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC), the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC), the Political Parties Liaison Committee (PPLC), the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal (PPDT), political parties, security agencies, civil society organizations (CSOs), women’s rights organizations (WROs), and other key electoral stakeholders.

The discussions generated practical recommendations to address the persistent barriers limiting women’s political participation, strengthen the implementation and enforcement of electoral laws and policies, and promote more inclusive and gender-responsive electoral governance.

The forum also underscored the importance of stronger coordination and shared accountability among electoral stakeholders. The commitments made will guide continued advocacy and collective action towards creating an electoral environment that prepares, positions, and supports more women to run for and win elective office in the 2027 General Elections.

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