Meru governor’s Wife Priscilla Murungi is spearheading an initiative known as ‘Twaweza’ aimed at addressing challenges facing women and young girls in the county.

Twaweza focuses on women empowerment and gender equality through enhanced maternal and child health care, provision of skills to teenagers, leadership training, cancer screening, imparting business skills, reducing gender based violence and promoting the welfare of the aged.

The activities of the initiative are being overseen by a board chaired by Josephine Mbaya.

The Twaweza initiative has kicked off with the launch of ‘Generation plus program as well as the launch of a menstrual hygiene management program.

Mrs Kiraitu said the menstrual hygiene management program would focus on keeping girls in school.

“We want to break the silence and demystify the taboos surrounding the use of sanitary pads. The program will focus on menstrual hygiene management, adolescent sexual and reproduction health education, nutrition education and policy among others,” she said

The county first lady said the Twaweza program will go a long way in eradicating ignorance among women.

“Majority of women live in rural areas and go through most of the challenges. The government has come up with several legislative attempts to ensure equitable distribution of wealth, jobs, political participation and leadership but there is a lot of ignorance among women,” Mrs Murungi said.

She said Twaweza will give women basic knowledge on their rights and access to government opportunities.

“Women make up 50.2% of Kenya’s total population. This makes them one of the largest, untapped participants of economic and social growth.

The Twaweza program seeks to remedy the situation by reducing women exclusion and promote their involvement in every aspect of growth and development,” she stated.

Twaweza also seeks to enlighten on the women rights against cultural biases resulting from women’s rights and their political participation, education, socio-economic status, legal rights related to land inheritance, health and welfare.

Education executive Linner Nkirote said the programme will promote nutrition among children helping end stunted growth in the county.

“We are looking at the whole scope of nutrition including feeding, deworming and provision of vitamins to early childhood learners. Teenage pregnancies, early marriages, HIV, FGM and school dropout rates will be addressed. We want to build the youth of tomorrow today,” Ms Nkirote said.

Under the program, women will be trained in entrepreneurial skills to empower them to engaging in businesses, profitable farming and economic activities.

The initiative will partner with the Meru County Microfinance Corporation to enable women access cheap loans and promote a saving and investment culture.

“The Department of Agriculture and Trade will also engage women in economic activities. We will ensure that funds are set aside to train women to gain efficiency in their economic undertakings and ensure that women benefit from 30 per cent allocation in tenders and appointments,” the first lady said.

The Meru county government is in the process of tapping into the teeming wildlife around the Meru town municipality and the Meru national park.

Speaking during the World Elephant Day national celebrations in Meru, Governor Kiraitu Murungi said his administration was keen to convert the presence of elephants within Meru municipality into a blessing.

The governor has also signed a memorandum of understanding with Chinese investors from Huangshan Municipality keen on supporting the tourism sector in Meru.

“Meru municipality is the only town with an elephant maternity in Kenya, at Nkunga Forest. It is also the only Municipality in the country with a forest in its outskirts with large herds of elephants. We would like to have a tourist facility within Meru municipality where people can easily see some elephants and earn income for our people. We would like to make it a major source of attraction,” governor Kiraitu said.

He said his administration would have partnerships with local and international partners to promote tourism.

“We are working to introduce new tourism products at Meru National Park as well Lake Nkunga and King Muuru near Meru town. We want to have a good working relationship with the tourism sector stakeholders to increase the flow of tourists to Meru County. This will bring high returns for the benefits of both country and the residents of Meru,” he said.

While entering the MoU with Mr Liu Xiaohua, the Executive vice mayor of Huangshan Municipal Government in China, the governor said the county would learn a lot from the thriving tourism of the Chinese municipality.

Meru and Huangshan will build better friendships between the two peoples to stimulate tourism and trade on the basis of equality and mutual benefit.

“In addition, exchanges and cooperation of all forms, including technology and science, culture, sports, health, talents and other exchanges, shall be encouraged,” said Governor Kiraitu.

Governor Kiraitu noted that Huangshan Municipal City receives 67 million tourists in a year compared to Kenya’s two million tourists will greatly benefit Meru County Tourism and Trade sectors.

He said he would strive to attract more foreign investors so as to expand the County’s economy through investments in hotel industry, business, agriculture and other sectors.

Meru county government has partnered with a nongovernmental organization in a deal that will see Community health volunteers given smart phones for use in promoting preventive health.

The special smart phones to be given by the Henry Family Advised Fund foundation will be used to identify children suffering from cleft lips and palates and other surgical neglected conditions.

The foundation works with the International Collaboration of Essential Surgery.

Meru governor Kiraitu Murungi said the volunteers will use the smart phones to collect of data in different parts of the county.

Speaking when he signed a MOU with the Henry Family Advised Fund foundation, governor Murungi said the county was keen on using digital systems to boost health care in the county.

He said the use of digital equipment to collect and analyse data would increase efficiency and response to those in need.

“The county government will provide training facilities to train the workers in the health campaign. Our partners the Henry Family foundation will provide the expertise and linkages as the administration works to reach those affected by Neglected Surgical Diseases (NSDs),” governor Murungi said.

The NSDs includes cleft lip and palate, cataracts, hernia and clubfoot.

Dr Jaymie Henry from the fund said it was important to identify and conduct appropriate surgeries to the people who suffer from the ‘neglected’ conditions as they can lead to disability.

“We will promote surgical interventions that save lives and prevent permanent disabilities and life threatening conditions through treatment of children born with congenital defects and mothers with Obstructive Labor Complications such as Obstetric fistula,” Dr Jaymie said.

She said the conditions had become neglected yet many people suffering from them are affected in terms of productivity.

Governor Kiraitu said the foundation will start off by working with the 1500 Meru County community health volunteers and MYS Health Workers.

The Foundation also aims to fast track referrals from the field and Level 4 hospitals to level 5 hospitals.