Persistence Embodied

February 15, 2019

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Persistence pays off” may be a cliché, but in the case of VGIF grantee Women Working for Women (3W), it’s a simple fact. 3W was the first openly Lesbian, Bisexual and Queer (LBQ) organization in Kisumu County, Kenya. They envision a society that embraces justice, freedom, and equity for all people, and work to ensure that LBQ women can enjoy the same rights as any other citizen.

In Kenya, LGBTQI people face significant threats to their health, wellness, safety, and freedom. Just recently, the County Assembly of Kisumu passed a motion aiming to shut down organizations like 3W, stating that NGOs supporting the LGBTQI community are ‘spreading’ homosexuality. In the resulting uproar, 3W and their partner organizations faced such serious security threats that they had to move their office.

Sitting in 3W’s conference room in front of bright rainbow curtains, and hearing about the current political/social climate, it was difficult to imagine that they are able to build the partnerships and support necessary for the project VGIF is funding: to create safe spaces in Kisumu for LBQ women and establish a friendly and supportive relationship between LBQ women and the police.

That is, until I was whisked off on a whirlwind of meetings with partners from the Ministry of Health to the Kisumu Police who greeted the 3W staff with enormous smiles, and spoke with great respect about the impact they are making as an organization. It became apparent throughout 6 stakeholder meetings that among 3W’s strengths are strategy, persistence, and partnership. If Webster’s Dictionary ever needs a photo for “persistent” they need look no further than Don Catherine, 3W’s Executive Director.

Strategy

Many of 3W’s programs for LBQ women are centered around health. “Health is a priority for everyone, so it can be a place to start. If you go to the police station and say ‘I want to talk about gender diversity’, you will be turned away. If you go to the police station and say, ‘I want to talk about gender based violence’, then you have gotten into the room. Once you are in the room, you can say ‘this issue also affects us, the LBQ women,’ and then you have a conversation.” says Don Catherine, the Executive Director of 3W.

Persistence

3W’s work requires continuous advocacy and sensitization (as well as a world’s worth of patience). When asked to comment on what she has learned so far from 3W, one policewomen shared: “When I first heard 3W at the police training, I did not have a good response. I thought ‘Why are people choosing to be like this? It must be a curse.’ I knew about [LGBTQI] people on the television, but I did not know that there were any [LGBTQI] people living in Kenya. On the third meeting, I started to listen, and I was able to learn a lot. We are all human beings. We must create space for everyone in our community.”

Partnership

3W has an incredible aptitude for turning contacts into allies. This is crucial to their work, as it keeps them safe, and gives them the political clout they need to move issues forward that affect the lives of LBQ women.

“The first day there was news of the motion, and 3W became a target, Don came straight to us,” Dr. Otieno Kennedy explained. He is the Medical Officer and Public Health Specialist at the Ministry of Health (MOH), and a great supporter of 3W. “I stood up for them, because what they do is important. We are one community – everyone deserves justice, no matter their sexual orientation.”

Persistence Embodied