Shujaa Fidelis Karanja: Bold women's rights advocate leading fight against GBV

Her goal is to influence change through her small actions.

With a focus on empowering young girls and women, Ms Fidelis Karanja’s wish is to see a society that is free from gender-based violence (GBV) and discrimination.

For over a decade, Ms Karanja has been engrossed in initiatives tailored towards empowerment of young girls from low-income areas to become self-reliant and navigate the challenges that hamper their prosperity.

From her own assessment, ignorance of their own rights and poverty are the main factors behind the abuse of women in the slum areas.

“We realized that most women and girls in low-income areas underwent SGBV because the community has normalized GBV and were unaware of their rights,” said Ms Karanja.

Growing up in Nakuru, Ms Karanja could not help but watch innocent girls and women being taken advantage of.

On the other hand, her mother struggled with managing the little resources that she had since she lacked the required education.

During the 2007 post-election violence, Ms Karanja while working for a women rights organization was part of the team that was helping the survivors of GBV. This experience awakened her inner spirit.

After ending her contract with the organization, she founded her own women rights organization known as Young African Women initiative (YAWI) in 2012 to continue with the course.

The initiative seeks to empower survivors of GBV economically through skills as well as raise awareness on women rights, gender inequality and prevention and response to GBV

Through a program called Elewa Haki Yako (Understand Your Right) the organization has been able to reach out to more than 10,000 people who have been able to understand what GBV is and how it perpetuates inequality.

In addition, the organization also runs a mentorship program to advance the education of young girls pursuing Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects.

Ms Karanja also established a tailoring centre through which adolescent mothers who do not want to return to school are able to acquire technical skills.

“Through our interventions, a number of women and girls have accessed justice in matrimony properties. Others have managed to get out of abusive relationships through court orders,” says Ms Karanja.

Her Mashujaa day message goes to all the heroes to keep doing what they do not for rewards, but for the good of everyone.

“If you empower a girl, see the power of the multiplier effect and eventually a transformed society. Keep doing what you do best,” says Ms Karanja.

For her efforts in transforming the society, Mtaa Wangu wishes to celebrate Ms Karanja as a hero.