Women’s Voice and Leadership
Women’s Voice and Leadership (WVL) Project – Kwale (2021–2024)
The Women’s Voice and Leadership (WVL) Project – Kwale was a transformative institutional strengthening and gender leadership initiative implemented by the Hijabi Mentorship Program between 2021 and 2024. The initiative was supported through the Global Affairs Canada funded Women’s Voice and Leadership program, implemented in Kenya by CARE Kenya, CREAW Kenya, Uraia Trust, Urgent Action Fund Africa, and Crawn Trust.
THMP became the first organisation supported under the WVL program in Kwale County, positioning the organization to strengthen its institutional systems while advancing grassroots gender equality leadership and feminist organizing.
A key component of the initiative was the launch of the Gender Equality Champions Academy (GECA) — a community-rooted leadership program designed to train young women and men to become advocates for gender equality, SRHR, GBV prevention, and community transformation across Kwale County.
Key Milestones
- Successfully launched THMP’s first-ever Gender Equality Champions Academy (GECA), recruiting 20 youth leaders (10 women and 10 men) from across:
- Matuga
- Kinango
- Lungalunga
- Msambweni
through a competitive process involving over 145 applicants.
- Trained Gender Champions on:
- Human rights and gender equality
- Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR)
- Gender-based violence (GBV)
- Advocacy and communications
- Leadership and community mobilization
equipping them to lead peer education and advocacy efforts within their communities.
- Celebrated the graduation of 12 Gender Champions in 2024, who continue to support grassroots advocacy and community dialogue on gender equality and women’s rights in Kwale County.
- Developed and launched THMP’s first 5-Year Strategic Plan (2023–2027), providing a long-term institutional roadmap for organizational growth, sustainability, governance, and programming.
- Established and strengthened critical organizational systems and policies, including:
- Finance and procurement policies
- Human resource systems
- Communication strategy
- Resource mobilization strategy
- Risk management framework
- Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) systems
- Safeguarding and Data Protection policies
- Strengthened THMP’s institutional infrastructure through:
- Office setup and equipment procurement
- Improved financial management systems
- Adoption of digital tools for meetings, reporting, and coordination
- Conducted organizational capacity strengthening for:
- Board members
- Leadership and staff
- Gender champions
- Community partners
on governance, GBV and SRHR programming, safeguarding, resource mobilization, and quality service delivery.
- Strengthened THMP’s visibility, credibility, and community engagement, contributing to recognition including:
- Muslim Community Service Award (2022)
- Best Community-Based Organization in Kwale County (2022)
- Contributed to strengthening feminist leadership and grassroots gender advocacy in Kwale County by building a growing network of youth advocates and community champions committed to advancing SDG 5 and women’s rights.
Strategic Contribution
The Women’s Voice and Leadership Project played a foundational role in transforming THMP from an emerging grassroots initiative into a more structured, systems-driven, and sustainability-focused organization.
Beyond institutional strengthening, the initiative helped cultivate a new generation of grassroots gender advocates equipped to challenge harmful norms, facilitate community dialogue, and advance women’s rights and gender equality across Kwale County.
