Navigating the Challenges of COVID-19 in Kenya’s Rift Valley (webinar)
a part of our Partner Perspectives series
COVID-19 is having a significant impact on rural communities in Kenya’s Rift Valley. The situation is testing the capacity of local organizations to respond to urgent community needs and to continue to address the social issues they have been focusing on for years.
On October 6, 2020, we welcomed two of our grant partners who are grappling with these issues. Wendo Aszed from Dandelion Africa and Michael Kamunya from Playmakers Theatre discussed how they are pivoting to meet the challenges of the pandemic and the opportunities that are emerging in the process. Moderated by Pangea member Bob Ness.
Click here to view the context information for the event.
“ I believe that we should tell our stories of triumph and not focus on the miseries of life. There is so much more to us than economic poverty, because we have been to those dark places and we have seen those light places, and where we are going is so much more than where we have been.”
Wendo Aszed, Dandelion Africa
Wendo Aszed is the founder and Executive Director of Dandelion Africa, a non-profit grassroots organization in Mogotio and Sarambei, Kenya which focuses on women’s health and economic empowerment. A former bank executive, she rededicated herself to the welfare of rural women. Along with economic and skills training, Dandelion Africa provides health information and has opened a medical center in a rural community. Aszed is an accomplished social justice team leader with education from local universities to international universities like Stanford and Santa Clara in California. Dandelion Africa has won numerous awards both nationally and internationally.
Michael Kamunya is the founder and Executive Director of Playmakers Theatre, a non-profit community-based organization near Nakuru, Kenya, that uses innovative community theater productions and community conversations to empower women, promote HIV awareness and prevention, and address environmental challenges. Originally an entertainment group, under Michael’s direction, it grew to become a community organization serving youth and women. Michael participated in the Lincoln Center Theater Director’s workshop in 2013 and was an iLEAP Fellow in 2018. Recently, Playmakers Theatre has been exploring Facebook Live and community radio as platforms for their creativity and messaging.
Other Partner Perspective Series Events
Educating for Gender Equity in Mexico
From Vulnerability to Empowerment: Dr. Nge Nge and Mudit