Brenda Karimi: A champion of child protection campaigns

While growing up in Meru County, Brenda Karimi experienced a lot of injustices and sexual abuse even from those closest to her which affected her self-esteem in life.

But thanks to her determination, Brenda is now a champion of child protection campaigns aimed at fight against sexual abuse of girls as well as empowering front line children’s workers on creating a safe learning environment for girls.

She has founded Smart Girl Mentorship Programme, which advocates for creating a safer world for young girls which has seen the empowerment of over 10,000 girls across Kenya with life skills to break the poverty cycle, make informed decisions, and take charge of their lives.

“I was sexually abused while growing up for a long time between the age of eight(8) and 13 because I did not know it was wrong. First, because I wasn’t told, I wasn’t informed as I thought every child goes through the same. It was only after I attended child training which became an eye opener to me,” Brenda told AVDelta News in an interview.

Her initiative also includes training young girls on sexual abuse, child protection campaigns; training for care givers, training teachers on gender based teaching methodologies and reaching out to churches on how they can incorporate comprehensive sexual education in their Sunday schools.

“I’m passionate about child support because children, especially. Girls are suffering in silence. There are many sexual abuses which go unreported. Statistics show that in every five girls who have been sexually abused, three cases have not been reported. These are the stories I get on the ground,” said Brenda.

She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Marketing and certification from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK.

Her tireless efforts have brought about significant changes in her community, including increased awareness of the importance of protecting young girls and the establishment of safe spaces for them to seek help.

“My vision is to expand the organisation's reach to more regions in Africa, develop partnerships with like-minded organizations worldwide, and advance policies and legislation that support girl child education and empowerment at the national and international levels,” said Brenda.

Smart Girl Mentorship Programme is a mentorship programme that reaches out to adolescent girls aged between 13-19 years in a bid for them to overcome challenges like low self-esteem, handling sexual abuse from people closely related to them, and early pregnancies among others.

According to Brenda, the aim of the programme is to empower girls to purposefully pursue their smart goals while overcoming life hurdles.

A recent forum held in New York heard that more than 100 million girls and young women across the world will be out of school in 2030, if the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) indicators aimed at women’s equality will not be met.

The forum was hosted by the Bakhita Partnership for Education (BPE) in partnership with the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and African Union International Centre for Girl and Women Education in New York on the sidelines of the just concluded 78th UN SDG Summit.

Fr Charles Chilufya, Chairman of the (BPE) who opened the forum noted that many nations, especially in Africa remain significantly behind, or even off-course, in meeting targets for gender equality and educational access.

“The 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 78) represents the mid-point towards the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) deadline. We need to move with speed in achieving these goals for a prosperous world,” said Fr Chilufya.

He urged Catholic Religious Sisters, among others, to unify their perspectives and actions in transforming education in Africa, noting that such a collective effort can create a catalytic impact on progress.

The event also recognized the significant role the Catholic religious sisters have played in education in Africa, particularly in providing access to education for marginalized communities and promoting the empowerment of women.

There was consensus among delegates that the Catholic Church had established numerous schools, colleges, and vocational training centers across the continent, often in remote and marginalized areas.

The Bakhita Partnership seeks to ensure that every girl child receives quality basic education, prioritising the poorest and the most vulnerable.