Harnessing gains and sustaining the Women@Work Campaign agenda

21 Apr

Posted by: haki_mashinani

Category: hmk, media-monitoring

Opening

One of the indicators of a successful project is its ability to go beyond its funding cycle. This involves continuation of interventions that achieve results and are owned by stakeholders.

Haki Mashinani, a partner in the Women@Work campaign is prepared for this task in the second year of implementing this program.

Building on interventions that will create awareness and promoting the rights of women workers in flower farms, their approach in this second phase of implementation of the campaign will be strategic, looking beyond the life of the Women@Work campaign.

Consolidate gains

According to Thaddeus Nyandika, Programme Officer at Haki Mashinani, the plan is to consolidate gains made the previous year and sustain the campaign agenda. This will target flower farm workers, management of flower farms, and institutions that work closely with flower farms.

“Our work in the first year of implementation has been lauded by beneficiaries but we want to achieve better results in this second phase,” says Nyandika.

“Besides working with the workers in flower farms, we intend to include policy issues and engage key partners in the industry who will help to leverage on our work such as the Kenya Flower Council (KFC), the Kenya Planters Workers Union (KIPAWU) and partners in women at work campaign,” he adds.

Haki Mashinani also plans to strategically work with KFC to sensitise their members the importance of having policies such as sexual harassment, fair wages and labour rights in order to improve working conditions.

“We will engage with all stakeholders, KFC and farm managements to ensure goodwill so that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities by farms can incorporate and focus on workers sensitisation on human rights and social issues that affect the workers,” notes Nyandika

Baseline Survey

Haki Mashinani is currently conducting a baseline business case studies research on flower farms to help ascertain practical and functional interventions in implementing the Sexual Harassment Policy.

A model Sexual Harassment Policy has already been developed by partners in the campaign.

According to Salome Odera, Executive Director at Haki Mashinani, the model policy was piloted in 10 firms, with many others yet to benefit. The baseline research will help to identify existing gaps and the best practices.

“The law requires that farms with more than 20 employees have a Sexual Harrassment Policy but flower farms have more employees. The baseline will look at reasons why farms do not have the policies and come up with practical recommendations for this to happen,” adds Odera.

Haki Mashinani also intends to work on the adoption and institutionalisation of the model sexual harassment policy in selected farms.

“We plan to engage management in flower farms on this policy.” Nyandika says that they “will map the farms that already have an existing policy or guidelines, and work with them on implementation.”

Those that do not have the policy will be assisted to develop one for their farms.

Short Messages (SMS) platform

In the second phase, Haki Mashinani will also set up a free Short Messages (SMS) platform to sensitise workers on their rights. Messages will include information on; Constitutional basis of labour laws; statutes relating to labour laws in Kenya; International norms on labour laws; Sexual harassment at work places, labour relations; Occupational safety and health and Work injury benefits.

The SMS platform will allow feedback from the workers without them incurring any charges. The worker will be encouraged to share information on issues affecting them, and questions or concerns that they would like to be addressed. Their information will be treated with confidence.

Due to the recruitment at the farms and hence the need for sensitisation, Haki Mashinani plans to continue with capacity building interventions on enhancing their rights with flower farm workers in general and the gender committees.

Additional trainings lined up and which were informed by needs identified by workers in the previous year of implementation include; Psycho Social Support (PSS) and Anger and Stress Management.

“We also hope to continue our awareness and sensitisation campaigns using Participatory Educational Theatre (PET) in the selected farms,” says Nyandika

Author: haki_mashinani