The Ignite Her 4 Africa initiative designed to provide a sustainable support system for women across Africa has been launched in Nairobi. The initiative will support women as they navigate their professional journeys and strive for success in the workplace.
Ignite Her 4 Africa is a sisterhood of rising African women leaders across all industries dedicated to igniting, empowering, lifting, collaborating, and transforming Africa. The initiative’s mission is to transcend borders, cultures, and backgrounds to create a better Africa through unity and the empowerment of women.
The initiative is built on four pillars; Women Industry Circles of Influence, Celebrating Rising Women Leaders in Africa, Ignite Her for Africa, and Inspiring the Next Generation. These pillars aim to unite accomplished women, recognize and honour remarkable African women leaders, provide training sessions, podcasts, and networking events, and bridge the gap between aspiration and achievement through mentorship programs for young girls and women.
Among critical reforms under the pipeline by the initiative include decriminalizing petty offences, giving young people a second chance, introducing alternatives to prosecution, and also options to incarceration. This is where open prisons will allow people to go about their duties while they are also serving their prison sentences and will also result in review of the whole bail regime.
“African women often juggle multiple roles, such as wife, mother, daughter, and caretaker, while facing significant challenges in health, economic well-being, and cultural and gender stereotyping. The demanding work-life balance in a fast-paced economy poses a formidable challenge, but Ignite Her 4 Africa is here to make a difference by helping women strike a balance,” explained Ignite Her 4 Africa Founder Esther Wangui.
In her address at the Ignite Her 4 Africa launch in Nairobi, Kenya’s first Female Attorney General, Dorcas Oduor, said, “We are going to come up with an initiative to just re-look at the criminal justice sector because, in the whole chain, it is women who suffer. When we don’t have legal representation, mostly the men commit offences, but it is their wives who suffer at home. We are calling for reforms for everybody because if we reform the criminal justice sector, the woman improves because we are the ones who carry the society. You can’t do things alone and you cannot succeed alone. You must accept to be assisted where you have a gap because nobody has everything.”
The Law Society of Kenya, President Faith Odhiambo reiterated the urgent need for reforms in the criminal justice sector, citing a rise in femicides in sports, especially athletics. “There is still more work for women in the different sectors. As we ignite, let us take the opportunity to support and raise other women, push for greater transformation, and ensure we make a huge difference,” said Odhiambo.