Beyond the Gender Ceiling
Every year, the Koinonia Community in Nairobi sets aside a day to celebrate the deprived children that have come to form the axis of its existence.
This year’s Koinonia Children’s Day was held on Saturday August 15, 2009 at Anita Home in Ngong. Gathered together were children from the various homes, Koinonia members and staffers. There was also an enthusiastic group of Italian “work camp” volunteers, as well as Mr. Gian Marco Elia, the President of Koinonia’s partner organization Amani, and the Dagoretti Division Children’s officer.
A morning Mass led by Fr. Pietro Caggiano launched the celebrations on a spiritual note. Then as the day got warmer, African songs and dances were performed, there was a volleyball game and quite a few short speeches sprinkled here and there. The Italian work campers added colour to the celebrations, cheering the children on and later helping serve an outdoor lunch that left everyone sated.
One remarkable highlight was a general knowledge quiz contest pitting teams from the various Koinonia children’s homes. It began just after lunch, with questions drawn from politics, religion, sports, music and entertainment.
Children from Koinonia’s Rescue Centre in Kibera easily won in the primary schools category. The secondary school category tightly contested, but schoolgirls from Anita Home proved the most adroit of the contestants. The girls brushed off a strong challenge from the Kivuli boys to secure a humbling victory.
This “small” win by the Anita girls was symbolic in a big way. In many traditional African societies, girls were perceived as “less capable” than boys, and men were regarded as superior to women. Important strides have been made with the advent of modernity. Liberia’s Ellen Sirleaf-Johnson was elected president in 2006, and in Kenya, a female environmentalist, Wangari Maathai, beat over 130 nominees to win the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize.
These milestones - as well as the relatively “smaller” victory by the Anita Girls - show that the African girl child is aiming straight for the stars beyond the ancient gender ceiling.