Gender and Violence

SALAMMALEKUM,
Today I have been given a strength of a woman raising her voice!!! I have a' Vocal Contributor Badge.'Thank you so much for choosing me among many voices,may the Spirit of God continue guiding you in all you do at the front desk.I am a baby girl born in a very deep rural part of Kenya,nobody here value a girl child;;I am growing up in a family of men and I hear an echo each an every second/-Anyango,you have not fetch fire wood,you have not fetch water,you have not cooked,you have not finished your work.Anyango;sit well,do not argue with your brother and so many others.In this home,it is a rule from my grand mother that a girl child can only be taken to school if there is surplus of money,if the budget is tight then the boy gets it.I am today a teen-age in this home and in this community,I am growing with so much mental torture with trauma;I am tired.In school,I am a number 1 student in academic,Social and sports,but who recognizes this in the village?Back here I am a village girl.I thank my father for taking me to school,though he had preassure from his mother,he went a head and took me to a missionary boarding school,this school was a Dutch mission school,the leading team in this school were from Holland and I thank them so much because they have contributed to who I am today.LANG ZAL ZE LIVEN.Today I am a young beautiful Luo Lady!!!I I am the talk of the village,men are flopping into my Father's compound,;old and young,;I am in Auction'here is my Father,sitting under his guava tree thinking deeply;,what is wrong with this people?I want my daughter to learn and have a Profession,she has a potential.He calls me and share with me,we have an agreement that I be in school even during holidays.Now I am a child of the Convent,I attend prayers in the morning,in the afternoon and every evening,I am obedient and spiritual child of God.My Father,Mother and my siblings only see in school.Back in the village,people think I am a visitor in my home,some say she is Anyango.They are wondering;;'I have done so well in my exams and now I am to join a Medical Training Center.I am in this college for 4 years,but very bitter at what girls and women are experiencing in my village and country.I have graduated and posted to the Rift Valley Province,the girl child is treated the same way to my Province.Here I meet a man from my tribe,I am in love,I share with my Daddy,he says 'Yes' A wonderful wedding is in the village,Anyango is getting married,my Community are now proud of their learned girl' Anyango' I am now in marriage and working in a hospital,I thought that I could be happy mother,but where?My husband is a man brought up in a village with the same cultures and it is tough.In this house,I am a woman,I am expected to kneel down when my husband walks into the house and take hold of what he has in his hands,standing up ,I am to help him remove his coat and remove his shoes from his feet while kneeling down.When he calls my name,I am to answer very fast go to him kneeling,when serving him food,I have to wash his hands for him while kneeling and give him food in his mouth in 3 bites and then walk away.This man has so many women outside and the women are calling my phone making fun of me.I ask him why and he says;;'you are a woman'';your education is nothing to me.Now I have 3 children who are all girls,his family say that I am wasting his seed;'Now he is bringing women in this house and he is saying that if I do not like it then,I am free to go.I am tired and by the strength of my spirit,I decided to leave his house.I am now gone and feeding my children and taking them to school.Time is now gone and today I have two sons who are in High school,my daughters are doing so well and independent.As a working class woman who went through so much violence and abuse,I never wasted even a single penny from my pocket,I bought a parcel of land and built a home for me and my children.Back in the year 2007-2008/Post election in Kenya-un expected deaths and in displacements were the talk of the day.Back home I remembered my self at Rapogi girls Boarding school,I saw my self under the sweet love from the Godly white Ladies from the Nether-Lands.I said No to mistreatment of children and hunger,I gave them my home,and made sure that they are eating and getting and Education.As a child who passed through many hands,I said that no matter what it takes I will make it,I will not get tired.I have walked so many miles tirelessly,I have sold my property in order to see that it is done.The inner most part of me my soul,my spirit empowered by the Holy spirit of God kept holding my hands and giving me his holy water to quench my thirst,he never made me feel that I am tired.By the power of the Holy spirit I kept my inner most me strong,I promised my self that I will over come and I WILL BRING A CHANGE TO MY COMMUNITY,I WILL SHOW THEM THAT A GIRL-CHILD IS NOT A TABOO BUT A BLESSING FROM GOD THE FATHER,GOD THE SON AND GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT.I have gathered young and old poor widows in a forum of move on with sustainability programmes and you have to know your rights as women,never accept that you are weak,we are strong as from Day 1 of God's creation,we changed the order of the day by showing Adam what he did not know.God loves us so much and instead of punishing us he punished Adam to times for his weakness,us we were blessed with child labor and flourish with Mother-hood.Women stand firm do not show weakness in anything you do at any time,we are strong and we can do it.Raise your voice by Doing it,talk less and say more.Find me in-http//ketwangiwordpress.com