PACWA anime une formation transformatrice pour l'autonomisation des femmes à Samburu

The Pan African Christian Women Alliance (PACWA), the women commission of the Association of Evangelicals in Africa (AEA), conducted a three-day women’s empowerment training in Samburu County from November 26th to 28th. Fifty women from the community participated in the program, which was designed to strengthen spiritual identity, improve health awareness, build economic skills, and establish long-term support systems. The training reflects PACWA’s ongoing commitment to equipping women across Africa through holistic empowerment rooted in both faith and practical development.

The first day focused on spiritual formation, helping the women understand their value and significance as image-bearers of God. PACWA Executive Director Irene Kibagendi expressed her joy at the response, stating,

“We tackled spiritual formation and the women were very encouraged to know that they have the likeness and the image of God. Today we have been able to help them know what their identity is.”

Irene later explained that these sessions sparked confidence and enthusiasm among the women, many of whom shared how empowering it was to reconnect with their God-given worth. She added that when women are equipped with knowledge and given even small financial opportunities, the result can be genuine transformation for their families, churches, and communities.

As the training progressed, participants explored health and well-being, learning practical approaches to physical, emotional, and reproductive health. Economic empowerment sessions offered tools for financial planning, small business development, and income-generating activities. A key highlight of the program was a business pitch exercise, where women presented their ideas and received seed funding to begin implementing them. To ensure continuity and support beyond the three-day event, participants organized themselves into interest-based groups that will act as peer mentorship and accountability circles going forward.

The second day of the training expanded into several key development areas, guided by AEA Programs Officer June Nderitu, who facilitated sessions on health, leadership, civic participation, and environmental stewardship. June described the day’s focus, saying,

“We explored together with the women who came for this training on three very important aspects – the issue of health; wholeness and health. We also talked about politics and women in leadership and how women can participate in political processes because these processes have an effect on how they live their day-to-day lives.”

June went on to elaborate on how the women discussed physical, mental, relational, nutritional, and reproductive health, and how these directly influence their aspirations. She also guided conversations on mobilization, collective advocacy, and the power women hold to influence community decisions on matters such as water, education, agriculture, and service delivery. She further walked the women through practical ways to respond to climate challenges, including water harvesting, environmental cleanliness, recycling, and establishing kitchen gardens for household food security. The day concluded with a call for women to use the resources already in their hands to develop lasting, localized solutions.

Monitoring and evaluation, introduced on the final day, helped the women understand how to track their progress and measure their outcomes. AEA Monitoring and Evaluation Officer Melissa Mushamalirwa noted the importance of this step, saying,

“Today, we were able to learn mostly about economic empowerment and monitoring and evaluation. The women actually decided to come up in small groups and create support groups divided by different activities they are interested in.”

Melissa emphasized that these groups will help sustain learning, track progress, and ensure that the training leads to measurable, lasting impact. She added that while the Samburu training has concluded, this moment marks the beginning of a longer and more meaningful empowerment journey for the participants.

The atmosphere at the end of the training was one of excitement and renewed purpose. With strengthened spiritual grounding, new practical skills, and supportive networks now in place, the women of Samburu are better positioned to influence their households, engage in community leadership, and pursue economic opportunities. PACWA hopes that the spark ignited during these three days will continue to grow, inspiring lasting change and encouraging more women across the region to step confidently into their God-given potential.