Empowering Women for a Brighter Future

In the fall of 2025, I traveled to Kenya with twelve other women from the United States. We went not to teach, but to listen—to sit with Kenyan women, hear their stories, and learn from their wisdom. Over several days in and around Nairobi, we visited seven nonprofits serving communities across the country. Each visit opened another window into the resilience, creativity, and determination of Kenyan women.

We met women from many places and backgrounds. Their stories were distinct, yet they echoed shared realities: in many households, men hold economic power because they are the primary wage earners. That imbalance shapes daily life—limiting women’s access to reliable work, concentrating decision-making, and reinforcing the idea that money confers authority. These are not abstractions; they are pressures felt in kitchens, markets, schools, and workplaces.

One conversation stays with me. Mary told us that many girls and women cannot afford underwear or menstrual supplies. The consequences are immediate and painful: girls miss a week of school every month; women step away from work and from family responsibilities. In the absence of supplies, some sit in nearby rivers to avoid staining clothes or furniture—an act born of necessity, not choice. The walk to the river can be perilous, exposing them to animal encounters, illness, harassment, sexual violence, and, sometimes, the unthinkable—disappearance. What begins as “period poverty” becomes a chain reaction: interrupted education, lost wages, and a relentless assault on dignity.

Mary did not share her story to provoke pity. She spoke to invite understanding and solidarity. She—and many others—reminded us that solutions must honor local knowledge and leadership. The women we met are already organizing, teaching, inventing, and advocating. Our role is to listen well, to amplify, and to stand beside them.

I left Kenya changed. I carry Mary’s words as both a mirror and a mandate: that human dignity is not negotiable; that education should not hinge on a calendar; that safety must never be a luxury. Listening is where we begin. Learning is how we continue. And action—guided by the women who live these realities—is how dignity becomes tangible.

Reverand Dr. Robin McGonigle

Wichita, KS