Archery has been identified as sport that can be a vital tool in empowering of women especially those from the pastoral communities.
A program dubbed ‘Arrows For Peace’ is offering both men and women from arid areas a platform using the sport.
Founded by former 3,000m steeplechase runner Irene Limika the initiative seeks to impact positively communities living in arid areas by introducing them to the sport of Archery.
‘’We have been working with women for more than five years now and using archery we have sought to involve them in sports as well as raise awareness on their rights and that they also have a huge responsibility in the community’’, remarked Jackson Peneto treasurer, Irene Limika Foundation,ILF.
Panetto also expressed confidence in the ILF saying: ‘’I believe we will see an empowered community,when a woman is empowered the household is empowered. We also want to ask well-wishers to support Arrows for peace in everyway possible’’.
‘’There are girls who are here who will head to the universities just because they got inspired from such activities like what we are doing’’
The initiative targets to have the communities embrace the sport as a way of promoting peace and alleviating conflict in the community .
The initiative took its campaigns to Loodariak, Kajiado West where the community got a chance to learn the new sport which they said hands them a chance to escape from backward cultural practices.
‘’I feel like I can also empower other women. Most of the women here are jobless and sometimes this causes disrespect in families and we believe that through such a sport we can have a chance to improve our lives and we will keep practicing it’’ said Janet Lampus.
High school student Naomi Nankaris spelled out problems that young girls like her go through saying the move will aid their escape from the ills.
‘’As young girls, we face early marriages and early pregnancies and we are making an appeal so that we get help and have us progress in life just like another girl in the world’’.
As the world marks the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace today the government and other stakeholders have been urged to step in and help the initiative spread further as Kenya.
Limika, a pioneer water and barrier female runner was recently recognized for her efforts in using archery to foster cohesion and peaceful coexistence amongst communities in North Rift and South Rift after the International Olympic Committee, IOC, named her the winner of the International Olympic Committee gender equality, diversity and inclusion champions award 20223 for Africa.
Archery is an Olympic sport and Kenya has been represented once at the 2016 edition through Shehzana Anwar.
