Work Strategies
Demand creation through:
- Capacity building trainings through workshops, seminars, media campaigns and talk shows.
- Community mobilization
- Stakeholders consultative for a
- Public campaigns and advocacy on women and girls’ rights
- Mass public awareness, raising advocacy, and sensitization activities
EDUCATION AND VOCATION
An educated girl can build and enhance her self- confidence, acquire the skills to make independent decisions, broaden her horizons, and develop effective communication skills. Our vocational training programs aim to increase women’s earnings, improve overall employment rates, and promote higher rates of formal employment.
COMMUNITY ENGAGMENT
The organization engages the community to in-order to create more effective solutions. This engagement empowers and integrates people from different backgrounds, fostering opportunities to discuss their concerns and collaborate on addressing them.
ADVOCACY
At The Heart of a Woman advocates for gender equality and rights of the women. We aim to creating a society where everyone feels safe and has equal access to opportunities and rights, regardless of their gender.
ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT
Investing in women empowerment sets a direct path towards gender equality, poverty eradication and inclusive economic growth. ATHOW gives these women and girls a chance to learn how to become resilient and resourceful economic agents, overcoming persistent, gender-based barriers to advance the well-being of their families.
HEALTHCARE
ATHOW aims to improve healthcare access to women and girls, with a focus on reproductive health, mental well-being, and emotional wellness.
YOUTH AND AGRICULTURE
We recognize the crucial role agriculture plays in creating sustainable jobs and improving living standards. In collaboration with our extensive network, the organization identifies youth from diverse backgrounds and empowers them to invest in agriculture. This initiative has had a significant impact on their lives by creating job opportunities and generating income. The youth are mentored in various agricultural enterprises, with each being advised to choose the one that best suits their interests and skills.
Badilisha Piloting Project
Badilisha is a transformative initiative focused on empowering vulnerable women aged 17-44 in Korogocho, one of Kenya’s largest informal settlements. The project targets women involved in transactional sex, many of whom are single mothers and sole providers. These women face severe economic hardship, often earning less than 200 Ksh daily and struggling to meet basic needs like food, rent, and education for their children.
The piloting plan was the initial stage of the real Badilisha project, which was implemented by ATHOW and its partners. The plan supported 10 young women aged 20-24 who engage in sex for survival. These women, each with a unique story of resilience, were exposed to life skills sessions that opened up new avenues for income generation and promoted self-realization. In addition to training, they received weekly food baskets to help them cope with high food prices and participated in Sunday services where each family shared a meal.
- Phase 1 (April to June) 2024:
Focused on 10 women, providing life skills training, mentorship, table banking, and digital literacy. Weekly food baskets were also distributed. - Phase 2 (August to October) 2024:
Expanded to 23 women, with continued mentorship and food support, plus digital literacy training and a kids’ club for the children of participants. - Phase 3 (Current):
Currently supporting 35 women, with the addition of counseling sessions that have significantly improved mental well-being.
Looking forward, Badilisha aims to expand vocational training in hairdressing, tailoring, culinary arts, and entrepreneurship to provide women with sustainable livelihoods and income-generating opportunities. This project gives these women a chance to turn their lives around, escape the dangers associated with transactional sex, and live dignified, independent lives.
FAQs
How was your organization founded?
At The Heart of a Woman (ATHOW) was founded in 2021 by Winfred Atemba, a passionate grassroots leader, in response to the urgent need to address poverty, inequality, and gender-based vulnerabilities affecting women and girls in Kenya. Witnessing the daily struggles of women in informal settlements, many of whom rely on transactional sex to survive, Winfred was compelled to create a safe, empowering space that would support women in reclaiming agency over their lives. Registered under the NGO Act, ATHOW’s mission is to champion the rights and well-being of women and girls through advocacy, education, and community empowerment. Our vision is a world where every woman and girl thrives with equal access to opportunity and leadership. Our key objectives include promoting education, healthcare access, economic empowerment, and leadership development. ATHOW designs holistic programs that address both immediate needs and long-term transformation, creating sustainable pathways out of poverty and exclusion.
What is your vision and mission?
Vision
To empower women and girls to achieve equal access to education and sustainable well-being, fostering a world where every woman and girl has the opportunity to thrive and lead.
Mission
To champion the rights and well-being of women and girls through advocacy, education, and community empowerment, working towards a society that values and supports their full potential, breaks barriers, and promotes gender equality.
Which groups will ultimately benefit from your programmes and activities as an organisation?
Women aged between 17 – 44 years and their children.
What are the issues facing women, girls and/or gender-diverse people in your community that your organisation and the proposed project aims to address?
In Korogocho, one of Nairobi’s most underserved informal settlements, over 150,000 residents live amid poverty, insecurity, and limited opportunity. Here, women and girls face intersecting challenges; gender-based violence, limited access to healthcare and education, and chronic unemployment. Many young mothers are pushed into transactional sex for survival, exposing them to trauma, exploitation, and HIV risk. Findings from our 2024 Badilisha evaluation showed that most participants earned less than 200 KES per day, struggled with mental health, food insecurity, and lacked access to digital tools and safe spaces.
These are not just statistics. They represent women seeking safety, dignity, and a future. At The Heart of a Woman (ATHOW), our proposed project responds through holistic, trauma-informed support: vocational training, psychosocial care, mentorship, life skills, and digital empowerment. Our goal is to disrupt systemic cycles of vulnerability and help women reclaim agency, rebuild their lives, and pursue sustainable, self-driven futures.
How does your organisation involve the people you are trying to support in your decision
making?
We actively involve the women we support in shaping our programs to ensure their needs and preferences are central to everything we do. Food baskets- We consulted them to determine which items were most essential. Vocational training- We engaged them to identify which skills they were most interested in learning, ensuring the training remain relevant and empowering. Counseling structure- We sought their input on their preferred one-on-one sessions, group counseling, or a hybrid model and adapted accordingly. Digital literacy and scheduling- We involved them in deciding the most convenient times for training and other activities, to accommodate their daily responsibilities.
Glimpse of other activities undertaken by the organization
- Counselling
- Table banking
- International Representation and Global Outreach
Major Activities Completed and Achievements
- Girl child mentorship and employment
- Advocating for women rights
- Sanitary donation to school girls
- School girls outreach program
- Representation of our community in a conference
- Community engagement
