Maendeleo Ya Wanawake Organisation (MYWO) is a women's

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

that deals with issues to do with

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st c ...

and

gender Gender is the range of social, psychological, cultural, and behavioral aspects of being a man (or boy), woman (or girl), or third gender. Although gender often corresponds to sex, a transgender person may identify with a gender other tha ...

equity in

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

. It was founded in 1952 by a group of European women and was then under the umbrella of the Department of Community Development and Rehabilitation. It has approximately 600,000 groups contributing to a total membership of about two million women. Phoebe Asiyo served as the first African chairperson of the organization. It is currently chaired by Rahab Mwikali Muiu and has various agendas in its mission statement, including maternal, child health and

family planning Family planning is the consideration of the number of children a person wishes to have, including the choice to have no children, and the age at which they wish to have them. Things that may play a role on family planning decisions include marit ...

and training women in leadership and development. Historically it was promoted by the British during their colonial rule over Kenya and helped provide services only for those against the Mau Mau anti-colonial uprising. Ruth Habwe served as secretary general of the organization from 1968 until 1971.

References

External links

Official website
Women's organisations based in Kenya Organizations established in 1952 1952 establishments in Kenya {{Africa-org-stub