Vinson Institute Hosts Kenyan Delegation
The first delegation of Maasai women from Kenya's Rift Valley Province arrived in Athens on April 26 to begin a three-week visit. The Vinson Institute's International Center received a grant from the U.S. Department of State to develop and carry out a program of exchange visits between women leaders from Kenya and their counterparts in the United States. Faculty member and African program specialist Njeri Marekia-Cleaveland is directing the project, which is being done in partnership with the Kenyan nongovernmental organization Family Mediation and Conciliation and with two Maasai women's organizations located in Kenya's Rift Valley Province, Voices of Women and RETO. The Kenya partners and U.S. Embassy officials in Nairobi will select the participants.
In two groups, 28 Maasai women from the Rift Valley Province will travel to Georgia starting in Spring 2008 to develop skills, network with political and community counterparts, and see first-hand what knowledge and organizational capacity are necessary to participate effectively in local government politics and policy making. Their three-week stay in Georgia will include a wide range of civic experiences, emphasizes Marekia-Cleaveland.
On Tuesday, April 29, Mayor Heidi Davison of the Athens-Clarke County Unified Government provided delegation members with a first-hand look at the job of a local government official. Following a lively question and answer session, the guests presented Davison with wardrobe items native to Kenya.
Check back for updates on the Kenya delegation's activities.
