International Women’s Day 2025: A Peaceful Woman, A Happy Family
The Mt Kenya Times 
Mary Karau Ngethe
By Mary Karau Ngethe
Worth Noting:
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The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was a declaration made by the UN General Assembly on 10th December 1048, (General Assembly Resolution 217 A), and translated into over 500 languages. It declared that “all humans are “born free and equal in dignity and rights”.
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All people are therefore entitled to liberty, dignity and equal rights, regardless of their gender or age.
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This includes women and children (girls and boys) since they are human.
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Yet every day, women, girls and boys still experience discrimination and violations of their human rights, especially in the family set up due to factors like poverty, domestic violence among others.
This year’s Women’s day theme, “Accelerate Action” urges Kenyans to actively support women’s advancement.
To mark International Women’s Day, observed on March 8 every year, we honour women’s accomplishments and advocate for gender equality worldwide.
The Central Kenya Development Network (CKDN), a national NGO registered in Kenya, would like to mark the day by creating awareness on the rights of women and children through this article.
CKDN advocates for better access to healthcare, including women’s health and reproductive rights. The advocacy is done in partnership and under the umbrella of Health NGOs Network (HENNET).
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was a declaration made by the UN General Assembly on 10th December 1048, (General Assembly Resolution 217 A), and translated into over 500 languages. It declared that “all humans are “born free and equal in dignity and rights”.
All people are therefore entitled to liberty, dignity and equal rights, regardless of their gender or age.
This includes women and children (girls and boys) since they are human.
Yet every day, women, girls and boys still experience discrimination and violations of their human rights, especially in the family set up due to factors like poverty, domestic violence among others.
When a woman suffers, her children, both boys and girls, suffer.
When a woman lacks access to healthcare for herself and her children, the whole family suffers. For example, when a son or daughter stays awake a whole night due to illness and poverty prevents access to healthcare; the mother has to suffer with the children. Such a mother will most likely not perform well at workplace, and this can be misunderstood to be laziness.
In short, the woman’s life is almost always compromised since she is the primary child caregiver, making her the core that holds the family together. Yet, when the husband leaves theses domestic duties to the woman and actively pursues provision for the family, if later on such a woman is abandoned and the fruits of their combined efforts are enjoyed by another younger woman, this can lead to unbearable bitterness in the lives of women, and often has negative consequences on their children both daughters and sons.
When a mother has no money to buy basic things like food, the children sleep hungry; they are unable to concentrate in school, and their potential gets compromised; and at times they have no shelter.
When a woman suffers domestic violence whether physical, emotional or mental abuse, her children suffer doubly. They are denied safety and their psychological needs go unmet.
The woman finds herself in an even worse situation in the event her husband abandons her and her plight, to marry a younger woman in the name of our African culture. In most such cases, the children suffer more than their mother, the abandoned wife. At times the old family has no school fees, no food, no shelter, while the father takes care of the new family. Such children develop bitterness and become social misfits. If there are sons in the equation, they lack a positive male role model and they start wearing earrings and they lose their moral compass totally. Their king, their father, who initially loved them deeply, is now a king to another set of children.
Most times, wives blame the husbands. But are the husbands to blame fully? Both husbands and wives have to obey Jesus’ word asking, “Why do you see The Speck That Is in Your (Partner’s) Eye, But Do Not Notice the Log That Is in Your Own Eye?”
CKDN, together with HENNET in their Mental health advocacy, hereby urge wives and husbands to obey Jesus. Each party should reflect on how they could have contributed to the wrongs in the marriage, before they blame the other.
In this way, “Blame Game Will Reduce In Our Families”, thus reducing strife, fights, anger, marital breakdown and spousal abandonment. In this way, men, women, boys and girls will be at peace, and women advancement will be accelerated. This could even curb alcohol and drug abuse and related menaces.
A peaceful woman is a Proverb-31 woman. A peaceful man is like Joseph, the father of Jesus. When father and mother are both at peace, there is a safety net for the children. This could reduce crime, domestic violence, child abuse and drug abuse
CKDN and HENNET therefore urge society players to promote peace in our families as we celebrate 2025 International Women’s Day. Structured groups like Catholic Men Association (CMA); Kenya Anglican Men Association (KAMA); Catholic Women Association (CWA); Mothers Union, Womens Guild and even traditional family set-up/structures like clans are hereby urged to create awareness on the need for peace in the hearts of mothers and fathers for harmony in our families and homes.
The clergy and other religious leaders are hereby urged to establish programs to support couples to maintain the spark of first love, in order to re-establish our African culture of supporting young people to navigate the marital journey and family management.
CKDN and HENNET also join other CSOs as we all mark International Women’s Day 2025.
We commit to continue advocating for accelerated action to achieve women rights for the betterment of our children, families and society at large
Happy Women’s Day to all families in Kenya, Africa and the World at large.
Mary Karau Ngethe is the Programs Director Central Kenya Development Network (CKDN) and a member of Health NGOs Network (HENNET).She can be reached on +254 722 652 111 or Email: marykaraungethe@gmail.com
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