Dandelion Africa is a grassroots innovator on a mission to improve the health and economic well being of youth and women living in marginalized and rural communities in Kenya. Founded on a model of community ownership, they take an innovative approach to community outreach that includes representative community governance across all demographics. This community-led approach has lead to system-shifting impacts in rural and traditionally conservative communities, including reduction in FGM, increased systems of support for survivors of gender-based violence, and expansion in women’s access to reproductive health services.
- Kenya
- Health, Livelihoods, and Human Rights
- 10 villages of intervention declared 100% FGM free
- 3,868 women in solidarity groups have doubled their income
- 42,318 total couple years protection provided in 2020
- 82,790 people accessed primary healthcare through their mobile outreach model from 2019-2020
- 31,538 women accessed long term contraceptives from 2019-2020
- 5,500 girls and 5,000 boys in 55 schools enrolled in Girls for Leaders and Boys for Change clubs
- 256 babies safely delivered in Dandelion’s newly opened maternity clinic in 2020
- Dandelion believes true gender equity will only come through multistakeholder, community-led coalition building, that positions issues not as only women’s issues but as barriers to everyone’s well-being
- Successfully advocated for removal of all filing fees for GBV survivors at police stations and public hospitals in their county in 2020.
Leadership
Wendo was inspired to start Dandelion Africa after experiencing the death of her best friend through HIV-related complications. Her vision is to partner with the most marginalised groups in society, women and youth, giving them economic and skills-based training. Wendo is a dynamic speaker, writer, and recently endowed member of the 2019 class of New Voices Fellows at the Aspen Institute.
Everyday I live in awe of how powerful, hardworking and resilient women are. I aspire to see more women and girls tapping into their power and using their voices to change social norms that hinder them from realizing their full potential. My greatest hope is for our communities to embrace the untapped resource - that is women - for a sustainable future.
