Nairobi hosts V-Day Africa Summit

Fifteen years ago, playwright and activist Eve Ensler conceptualised The Vagina Monologues which went viral and have since morphed into V-Day, a global movement to end violence against women and girls. This week, the Skoll Foundation and the Wallace Global Fund supported the launch of the inaugural V-Day African edition at Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi.

Activists and social entrepreneurs from across the African continent including V-Day Kenya director Agnes Pareyio, a former UN Personality of the Year laureate, joined Ensler. They committed to fight systemic violence against women and children, an idea that may resonate in Kenya at present in light of the violence perpetrated against women during the Tana River, Marsabit, and Garissa unrests.

“More than one out of every three women on this planet will experience violence during her lifetime. With seven billion people on the planet, that’s one billion women. Stopping this violence is as crucial as addressing the issues of disease, hunger, and climate change,” Ensler said.