V-Day Annual Report 2015 | Page 33

LIDARITY PROJECTS vors and activists took to marching across India to call out the systemic failure of the Indian government to protect Dalit women and their families. In March of this year, members of the group Dalit Women Fight staged a successful North American tour. The goal was to break the silence on caste apartheid and caste rape while also standing shoulder to shoulder with other women breaking the silence on state violence all across the US. DOLPHIN ANTI-RAPE AND AIDS CONTROL OUTREACH (KENYA) One year ago activists set out to begin a multi-year process to train teachers in Nairobi with life-saving self-defense skills so that they, in turn, can share these skills with their students and their families. The trainings in Naivasha Sub-County were very successful, including trainings for a total of 274 teachers and community women from Karai, Mirera, Site and Kihoto. Overall, the program has been very successful having reached a total of 515 teachers, 166,870 girls and 126,856 boys. Despite power outages and transportation difficulties, the program is set to continue in Naivasha Sub-County. TASARU NTOMONOK INITIATIVE/ V-DAY’S SAFE HOUSES FOR THE GIRLS (KENYA) The two V-Day Safe Houses for the Girls in Kenya in the towns of Narok and Sakutiek were established for young women and girls fleeing female genital mutilation (FGM) and early childhood marriage. Led by Agnes Pareyio, an internationally recognized authority, they provide a safe haven where young women can securely celebrate an alternative “rite of passage,” enabling Masai women to follow their traditions without undergoing the cut. Agnes Pareyio’s grassroots work with families, young girls, cultural leaders, and politicians in Kenya is actively reducing the rates of girls who undergo the cut. In 1975, 98% of local 33