Virtual School of Programming

The World in 2020 plunged into the COVID-19 Pandemic. Unfortunately, LGBTIQ+ Civil Society Organizations alongside our constituents bore the brunt of the Pandemic Effects. To ensure a continuum of service provision for our constituents , counter the closure of civic spaces and strategic organizing, we convened regional check ins with our constituents to assess the emerging needs, response, coordination and referral systems amidst the Pandemic that saw a raft of restrictive measures implemented by the Government.

In the months of May to September 2020, The Commission conducted a series of nationwide community consultations with queer human rights defenders and  community champions within the country with approximately 100+human queer rights defenders on the emerging needs and state of organizing with partner organizations.

The Covid Pandemic adversely affected LGBTIQ+ organizations more than others with government restrictions compromising their ability to program effectively

The Commission sought to touch base with the  community on how our organizing had been affected and how to adjust to the unexpected wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic and discuss a way forward on continued service delivery in line with the emerging needs of our constituents amidst the Pandemic. The gaps that emerged during the consultation included; programming around the new normal, service delivery, food aid, access to health services, institutional compliance, reporting, and documentation of human rights violations among other emerging trends.

Virtual School of Programing 1st Edition

Between 22nd-26th November 2021, The Commission convened a five-day  virtual conference dubbed “School of programming in a pandemic”. The ‘school’ was a  virtual institute, with training, conversation and instruction around capacity enhancement and  technical assistance for grassroot and nascent LGBTQ+ organizations. The institute’s curriculum design centered on community and  intersectional struggle with the overarching goal of strengthening existing organizing, ensuring  accessibility, and maximizing impact of grassroot/nascent LGBTQ+ organizations. The 70 attendees were pulled from LGBTQ+ organizations in Kenya.

The curriculum covered, Strategic Organizing and Movement Building, Organizational strengthening, Resource Mobilization, Healthy and Productive Workspaces, Advocacy through Media and communications, and Programing in a Pandemic

Virtual School of Programing 2nd dition

The positive feedback received from attendees in the 1st edition informed the second edition of the program. Between 22nd-26th  November, we conducted the second edition of the school of programming that had approximately 58 attendees drawn from Nairobi, Mombasa, Isiolo, Trans – Nzoia, Kajiado, Kisumu, Malindi, Kilifi, Isiolo, Nakuru, and Siaya working with and for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and gender non-conforming persons.

The Commission and facilitators engaged the participants in different modules ranging from Healthy and Productive Work Spaces, Organizational Strengthening,  Strategic organising and movement building, Resource Mobilization, Wellness and resilience building for queer human rights defenders and communities, Advocacy through media and communications, and Legal Response Security. These various topics touched on sought to ensure better programming and organization within the different spaces to which the participants are affiliated.