To champion the safety, security and wellbeing of Human Rights Defenders.
MEET THE NOMINE; UPCOMING HRD OF THE YEAR CATEGORY – GERALD HAYO
#HRDAwardKE
Gerald is a religious leader with a background in diploma in theology from world bible school and the founder of Emerging Inclusive Ministry (EIM) which is under the MetropolitanCommunity Churches.
Gerald cofounded EIM as a safe space for LGBTIQ persons in Kenya where they can freely reconcile their faith without discrimination. It welcomes people from all walks of life and with a common goal of giving thanks and appreciation to God in a way of fasting every Wednesday and sharing a meal in the evening as a sign of togetherness and harmony.
She is a founder member and the programs coordinator at Rainbow Women of Kenya, a Community Based Organization, board member at Kisumu Peer Educators (KISPED)and Western Kenya LBQT Feminist Forum (WKLF)
Gerald is passionate about alternative inclusive leadership and governance spanning eight years in frontline activism. Gerald continues spearhead difficult conversations within grassroots organizing for social change, human rights advocacy, project management, planning, administration and governance.
In her advocacy work, Gerald has continued to document and tell the stories of the milestones and setbacks that the community faces in Kenya. She has released a documentary about her experience as an LBQ woman in Kenya.
From 2016 to date, she has been the programs coordinator at Rainbow Women of Kenya where her core focus areas have been building a robust Lesbian Bisexual and Queer women movement in the coast region aimed at promoting Sexual and reproductive health rights, legal rights and
reconciling sexual minorities of faith with religion.
The fact that she is a feminist and also a strong and determined gay activist in Kenya who just founded an organization that focuses on girls and women from undeserved communities through mentoring and peer discussions that help them discover who they are and their potential in life asKenyan queer women, she believes winning the award will inspire young girls and LBQ women who have been for the longest time invisible in the society
Want to share your story about championing Human Rights in Kenya? Write to us on obino@defenderscoalition or 0716 200100 for for collecting the story for publication.
