Gender-based violence. Women's status, discrimination. Equality. Patriarchy
These are often words and phrases fired by the media to reinforce or tag news stories more easily to be 'sold', amplified and shepherded along with the flock of readers who will propagate them on the endless social media drains. Expressions of the verb that becomes a tag and morality that becomes a slogan.

Other times they are expressions that fortunately still define, title initiatives, actions, awareness campaigns and activism.
This is the case of what the Italian Development Cooperation is doing in Kenya, in collaboration with the Italian Institute of Culture and the Italian Embassy offices. Last Friday, the 'Activate Nairobi' campaign was launched at the University of Nairobi, conceived and financed by the Italian government well before the tragic event of Giulia Cecchettin, which saddened and outraged our country, yet another feminicide, the most inexplicable because it arose from an absolutely normal, young, dare we say classical situation. Two young people breaking up, like thousands of young and not so young people in the world.

In Nairobi and Kenya, situations are hardly born 'normal' and this is what President William Ruto's daughter, Charlene, climate activist and youth leader, spoke about during the opening of the 16 days of activism that coincide with the days of awareness-raising against violence against women, and the so-called heiress of Kenyan Nobel laureate Wangari Mathaai, the young Elizabeth Wathuti, who for her activism and ability to call Kenyans to task on environmental issues, was called upon to speak at the last Cop28 in Glasgow, along with heads of state and scientists from around the world.

Women in Kenya make up a third of the workforce, and above all, 90% of what they earn they reinvest in their children's education, livelihoods, homes, and the growth of their families and communities. Despite this, they continue to be harassed, abused, sidelined in the most important decisions. They hardly enter societies, they hardly own land.
These are still 'men's things'.

Perhaps the 'Julias' are still few, compared to our country, but the striking cases make the news and can move public opinion, change consciences, hoping that each time just like the news, they do not end up in the dustbin of memories. In Kenya, abuses are daily and in some areas, especially in the poor, degraded, peripheral areas of the capital but also in rural communities far from everything, they start when women are still children and become the norm. In Italy, cowardly men murder women who raise their heads and rebel, in Africa there is no need to kill a slave, humiliated from the moment she is born, even if one day she will be the mother who will look after, raise and send her children to school.
Little does it change.

"The fight against gender-based violence is a priority for both Italy and Kenya, which requires collective and decisive responses. Italy is committed alongside Kenya in this challenge,' said Italy's ambassador to Kenya, Roberto Natali, during the opening of the campaign, also citing Giulia's case.
The initiative includes awareness-raising initiatives that will involve students, young people, and disadvantaged people from the slums, with collective testimonies brought to schools and neighbourhood associations, theatrical performances, and meetings. "Activate Nairobi" is designed to provide a tool to be replicated and to involve institutions to act now, at a time when in the so-called 'already developed' world we can see the results of abandoning young people to themselves, educationally and socially.

"The role of cooperation initiatives is central to making women more and more protagonists in all areas of society. The interventions of the all-female round table at the opening of the campaign are a clear indication of this objective, which our agency supports and will continue to support," commented Giovanni Grandi, head of the regional office of the Italian Cooperation.
In our own small way, at the same time and forever in the near future, we will tell female stories that not only represent the reality of the country from which and about which we are telling you, but also set an example for our society adrift of feelings and ethics.