GAY KENYA STRATEGIC PLAN 2009 - 2014.

The vision of Gay Kenya is to create an environment in which LGBTI persons in Kenya will not be unfairly discriminated on any grounds and especially not on the basis of their sexual orientation.

Gay Kenya

Mission statement

Gay Kenya is a human rights advocacy group for the LGBTI community in Kenya. We do this through publications, all emerging media and community education, utilising a social enterprise model.

Under the GALCK umbrella, Gay Kenya will collaborate with other LGBTI organizations on legal reform and creating a human rights environment in Kenya where all LGBTI are recognized as full and equal members of Kenyan society.

Vision

The vision of Gay Kenya is to create an environment in which LGBTI persons in Kenya will not be discriminated on any grounds and especially not on the basis of their sexual orientation. Gay Kenya will strive to be leaders in their advocacy service areas, establishing excellent relationships between all social stakeholders and LGBTI community.

Gay Kenya will work for the establishment of a social order in which sexual orientation will not be a barrier to the enjoyment of all rights and freedoms that are due to us as human beings irrespective of our age, gender, religion, social class, race or tribe and other such extraneous grounds.

We shall strive to establish excellent working relationships with our funds providers, including donors, our members, and other LGBTI advocacy groups in Kenya. Where appropriate we shall have joint working programs in areas of mutual interest with LGBTI groups, other marginalised groups and human rights organisations in Kenya and abroad.

Core Values

• Evidence-based advocacy
• Honesty and integrity
• Unequivocal excellence in all aspects of our group
• Corporate social responsibility

Gay Kenya’s ten priority Activities:

1. Website:- its operational but needs to be upgraded. This will be a continous process and content updated constantly, possibly on weekly basis.

2. Activisim and human rights advocacy for the LGBTI persons in Kenya.

3. Research & Publications, for evidence-based advocacy.

4. Documentation - in the form of movies/videos and documentaries - e.g., how does the society see homosexuality. The objective being to educate the society.

5. Drama and theatre activities - Stage plays for education and advocacy.

6. Focus on LGBTI “Ageing Needs.”

7. Social Responsibility - engaging in activities that the gay community in Kenya reaches out communities in need.

8. Carrying out LGBTI sensitivity trainings to various audiences.

9. Economic empowerment for members - Focus on building income and resources to empower LGBTI persons in Kenya.

10. Gay tourism as an income generating project by use of the website. This would call for building of partnerships with gay friendly travel agents and tourism practitioners on mutually beneficial arrangements.

Area 1. Capacity building

Recruiting members and expanding networks

Targets

By December 2009, Gay Kenya will have formally been registered

By IDAHO 2010, to have at least 10 Gay Kenya members trained on human rights advocacy

By IDAHO 2010, to have at least 5 Gay Kenya members trained on LGBTI sensitivity training (T.O.T).

By IDAHO 2011, to have at least 5 Gay Kenya members undergone a Training of Trainers (T.O.T), programe on human rights.

By IDAHO 2011, to have at least, 5 Gay Kenya members trained on Research methods.

By IDAHO 2014, to have all Gay Kenya members trained on human rights advocacy.

Human Rights Advocacy is a critical component of our mission and vision as Gay Kenya. It will therefore be paramount for us that all our members are effectively empowered to undertake advocacy with required competencies.

Area 2. Research

2.1 Creating evidence-base for advocacy

Target

By IDAHO 2010, to have formed an alliance with at least 2 research institutions within Kenya or abroad.

By IDAHO 2011, to have initiated a research project/base-line study on the LGBTI needs in Kenya.

By IDAHO 2014, to have published at least 2 publications based on the research findings.

2.3 Recording and interpreting our stories

Target

By IDAHO 2010, to have found gay men and other LGBTI people with skills in these two areas of research and interpretation, including skills in producing publications, films, video-tapes, audio-tapes, exhibitions and so on and to have supported them in finding any financial and technical support they may need to proceed with their projects.

By IDAHO 2014, to have developed 3 documentaries with different themes for LGBTI advocacy.

Research is a necessary for effective advocacy. In Gay Kenya, research and documentation will continue to remain central to our identity and mission.

Area 3. Information, education, communications

Targets

By IDAHO 2010, to have redesigned Gay Kenya’s website, made it more user- friendly, have provided it with useful, interesting and entertaining content and to be refreshing that content on a regular basis in large part with material contributed by the website’s visitors.

By IDAHO 2011, to have supported the establishment of a gay or LGBTI theatrical troupe that is well on its way towards staging its first performances if it has not already done so.

By IDAHO 2010, to have developed a package of sensitivity training material that can be easily adapted for a variety of groups.

By IDAHO 2011, to have done as described in Gay Kenya’s target for Area 2 while also to have found gay men and other LGBTI people interested not only in documentary or fact-based publications, films, etc. but also ones that might described as artistic or entertaining.

By IDAHO 2014, to have a website well known for its excellence; a variety of publications, films and DVDs on LGBTI themes in circulation; a number of Kenyan plays with LGBTI themes available for theatrical production; and ways of ensuring that readers and audiences across the country have access to all of the foregoing.

In this area of activity, Gay Kenya will advocate for, support and collaborate with other LGBTI organizations but will seize the initiative and show leadership, to ensure achievement of the above targets.

Area 4. Legal reform, assistance and liaison

Targets

By September 2009, to have in place Gay Kenya Human Rights Committee, to follow up on litigation, documentation and human rights trainings.

By IDAHO 2010, Gay Kenya Human Rights Committee and developed an LGBTI human rights strategy.

By IDAHO 2012, to have formed a partnership arrangement with at least 3 mainstream human rights organisations in Kenya, on Human rights advocacy country wide.

By IDAHO 2014, to have established relations with Nairobi’s police and initiated movement towards establishment of a LGBTI-police liaison committee.

In this area of activity, Gay Kenya will collaborate with other LGBTI organizations but will seize the initiative and show leadership, as necessary, to ensure achievement of all the targets in Action Area 4 of GALCK’s framework.

Area 5. Health and social services

5.1 Health and Social Responsibility

Targets

By September 2009, Gay Kenya will have a health page on the www.gaykenya.com website, in collaboration with Liverpool VCT and Ishtar MSM.

By December 2009, to have developed a social responsibility action plan for Gay Kenya.

By IDAHO 2010, to have conducted an M&E on our social responsibility action plan and conduct necessary review for continued implementation.

The members of Gay Kenya recognize that some gay men well-educated, well-established in careers and among the higher income people of Kenya. Even if they are none of those things, gay men often have a keen sense of responsibility to help those in need of help due to their youth, poverty, illness, old age or other circumstances.

5.1 Focus on LGBTI “Ageing Needs”

Targets

By IDAHO 2010, to have developed a Gay Kenya members’ “Ageing strategy.”

By IDAHO 2012, to review the operationalisation of the Gay Kenya “ageing strategy,” with a view of enhancing its implementation.

By December 2014, Gay Kenya should have acquired a parmanent structure with view of housing aged LGBTI community members.

Noting that old people in Kenya often depend on their children for housing and other support and that old LGBTI people usually have no children and are highly vulnerable to destitution in their old age, a project to provide housing for old LGBTI people is one possibility. However, before choosing to focus on that one, Gay Kenya proposes to give more thought to the matter.

Area 6. Social Enterprise

Generating revenue from Gay Kenya activities.

Targets

By September 2009, to have a Gay tourism page on our website.

By IDAHO 2010, to have developed an economic empowerment strategy for Gay Kenya.

By IDAHO 2010, to have the tourism promotion committee report on the track of revenue generated from our gay tourism efforts.

IDAHO 2014, to have implemented at least 5 (five) major economic empowerment projects.

There are many gay and other LGBTI people already involved in the hospitality and tourism industries as employees or business owners and it is well known that LGBTI people are prominent among world travellers and often look for LGBTI-run or LGBTI-friendly accommodations and other services when they travel.

Gay Kenya can see a number of ways LGBTI people can benefit from its involvement in this area: much needed jobs and business opportunities for LGBTI people; some revenue to support Gay Kenya’s activities; countering ignorance a prejudice with visible LGBTI contributions to Kenya’s economy. LGBTI visitors have the potential of making very significant contributions to Kenya’s economy and of raising awareness that providing LGBTI-friendly services whether to visiting or local LGBTI people makes good business sense.

Area 7. Monitoring and Evaluation

Targets

By September 2009, to have in place fully functioning committees in all our areas of operation.

By IDAHO 2010/11/12/13/14, to conduct M&E exercises before May 17^th and table the reports to all Gay Kenya members and interested external stakeholders.

By IDAHO 2010/11/12/13/14, to conduct internal and external audits of all our financial records, and table the reports to Gay Kenya members and interested external stakeholders.

The primary responsibility of running the activities of Gay Kenya rests with the Executive board which is elected from among the existing membership on annual basis. Details of the eligibility and election process are available in our constitution.

The Executive board however delegates this mandate to the various standing committees and when need arises on adhoc committees formed to perform specific tasks. The standing committees are as follows:

1. The Executive Board

2. Human Rights Committee

3. The Finance and Fundraising (& Social Responsibility) Committee

4. Website, Research and Publications Committee

5. Documentation and Theatre Committee

6. Sensitivity Training Committee

7. Gay Tourism Committee

8. Ad hoc Committee(s).