Recognizing the sexual and reproductive challenges faced by the widows, HIV & AIDS and reproductive health was mainstreamed in this intervention. THE LENS OF MINORITY WOMEN All these women are a minority by being women as well as widows. However, for the purpose of this forum, it is important to disaggregate the minority women from the Ogiek minority group constituting only 3% of the entire group and being even a further minority. They come from the remotest parts of Mt Elgon - communication with them is nearly impossible thanks to the mobile technology. The infrastructure is impossible especially during the rains, which is more often than not. Obviously, it is more difficult for the Ogiek woman to access market for her produce no matter how good it is. She has no choice but to sell through the exploitative middleman. Culturally their men go hunting in the forest and the women claim that there are occasions when the men do not return home even for a whole month, apparently hunting. The widows would have to depend on their in-laws to bring a share of the hunted meat sometimes at a price. This practice exposes the woman to vulnerability and to the risk of sexually transmitted infections including HIV. Reproductive health remains a great challenge witnessed by the high number of children the women have and the cultural norms they raise about family planning. As young as 20 year old women have upto five children while the older ones have even upto eight and still counting. An analysis made by minority women on the resources they are able to access and control gives a very gloomy picture and leaves the woman in a most disadvantaged, exploited and unappreciated within the household. While they can access most of the resources at household level, they cannot make decisions over them and therefore has not control over them at all. Permission must be granted by the men. This is despite the fact that women provide labour for the household. These include but not limited to; land, livestock, poultry, household furniture and upholstery, Beehives/honey bags, forests, fishing boats and nets, children. THE SPIRIT OF THE CONSTITUTION OF KENYA The constitution of Kenya promulgated 4th August 2011 has a great deal of good intention not just to the woman in general but also to minority groups and therefore by extension minority women. It mirrors a lot of the draft recommendations on guaranteeing the rights of the minority woman. Relevant Examples A. Chapter: The Bill of Rights

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