Anne Kiloku was awarded ‘Outstanding Woman of Laikipia County’. The award was presented to her by the Ministry of Devolution Principal Secretary. She also received another award on Hero’s Day at National Level on December 12th 2015.
Anne Kikoku is one of the nearly 80 mentors working across 80 schools-most of which are located in “hard to reach” areas that Asante Africa Foundation is working in partnership with local Community Based Organizations (CBOs) in these regions on the Wezesha Vijana (Empower Youth) Program through a joint partnership with Asante Africa Foundation and the local communities funded by Proctor and Gamble. This Program is largely aimed at addressing challenges that keep girls’ enrollment low, absenteeism high and transition rates to higher level education low.
Anne Kiloku was born and raised in Dol Dol area of Laikipia North. This is an arid and semi-arid area largely inhabited by nomadic Maasai Community. Education-particularly for girls is still a big challenge in this community. When faced with a choice of sending one child to school, it ends up in most cases being a boy child get this chance at the expense of the girl child. Anne was upset with this trend but instead just being upset, she set out to do something-she, together with other community members started a Community Based Organization (Nyuata O Losho Women Organization) to champion their cause.
Anne is much more than a Community Mobilizer, Human Rights Defender and a Mentor, she is also a respected mother, wife and a role model in her community. When Asante Africa Foundation partnered with Nyuata O Losho Women Organization to implement the Wezesha Vijana Program, Anne volunteered to mentor 2 schools. She mentors about 100 girls in the upper primary classes in 2 primary schools in Dol Dol area on a weekly basis. This program has developed a 16 lesson curriculum that guides weekly discussions.
When Anne is not in a classroom mentoring, she is in a community meeting or a church meeting. Her service to the community was recently rewarded when she was named by the Ministry of Devolution and Planning. The ceremony was presided over by the Minister of Devolution and Planning Hon Ann Waiguru at a colorful ceremony held in Nairobi and attended by Hon Rachel Shebesh (Nairobi County Women Representaive), Hon Zippora Kitonyi, Hon Maison Leshoomo (Samburu County Women Representative) and Hon Sarah Korere (Nominated Member of Parliament) among other dignitaries.