Former banker leads the charge for women's health and empowerment

Wendo Sahar, the founder and CEO of Dandelion Africa during a meeting with women from Nakuru and Baringo counties at the Dandelion Medical Center and offices in Rongai, Nakuru County, on August 16, 2024. They discussed co-creating initiatives to support women's economic empowerment and health outcomes. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

At the age of 20, Wendo Sahar gave birth to her first child, an experience she says exposed her to humiliation and depression.

She is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Dandelion Africa.

Sahar says she delivered her first child in a small clinic in Kibera, Nairobi.

The door to the clinic, she adds, was open, and everybody passing by could see the activities inside as the healthcare workers attended to her.

She reveals that she suffered serious postpartum depression following the experience, which ultimately led to her falling seriously ill afterward.

Immediately after delivery, she says another woman came and delivered on the same bed she had delivered in even before it could be cleaned.

The traumatic experience pushed Sahar to focus on helping women, particularly those in rural areas. She vowed to ensure that no other woman would have to endure a similar ordeal.

Working closely with the government, she says she now champions better health policies for women in rural areas.

At the time, she adds, she had no job and couldn’t access better healthcare. She notes that when health and the economy are championed, everybody is happy.

“Where was the dignity? I was a young mother and didn’t know anything. Why should a young mother go through something like that? Where is the dignity when we are giving life to the same men making policies about us? If someone is giving birth to a whole man like you, you should put her first in terms of policies that protect her health and economy,” Sahar emphatically declares.

She says her focus is not only on health, but also on finding means to empower women financially. Dandelion, she notes, is known for sustainability models.

According to her, many women in rural areas live their lives unaware of their potential. Through her organisation, she is determined to change the economic status of women and girls in these communities.

“Dandelion is different, it is a community-driven organization. We aim to improve the health and livelihoods of youth and women in marginalized areas,” she adds.

In rural Kenya, at least 70 per cent of women and children lack access to appropriate primary healthcare. On average, there are thousands of maternal deaths in the country each year because of poor access to reproductive healthcare and infrastructure.

“Forty per cent of Kenyans living in rural areas live in poverty compared to 28 per cent in urban areas. Dandelion Africa is determined to change the health and economic outcomes for women. It is a matter of life and death that simply cannot wait,” she notes.

Though not a professional in the field of medicine, with passion and personal experience, she found herself in the line. She reveals that she is a professional in finance and non-profit management and strategy.

On a regular basis, the CEO has been holding meetings with women from various counties where they discuss how to co-create initiatives that support their economic power and health outcomes.

She says majority of Kenyan women, approximately 18 million, live in rural areas where they face various challenges, including maternal challenges and poverty. Most health facilities in rural areas do not provide women with the required infrastructure.

 “We are intentional in combining economic empowerment, training them on business skills and providing them with grants to start a business, teach them on climate-smart agriculture, and more importantly, train them on reproductive health,” she says.

As Dandelion Africa, she reveals that they have gone a step further to ensure women in Baringo, Nakuru, Narok, and Kajiado counties have access to contraceptives. At least 30,000 women in the rural areas have had access to contraceptives with the help of Dandelion Africa. 5, 000 women have been trained in various income generating activities.

The organisation has not left out men and boys and has since incorporated them in its various activities.

Female Genital Mutilation, high poverty rates, poor maternal health, early marriages, and poor contraceptive uptake, she notes, are key challenges facing women in the four counties. She says they are trying to address the issues through the various programmes they offer. Women have been trained on climate change and smart farming.

Dandelion Africa works closely with the government and has had support from the Ministry of Agriculture, and institutions of higher learning including Egerton University.

The organisation also has a programme dubbed the ‘Backpack Nurse’, which is divided between several platforms, each delivering healthcare in a unique and integrated way.

The Backpack Nurse reaches 34 different villages monthly and works with health institutions to improve healthcare.

Through the model, the organisation reaches women and girls at their locations, offering services most needed like family planning, immunisation, and HIV testing. The services are offered free to the needy. Data from their website shows that 169,969 people have had access to primary healthcare through the model.

Margaret Kiptoo, a beneficiary, says it was not easy for them to convince young mothers to adopt use of contraceptives.

Edith Cherop, from Marigat, in Baringo, says she and her fellow women have benefited a lot from the training. She adds that they were trained in various business ventures besides maternal health.