Baringo County Member of Parliament Gladwell Tungo wants rights organizations to sustain awareness about gender equality and violence if the country is to win the war against gender violence and realize gender parity. The lawmaker says with the rising number of cases of abuse and child negligence across the country there is a need to strengthen the front line for fairness to both genders for social economic development of the country. The law maker was speaking in Rongai Constituency during the graduation of 150 Community Health Volunteers trained by Dandelion Africa -a nonprofit and nongovernmental organization championing Human Rights in Nakuru and Baringo Counties. 
The Legislator observed that against the backdrop of coronavirus economic aftershocks, scores of children from needy backgrounds in informal settlements and rural areas have been neglected and many have dropped out of school and have been enticed into vices that threaten society. She noted that a considerable number of girls had fallen pregnant and boys lured into crime and there is need for rights organizations to collaborate with other stakeholders to mount rescue programs that can help affected children resume schooling and renew their hope.
Tungo also called for the establishment of more recovery centers for victims of Gender violence saying these will help in providing safe shelter for victims who with the help of counsellors can find their pathway to recovery easy and meaningful. The MP said that it was unfortunate that victims of gender violence are reluctant to seek help due to lack of awareness about their problem and a safe shelter where they can stay and heal. She said most victims have no alternative shelter besides their oppressors` and even as they seek assistance to their plight, they are forced to go back to their points of abuse where they are depressed and end up committing suicide.
The legislator also used the occasion to appeal to parents to exercise their responsibilities to their children as a way of preventing juvenile delinquencies and teenage marriages. She called on Rongai and Baringo County residents to unite in the campaign against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in the areas and described the retrogressive cultural practice as a brutal form of violence against girls and women. She asked graduating Community Health Volunteers to be valiant champions against the cultural practice in their respective villages and also urged them to flag cases of child negligence for timely intervention by relevant authorities.
Tungo urged jobless youths to learn a vocation at various polytechnics in Nakuru County and gainfully employ themselves .She said this will help mitigate poverty that leads to domestic violence. On his part, the Director of Public Health in Nakuru County Dr.Daniel Wainaina who also commissioned an ambulance donated by the Rongai community by Dandelion Africa, commended the training initiative of the Community Health Volunteers saying they will help in coordinating ambulatory services in rural areas where they are needed most. Dr.Wainaina said the donation comes to complement the County Government`s partnership with AMREF Africa aimed at expanding ambulatory services in rural areas.
He said monthly births in Rongai Sub County are rising exponentially and there is need for partnerships that are geared toward expanding coverage of health services in the areas. Nakuru County Committee Executive Member for Trade and Tourism Raymond Komen said the community resource center established by Dandelion Africa will help youths in the area access online jobs through the state driven Ajira Program and participate in building the area`s economy. Urging residents to use the resource center to enrich their knowledge, he noted that the facility will be a valuable source of information about health, business and best farming practices. Komen urged residents and corporate in Nakuru County to help donate books to the facility and equip the resource center with state of the art computers for many youths to benefit.