The Armstrong Women Empowerment Center (AWEC) is a becoming a beacon of hope in the small Kenyan village of Rabuor. It offers three core programs for women, girls, and boys in hopes to create positive changes in the local community. We just recently added a FitMotivation Health and Wellness Series to help the women and girls prepare for our Annual Cycling Event.

At its core, the AWEC plans to help local women learn employable skills including tailoring garments, sewing, weaving, artwork, decor mat making, and financial skills. With these skills they’ll be able to eat at least three meals a day, attend school, and pay for other necessities.

To help address cultural customs of rape, beatings, emotional abuse, and early marriage, the Gender Based Violence Centre was started. It accommodates violated women and girls in Rabuor Village and helps them work through their experiences of violation while also empowering them to stand up for themselves.

While the Centre is heavily focused on helping women and girls, there’s also a program for young boys called the Armstrong Sungura Boys Club. The club provides positive activities for young boys which keeps them off the streets and aways from activities that can lead them down dangerous paths.

Eventually, the Centre plans to open a community library to encourage reading and learning among the entire village, particularly for people who are not ready to engage with Centre activities.

The Centre was started with a huge vision to create empowered and sustainable change in Rabuor, Kenya. In many ways the Centre is still being formed, but news is spreading and women are showing greater and greater interest in the positive changes they know are possible.