Empowering Futures: How APIR Uplifts Women, Girls, and Children Through Blockchain Technology
By Nakiru Elaar, Kodopa Community Member and Youth Advocate
As a proud member of Kodopa and a woman passionate about digital inclusion, I’ve witnessed firsthand the transformational role APIR is playing in our community—especially in how they engage and empower women, girls, and children through the Blockchain Technology Project. For many of us, technology once felt like a distant, foreign concept. Today, thanks to APIR’s inclusive approach, it’s becoming a tool of hope, equality, and opportunity.
Respecting and Recognizing Our Potential
APIR’s work in Kodopa is built on one powerful belief: women, girls, and children are not passive beneficiaries—they are agents of change. From the very beginning of the Blockchain Technology Project, APIR has created safe and welcoming spaces where our voices are heard and our experiences valued.
They held dialogue sessions with mothers, schoolgirls, young women like myself, and even children, to understand how digital systems like blockchain could serve our needs. This wasn’t just about data or tech—it was about dignity, ownership, and respect.
Tailored Participation, Meaningful Impact
Many organizations talk about participation. APIR makes it real. They trained us in local languages, using simple, relatable examples to explain how blockchain works—how it can protect identity, trace resources, and build transparency in services like child sponsorship and education support.
They didn’t just invite us to attend. They made us part of the design. We helped co-create modules that suit women’s learning paces, and school-friendly content for children. Our feedback wasn’t sidelined—it shaped the final tools.
Even girls in school now track how their school supplies and bursaries are delivered using a secure digital ledger—a system we helped test and approve!
Safety and Safeguarding at the Center
Children are at the heart of the project. APIR put in place strict safeguarding measures, ensuring that their identities are protected, that guardians are informed, and that no child engages in tech learning without consent and supervision.
For girls, especially in communities where early marriage and digital exclusion are real threats, this project has been a breath of fresh air. It shows that technology doesn’t have to leave us behind—it can bring us forward.
Changing Mindsets, One Digital Step at a Time
Of course, we’ve had to navigate cultural resistance. Some community members didn’t see why women or young girls should be involved in technology. But APIR didn’t push—they listened. They engaged elders, faith leaders, and mothers. They used examples of empowered women across Kenya and beyond. Slowly but surely, minds are changing.
Now, I’m not just participating in the project—I’m mentoring younger girls on how to use blockchain applications. And I’m not alone. More than 80 women and girls in our zone are now equipped with basic digital literacy, thanks to APIR.
Our Future, Our Data, Our Rights
What APIR has done here in Kodopa is more than a tech pilot. It’s a bold reminder that when women, girls, and children are respected, listened to, and included—we all win. Blockchain may be a digital tool, but for us, it’s become a symbol of trust, fairness, and a future we can help build. From Kodopa, we say asante sana to APIR—for walking with us, not ahead of us. The blockchain journey has just begun, and thanks to your respectful approach, we are ready to lead it.