This archive report was first published on 1 November 2019.
As the sun rises over Embu County, Moses Njiru, 43, begins his day by sweeping the compound and washing dishes, tasks traditionally done by women.
With his wife pregnant and working as a schoolteacher, Njiru believes it's only fair to share the workload.
He's not alone in his efforts to redefine traditional gender roles. Communities across Kenya are working to cut poverty and improve climate resilience by promoting greater equality between men and women.
A 2014 survey found that 85% of land in the Upper Tana River drainage was owned by men, while women worked an average of 15-17 hours a day.
Concerned that these restrictions were holding back anti-poverty efforts, project officials introduced the Gender Action Learning System (GALS) in 2016.
GALS helps men and women learn to communicate respectfully and honestly, aiming to reduce domestic violence, achieve equal property rights, and give women and men a more balanced voice in decision-making.
Albert Thirika, a retired secondary school principal, has seen significant changes in his family since undergoing GALS training.
He now involves his wife in family decision-making and has given his daughters a bigger voice, allowing them to choose which pieces of family farmland they prefer.
His wife, Evelyn Mwembe Thirika, now manages the family's finances.
Other families have also seen positive changes, including Mary Muthoni, who used GALS to approach her husband about using family land for her own farming projects.
Through 'respect and persistence,' she managed to change her husband's mind, and they now jointly discuss most decisions and budget and save their money together.
Since undergoing GALS training, Njiru has offered to let his wife return to school to earn a full degree and has helped train over 420 members of a farmers' water management and irrigation group about the importance of striving for greater gender equality.
The group's production of crops has quadrupled since members underwent the gender training, and they have attracted 1.2 million Kenyan shillings ($11,600) in county government funding to install water pipes for irrigation.
