#RightByHer Photo Exhibition

Every year we celebrate the International Dialogue on Population and Sustainable Development together with GIZ and amazing partners from all over the world. But this year, we had a premiere: our first international photo exhibition. The photo series Women of Kibera was developed by Brian Otieno in the context of our multi-partner campaign #RightByHer. Meet strong girls and women from age 4 to 76 and read how they fight for a more equal world.

"My dream is to see a better future not only for
me but also for the upcoming generations,
where people can deal with the things that
comes with awareness in globalization and
technology." - Rukia Sebit, 35, teacher

Meet Shazline from Kibera, Nairobi. We hope she grows up to have a healthy, happy life and fulfil her dreams! She can't do that without her right to health, education, and freedom from violence. We stand right by girls like her.

“I wish to have a community with zero level of sexual violence and girls dropping out of school. I have been around so many supportive women throughout my life; I want to be like them.” - Asha Jaffar, 24, Freelance Journalist

“It's always a woman who's there for the family before anybody else. A woman is there for a fellow woman and for the society. That's what makes us strong, special and always respected.“ - Siyama Ismail, Peace Ambassador

“I am aggressive, ambitious and full of hope for young women and girls living in Kibera. I want to mentor young girls in Kibera so they can finish secondary school and achieve their dreams.” - Daphne Adhiambo, 23, youth activist

"I thought that being a mother would be simple and things always would be easy so that you can control them, but it's that phase in life that things don't run your way, you have to run things." - Antoinette Akinyi, 25, Salonist

"I know the struggles of young women and girls in this neighbourhood, because I went through those struggles as well. I am involved in several community initiatives, helping girls to discover and explore their talents.” - Consolata Agrippina, 25, student

“Back in 2004, many people in my community were dying of AIDS, but the topic was treated as a taboo. I decided to target religious leaders who helped me in spreading the information. People came out to know their status, and those who tested positive started seek counseling and treatment.” - Siama Musine, 43, community worker

“I want my daughter to thrive: to embrace and nurture her talents, send her to a good school. I work hard, but we also need policy improvements: access to financial support for single moms like me, and no discrimination in the job market.” - Lilian Mokobi, 24, graduate in Education

"In my years I have come across several cases of sexual violence and harassment on women and girls in my community. At the local police
station, the officers on duty were always men and women would be afraid to go and report. So we advocated that there should be a "women desk" with female police officers who were aware on how to handle cases of gender-based violence." - Hamza Ahmed, 76, women's rights activist

Project and artist: the photo project Women of Kibera was developed in the course of the EU-funded State of African Women Project and its communications campaign #RightByHer. The #RightByHer Campaign works with African artists, bloggers and photographers to raise awareness, stimulate conversation, and challenge social norms around women’s rights. The exhibition has been organised by Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevölkerung (DSW) and GIZ.

Brian Otieno, born 1993, is a photojournalist and graduate of Journalism and Public Relations. He was raised in Kibera, one of the biggest and most vibrant slums in Africa. Brian’s passion and commitment lie in capturing the visual realities and documenting the norm of everyday life from the people around him, and sharing their stories. By doing so, Brian tries to visualize the diversity, dynamics, and inequality of urban life.