Project: Empowerment within technical services, Arvika – G7
Arvika Municipality established a municipal partnership with Uasin Gishu County in Kenya in 2019. During the final phase of this collaboration, opportunities were identified to disseminate the project results to additional counties in Kenya. With the support of the project consultant, Business in Progress, contact was established with the Council of Governors (CoG) and the G7 Women Governors Caucus, a network comprising the seven Kenyan counties led by women governors: Kwale, Nakuru, Meru, Embu, Homa Bay, Kirinyaga, and Machakos. This collaboration created a platform for sharing project results with women leaders, exchanging knowledge to strengthen women’s leadership within local governments in both Kenya and Sweden, and building relationships for future cooperation. As part of the dissemination activities, two conferences were held: one in Nakuru County, Kenya, and one in Arvika and Norrköping, Sweden.
This dialogue and the established contacts laid the foundation for a deepened collaboration. Against this background, a new project has now been approved, aiming to build on the experiences from the previous partnership and to focus on shared societal challenges within technical services and infrastructure, with particular emphasis on water and waste management. Shortcomings in these areas contribute to environmental problems and public health risks, underscoring the importance of well-functioning technical services for long-term sustainable development. During the preparation phase, the partners will conduct a problem analysis, initiate the development of an action plan, and engage in knowledge exchange to strengthen organizational capacity within technical services. A central ambition is to support and strengthen organizations led by women. The project also seeks to explore how children and young people can enhance their ability to demand accountability and participate in decision-making processes.