ABOUT TEKO DADA - TIDA
Teko Dada, meaning “Strength of a Woman”, is a grassroot, stigma-free community-based organization founded by a group of young women from Mbita, united by shared experiences of poverty, limited access to health services, and deep-rooted social barriers. Many of the founding members were involved in fish mongering, a trade that, while offering income, exposed them to exploitation, health risks, and economic vulnerability. The formation of TIDA was a response to the urgent need for a safe and empowering platform for rural women, adolescent girls, and young women, especially those in informal and high-risk economic activities. It was born out of lived realities school drop-outs, gender-based violence, lack of reproductive health services, and increasing climate-related threats to livelihoods, such as reduced fish stocks and flooding.
Our Vision
A future where all women and girls can fully enjoy their rights, live with dignity, and use their strength to create positive change for themselves and their communities.
Our Mission
TIDA’s mission is to support vulnerable and marginalized women and girls in rural areas by amplifying their voices, protecting their rights, and building their resilience through advocacy and empowerment.
Who We Serve
TIDA focuses on supporting:
- Adolescent girls and young women facing early pregnancy, school drop-out, and limited access to SRHR services.
- Women involved in fish trade and informal economic activities prone to health and safety risks.
- Women in rural setting, who often face legal, social and economic discrimination
- Minority and vulnerable women in rural communities impacted by poverty, gender violence, and systemic neglect.
THE BIRTH OF TIDA
Strength Forged from Pain and Solidarity
Teko Initiative for Dada Advancement (TIDA) was born in the most unexpected yet powerful of moments — during the burial of a young 19-year-old mother in Litare Village, Rusinga, on December 8th, 2023.
The young woman had dropped out of school in Form 4 due to early pregnancy. Left without support from the child’s father, she turned to fish mongering at Litare Beach in a desperate effort to provide for her baby and herself. In the course of her work, she became involved with a local fisherman who turned abusive and controlling. One day, he asked her to go for a walk. That was the last time anyone saw her alive. Her body was later discovered abandoned at Kiahera Hills — her life violently cut short.
At her burial, four women from the community found themselves drawn into deep conversation — a shared mourning that turned into a moment of collective reflection. Each had walked a similar path: school drop-out, informal labor in the fish trade, vulnerability to exploitation, and a lack of safety or support.
In that moment of grief, they asked themselves: “How many more of us must suffer before something changes?”
And from that question, a vision was born — Teko Dada, meaning “Strength of a Woman.”
What began as a painful moment became the seed of a movement.
Today, TIDA stands as a growing force of rural resilience — committed to ensuring that no woman or girl has to walk the path of vulnerability alone again.