Fighting gender-based discrimination – meet atingi learner Cowan Koduk

Ms. Cowan Koduk is a gig worker from Nairobi. In 2023, she completed several courses about the gig economy, gender equality and gender-based violence offered on atingi, the BMZ's digital learning platform. She also participated in a six-week hybrid mentoring and peer learning programme designed specifically for gig workers. As a result, she can now focus on her personal goal: ending discrimination against women in Kenya. The wealth of knowledge she has acquired enables her to recognise different forms of discrimination and to inform women and men in Kenya about gender-based discrimination. She shares her knowledge with other women and affected communities via social media and reached 1,500 people via the LinkedIn platform alone with a post on gender-based discrimination in the world of work and stimulated countless discourses online and offline. Professionally, she is now also involved as a marketing and communications consultant for gender equality through education and the strengthening of advocacy.

As one of 150 participants in the mentoring programme, she has also become part of a community of women who support other female workers in navigating the gig economy. She advises the women on issues of online safety, the use of digital tools, the negotiation of fair wages and contracts, and teaches them useful soft skills. (As of February 2024)