Ms Jane Meriwas:

I thank the ladies and gentlemen of the committee so much for this great opportunity for Samburu. It will go down in history for us to have the opportunity to talk to the committee. I also hope that in the future the committee can continue doing the good work it has been doing and that it continues pushing the legislation, pushing around issues of accountability, and where these are missing.

The Irish Government is supporting significant aid globally and not just in Africa. We hope that the same aid reaches the intended group, who are mostly women and girls. Ms McKenna and myself, an indigenous woman from far away, will also have the opportunity to access all of the information by sitting here, giving our information, and giving hope and stories from the ground. This is what I hope to see in the future, whether that is Ms McKenna or another local girl or woman, but this is what we call accountability. Some 20 or 21 women’s trusts in Kenya receive Irish aid to support women and girls with cash trusts through Oxfam and this is the hope that I am bringing. It is not that we are saying that the aid Ireland is giving is not reaching the right people but that Ireland should continue to press for more accountability and transparency, and to also ensure that there is education, so that those who are receiving understand what they are receiving and what it is meant to be offered it. I thank the committee so much and I ask God to bless it.