Domtila Chesang

Domtila Chesang Lorema is a Kenyan women's rights activist, researcher, and movement builder with over a decade of experience advancing the rights of women and girls in marginalized communities. She is the Founder and Executive Director of I_Rep Foundation, a grassroots organization working to end female genital mutilation (FGM), child marriage, and other forms of violence and discrimination against women and girls in Kenya.

Born and raised in West Pokot County, Domtila has dedicated her career to promoting girls' education, women's leadership, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and community-led social change. Her work combines grassroots organizing, research, advocacy, storytelling, and policy engagement to amplify the voices of women and girls and influence sustainable change.

She is also the Co-Founder and East Africa Lead of African Women Rights Advocates (AWRA), a Pan-African movement that strengthens grassroots women's leadership and advances gender justice across the continent.

Domtila's leadership and impact have earned her national and international recognition, including the Queen's Young Leader Award (2017), Pan-African Youth Leader of the Year (2018), and Kenya's Head of State Commendation (HSC) (2020). She has participated in numerous leadership and fellowship programmes, including the Aga Khan Women Leadership Academy, GenderPro Training-George Washington College, Binti Uongozini, and King's College London's Global Institute for Women's Leadership Changemakers Programme https://www.kcl.ac.uk/giwl/assets/exploring-the-persistence-of-fgm-in-west-pokot-county-kenya.pdf.

She remains committed to building a future where all women and girls can live free from violence, discrimination, and inequality, while exercising their full rights, dignity, and potential.