I came across an interesting video clip on Broadly’s YouTube Channel covering an inside story about Kenya’s all female village, known as Umoja, in Samburu, Nothern Kenya. Interestingly Umoja is an all women village where no men are allowed. Umoja in Swahili means “Unity”. This village which was founded in 1990 by a group of women who were survivors of domestic violence and rape by local British soldiers. (Read all about it here)
I found this episode quite uplifting. Particularly, i was inspired by the boldness and the entrepreneurial spirit these power women have, especially in a culture where men actually do not believe that women can thrive on their own! (Hopefully you’ll understand what i mean once you watch the clip. Also pay attention to what some of the men have to say about this)
There are now a number of villages similar to Umoja village. Many more groups are formed not only to inform women about their rights but also to bring awareness about the dangers of some extreme cultural practices such as female genital mutilation, child bride and why education is importance, especially for the girls in this region. In these ‘women only’ villages, women have access to learning opportunities where they take up jewelry making and trading skills enough to help them sustain themselves and their children.
Currently, there are some Non-Profit organisations dedicated to help these women on their mission to alleviate poverty and become financially stable.
Here’s the clip from Broadly
