Supporting Grassroots Women Organizations

Project at a Glance

• Location: Rendille communities (Marsabit & Samburu counties)

• Lead Partner: Pastoralist Peoples’ Initiative (PPI) with support from The Christensen Fund

• Primary Components:

  • Capacity-building activities for 32 grassroots women’s organizations

  • Inclusive community forums and “Conversation Circles” on land registration and cultural budget planning

  • Documentation of indigenous knowledge (herbal practices, seed varieties)

  • Full logistical support for the Rendille Food & Cultural Festival

Objectives

1. Strengthen Grassroots Women’s Participation:
   Build the capacity of Rendille women’s groups so they can meaningfully engage in decision-making processes particularly around land registration, resource allocation, and cultural programming.

2. Preserve Indigenous Knowledge:
   Collaborate with elders and traditional knowledge holders to record local herbal and ecological wisdom, ensuring critical information is safeguarded for future generations.

3. Celebrate & Generate Income for Women:
   Showcase women’s contributions during the festival facilitating cross-cultural exchange, highlighting leadership roles, and creating income-earning opportunities through crafts, food sales, and performances.

Activities

• Capacity Development Workshops:

  • Needs Assessment: Conducted in March 2024 to identify skill gaps across 32 women’s associations.

  • Tailored Training: Five two-day workshops delivered entirely in the Rendille language, covering:

    • Organizational governance and budgeting

    • Event planning and marketing for cultural products

    • Financial record-keeping and small-business fundamentals

  • Peer Learning: Established cohort groups of 8–10 women from neighboring villages to share best practices and co-mentor one another post-training.

• Community Conversations & Forums:

  • Inclusive Dialogue Circles: Hosted in four villages (Loglogo, Kirimon, Gaba, and Umani) to discuss:

    • The importance of women’s representation on community land committees

    • Transparent budgeting for cultural events and resource mobilization

  • Local Authority Engagement: Invited Rendille chiefs and county officials to each forum securing commitments to include women on decision-making panels and to allocate modest festival budgets.

  • Safe Spaces: Created women-only conversation circles where participants could voice concerns and set collective priorities without stigma.

• Indigenous Knowledge Preservation:

  • Elder Collaborations: Partnered with 12 Rendille elders (the oldest traditional knowledge custodians) to record:

    • Herbal & Medicinal Practices: Uses of indigenous plants for treating common ailments.

    • Seed Varieties: Local drought-resistant seeds for vegetables and grains.

  • Seed Bank & Tree Nursery:

    • Established a community-managed seed bank holding 50 varieties of local seeds.

    • Launched a small nursery with 2,000 seedlings (indigenous acacias, baobabs) to be distributed at planting ceremonies.

  • Botanical Garden: Created a public demonstration plot at Merige Farm where villagers can observe and learn propagation techniques.

• Rendille Food & Cultural Festival Support:

  • Logistics & Organization:

    • Secured the festival site, erected tents for 3,000+ attendees, and arranged stage, seating, and sound systems.

    • Facilitated vendor stalls for women’s craft, food, and livestock by-products.

  • Highlighting Women’s Roles:

    • Curated a “Women’s Stage” to showcase female singers, dancers, and storytellers across three nights.

    • Organized a “Women’s Marketplace” where participants sold traditional dairy products, handmade ornaments, and woven baskets.

  • Cross-Cultural Exchange & Business Incubation:

    • Invited neighboring communities (Samburu, Turkana) to participate, promoting small trade and knowledge sharing.

    • Hosted micro-loan booths enabling festival attendees to apply for small grants to scale their cultural enterprises.