"The Gun Women"

     The Turkana are Kenya's third-largest tribe and the second largest group of nomadic pastoralists (after the Maasai). They mostly live in the Turkana District of the rift valley in northwest of Kenya bordering Sudan.  Most of the Turkana people are cattle herders, some engage in small-scale agriculture and fishing on Lake Turkana.  On the Sudanese side of the border is the Taposa community.  Both of these tribes are completely dependent on the land for their sustenance.

      This fertile region (the Nadapal Belt) is also considered one of the most volatile areas in east and central Africa.   The Kenyan and Southern Sudanese security forces have in the recent past engaged each other in violent attacks, as both countries try to secure this green belt, considered the lifeline of the pastoral communities, for themselves.

       Scores of people have been killed and an undetermined number of animals have perished in these renewed hostilities that have derailed any hopes of peace on the Nadapal Belt. Adding to the tension is a persistent drought that has resulted in a shortage of pastureland and water.

        The recurrent attacks and severe drought are threatening the lives of more than 2,000 families in this area. The violence has forced the Taposa people to move to safer areas taking them within what is considered the Turkana land.  In an attempt to claim this land as their own the Toposa’s continually attack the Turkana.  The women and children from the Turkana community are left abandoned in the bush struggling to look for water and grass for their livestock.

        In recent days the Turkana women have joined forces with their husbands to protect their land and livestock.   Speaking on camera the Turkana women expressed their anger and said they had to take up guns to fight for their land and survival.

I just received these pictures from my friend and colleague, Felix Masi (Documentary photojournalist/Co-founder Voiceless Children).  He spent the last week out in the bush taking photos to document this sad story.

Day 16 - Zeinab Eyega

Last day to act....do it now and make a difference in someone's life!!!

http://www.savedarfur.org/pages/day-16

Day 15 - Ann Curry

Today's honoree.....

http://www.savedarfur.org/pages/day-15

Tanzania: YWCA Starts Human Rights Program for Women

Makama is a 28 year old housewife who grew up in the village of  Simanjiro on the outskirts of Arusha, Tanzania.  Her family arranged for her to be married at the age of 15 to a 70 year old man.  During this marriage her aged husband’s sons sexually abused and brutally beat her.    Unfortunately this is not an unusual situation and women from the villages around Arusha accept violence against them as part of their daily life. 

A few months ago the YWCA (Young Women’s Christian Association), a non-governmental organization in Tanzania  embarked on a program to offer training to women and children on their rights and domestic violence.  The training is taking place in a church in Arusha and so far has helped women who live in the villages as well as students from the Arusha Secondary School.

       The project faces many challenges because domestic violence and acts of wife beating is part of the tradition for many tribal groups.  It is hoped that attitudes can be changed slowly through the process of education.  The program teaches that it is the responsibility of all people to protect children and women against violence and molestation. 

The objective of the program is to redefine the way women look at their lives and help them to understand what their rights are.  It is hoped that this will produce peaceful family units that will lead the way for  positive futures for the youth in the villages around Arusha.

Day 14 - Humanitarian and Civil Society Organizations Working on the Ground

Two more days to make a difference....

http://www.savedarfur.org/pages/day-14

Day 13 - Halima Bashir

Last few days....take action now!

http://www.savedarfur.org/pages/day-13

Day 12 - Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda and Swanee Hunt

Please read the statement in the link:

http://www.savedarfur.org/pages/day-12

Micro-Loans and Business Training Are Empowering Women Around The World

     During one of the business classes that I taught on Zanzibar I went around the room and asked each of the women where they planned to locate their new start up business.   Latifah, a woman in her early twenties who already had three children, quickly answered that she planned to put her food stand under the mango tree where the ‘dala dala’s’ (local transport) stopped.  She said this would be a good spot because when people waited for the dala dala they would get hungry and thirsty.  

Latifah’s marketing instinct was absolutely correct.  It is now six-months later, and the constant stream of customers to her small food stall has made it necessary for Latifah to expand the stall from cooking in one pan over a fire to buying fish in bulk and using a food warmer to increase the quantities she can sell. 



     But despite her motivation and business sense, Latifah's food stall would never have gotten off the ground without a small micro loan from an international investor.   This loan and the business workshops that taught her how to start and run a small business enabled her to become financially self-sufficient.  Latifah is now able to fully support her family and she has become a responsible and active member of her community.

     Research has shown that when a woman is given the opportunity to become financially independent it has far reaching effects on her dependants and on her community. Women tend to allocate much more of their income to basic needs like better nutrition, housing, healthcare and education…. not only for themselves and their children, but also to make these opportunities available to their friends and neighbors. 



     WomenTeachingWomen focuses much of its work on finding new ways to empower women… allowing  them to use their skills to start entrepreneurial ventures.

  But it can’t be stressed enough that empowerment is not just about economics.  Financial independence causes a dramatic positive change in how women perceive themselves and how their families and communities see them.



     Halima was another woman who participated in the WTW business workshop in Tanzania.   After years of struggling to support her seven children by working as a seamstress in Stonetown, Halima got a small loan to buy her own sewing machine. This enabled her to expand her sewing business and now she is planning to rent space in a large hotel to sell the dresses she designs.  She is also using some of the leadership skills she learned during the workshops to start a Women’s Craft Cooperative in her village.

     Poor women are not only focused on investing in opportunities for their own income and growth but also on managing life events and reducing their vulnerability when emergencies happen.   They take their responsibility to their families and communities very seriously.  The stories of Latifah and Halima are not unique.  Women who receive micro loans and business training emerge from poverty and bring their families and communities with them.

Day 11 - Senators Barbara Boxer and Russ Feingold

Today's Work....

http://www.savedarfur.org/pages/day-11

Day 10 - Fatima Haroun

More to do....

http://www.savedarfur.org/pages/day-10

Day 9 - Refugees International

Take action today -

http://www.savedarfur.org/pages/day-9

Day 8 - Rebecca Davis

http://www.savedarfur.org/pages/day-8

Women For Afgan Women - Please Help!!

There is not much more I can say to this story...except, if you can, contribute to help this wonderful young women...


11/15/09
Bibi Aisha arrived at our shelter yesterday.

Bibi Aisha was  sold at the age of 10 by her  father to a married man, a Talib. He kept  her in the stable with the animals until she was 12 (when she got her first menstrual period). At the age of 12 he married her. From the day that she arrived in his house, she was beaten regularly by this man and his family. Sometimes she was beaten so badly that she couldn’t get up for days.

Six months ago, she was beaten so badly by her husband that she thought that she was going to die. She ran away and went to the neighbor’s house. The neighbor took to her to the police. Since Uruzgan doesn’t have a women’s prison, the police took her to Kandahar and kept her in jail because she had run away from home. She spent four months in the Kandahar women’s prison. After four months, her father came and took her out of prison. He took her back to Uruzgan and gave her back to her husband.




Her husband once more beat her to the brink of death, and then he cut her nose and ears off. He did this because she had brought shame to the family by running away. Then he took her to the mountains and left her there to die. She was rescued by the U.S forces. They kept  her in the military clinic for 2 months until her wounds healed. Almost everyday, her father came to the American base and wanted to take her back with him.

An Afghan-American woman working in the PRT in Uruzgan took the initiative to bring Bibi Aisha to our Center in Kabul.  This same woman mentioned to us that not one girl is going to school in Uruzgan. She has been there for eight months now and hasn't seen a single woman outside.

Our plan is to take Bibi Aisha to the United States for plastic surgery. If you can help us get Bibi Aisha pro-bono medical care, please email us.

Day 7 - Melanne Verveer

I am proud to say that I know Melanne Verveer.  Please do the actions of the day!!!

http://www.savedarfur.org/pages/day-7