USAID Women in Development (WID): Country Snapshots - Kenya and Natural Resource Management

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Wangari Maathai, Kenya’s Assistant Minister for the Environment, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004.

Women are key agricultural producers in Kenya, contributing 75-80% of all labor in food production and 50% in cash crop production. They receive only 7% of agricultural extension information.

Approximately 30% of Kenyan women have undergone female genital cutting (FGC).

Some widows are forced to engage in risky sexual practices such as “wife inheritance,” where women are inherited by male in-laws, and ritual “cleansing,” where women are forced to have sex with men of low social standing.

Kenyan tradition allows a man to discipline his wife by physical means. No law in Kenya specifically prohibits spousal rape.

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Country Snapshot: Kenya and Natural Resource Management

USAID/Kenya supports the improved management of Kenya’s natural resources by: working with communities and landowners in biodiverse areas to develop and demonstrate locally adapted natural resources management practices; strengthen local organizations; promote alternative income generation activities; and facilitate policy change. As the following activities illustrate, the Mission recognizes that gender and diversity considerations play a vital role in efforts to improve environmental management.

Coral Garden Boardwalk

The Coral Garden Boardwalk on Wasini Island in Kisite Marine Park is a joint donor initiative of the Netherlands and USAID. The Boardwalk is the first project of its kind to be wholly owned and managed by Muslim women along the Kenyan coast. In 2001, USAID’s partner, Pact, Inc., developed a detailed capacity building plan and provided the Wasini Women’s Group with training in governance, leadership, and basic financial management. The women constructed a one kilometer boardwalk through the Park’s extensive mangrove forest, allowing tourists to easily access a garden of ancient coral heads for a small fee. By the end of 2004, the Group had generated over $21,500 in revenues, which it used to maintain the boardwalk as well as open a local curio shop and pay dividends to its members. The dividends have enabled the Group to send their children to school and establish a cooperative fund for girls’ education. The Wasini Women’s Group demonstrates how meaningful community development can flow from the wise use of natural resources. The Wasini women, the boardwalk, and its spin-off benefits are celebrated along the Kenyan coast, and other women’s groups are requesting similar assistance to develop natural resources under their control.

Beads for Education

Through the African Conservation Centre (ACC), USAID/Kenya supported the efforts of the Dupoto Women’s Group of the Maasai community living within the wildlife dispersal area of Nairobi National Park to develop a model enterprise specializing in the production of beaded products. The Mission helped the group to register officially and provided training in product development, business management, strategic planning, and marketing. This support helped secure an export market for the group’s beaded dog collars, making them the largest supplier of beaded dog collars in the U.S., and enabled the group to mount a permanent exhibition stand at Smithsonian Institute in Washington.

Much of the profit from this venture is reinvested in the Group’s business efforts or used to sponsor the education of members’ daughters. As of April 2005, 30 schoolgirls have benefited directly from checks totaling $6700 that are sent directly to their schools. This project has brought Maasai women an increased sense of self-confidence, self-reliance, and an ability to handle substantial amounts of money, empowering them to protect their enterprise in a male dominated environment.

Kenya's Program Objectives

Democracy & Governance
Agriculture & Micro-Enterprise
Natural Resource Management
Education
Health

Selected Activities

The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA)
From “Farming as a business” to “Farming as a family business”
Business Development Services (BDS)
Horticulture Development Centre (HDC)
Women’s Nutribusiness Project
Coral Garden Boardwalk
Beads for Education
Ambassador’s Girls Scholarship Programs
Kenya Girl Guides as Peer Educators
Kenya’s Rapid Response Fund

Visit USAID/Kenya link to the mission
Global Snapshots: Kenya Homepage

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		Last Updated on: June 09, 2008