By combining rights education with community-based savings and loans activities this pilot project of one year seeks to promote gender equality and support sustainable income-generating activities for marginalised pastoralist women.
Direct Participants: Approx. 384 participants including indigenous Maasai women and girls from pastoralist communities, organised into community-based groups (VICOBA – Village Community Bank/ micro-credit groups) and participating in adult literacy classes; men, male and female youth, local and traditional leaders, and, community paralegals.Indirect Participants: Approx. 5,500 community members (2,500 women, 3,000 men) benefit-ing from community outreach and sensitisation that will be conducted by PWC staff, and dis-trict social welfare and community development officers.
In the Arusha and Manyara regions, indigenous pastoralist women often face dual challenges: deep-seated patriarchal norms that limit their rights and limited access to formal financial ser-vices. Traditional social structures frequently lead to power imbalances, making women more vulnerable to exploitation and poverty. By partnering with the Pastoral Women’s Council (PWC), this project provides the tools necessary for women to claim their rights and build fi-nancial security through collective saving and lending.
PWC empowers indigenous pastoralist women and girls from the Maasai, Sonjo, Akie, Barabaig, Tatoga and Hadzabe communities. The programmes are designed to have long lasting and sustainable impact and to reflect our commitments to equity, diversity and inclusivity.