In partnership with
Pastoral Women’s Council (PWC)

Massai Empowerment: Against Violence, for Equality

East Africa
Co-financing
Sustainable Livelihoods
Gender Equality

Photo: Massai Women in Monduli District, Tanzania

Goals

The project aims to empower the women and girls of the Maasai communities and positively change attitudes towards the empowerment of women and girls through capacity building and awareness raising in the Monduli district in the Arusha region of Tanzania.

Participants

Directly involved are 860 people (480 women and 380 men) from the Maasai community. When selecting the participants, attention is paid to inclusion in order to include both female and male leaders, young people, elderly people (60+), illiterate people and people with disabilities or HIV/AIDS. Indirectly involved are 5,000 people (3,000 women and 2,000 men).

Background

In Maasai and other pastoralist communities in Tanzania and East Africa, women and girls face significant challenges due to strong patriarchal systems and social exclusion. They experience gender-based violence, such as female genital mutilation, forced marriages, and domestic abuse, and are often left out of important decisions and denied access to education. Additionally, climate change, droughts, food shortages, and displacement threaten their way of life. Gender inequality and cultural views that undervalue women’s abilities further limit their economic and decision-making opportunities. This project works to change harmful norms, a key step toward achieving sustainable development in the region.

Activities

  • Hold 4 village meetings and collaborate with local forums and 'champions of change' to raise awareness on GBV, promote prevention, and develop action plans, reaching the Maasai community members
  • Train Court Users Committees (CUCs) on GBV and conduct trainings on case handling, prevention, and supporting and informing survivors
  • Use Women Rights and Leadership Forums (WRLFs) meetings to raise awareness about local services and access to justice
  • Use videos, traditional songs, and dances to spread GBV awareness, record discussions for future use, and develop an annual GBV prevention work plan
  • Advocate for stronger policy enforcement and broadcast radio shows to inform survivors about their rights, local services, and the positive impact of empowering women and girls

Partner organisation - Pastoral Women’s Council (PWC)

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.


Location Arusha, Tansania
Launch 01.12.2024
End 30.11.2025


Your choice regarding cookies

This website required cookies in order to function. Technically required cookies stored locally do not collect any personal data. Further technically required cookies are stored by the providers of third party applications.
Additionally, non-essential cookies are collected for analytical purpuses.

You can find out more by visiting our cookie policy linked below.