DAY 2 of the Landesa Kenya Trip! 🇰🇪🇰🇪 We departed Nairobi bright and early for the 5 hour drive to Baringo County. Our journey took us across the equator, which, map-geek that I am, I had to celebrate with a ridiculous dance. We drove straight to the home of Elizabeth Kabon Chepkochei, who, after THIRTY-FIVE visits to court, became the first woman in her community to hold a title deed to land in her own name. Indigenous Kenyan society is quite patriarchal, and land is generally passed from father to son. If there is no son, the brothers of the man who has died usually claim the land, leaving the widow (and her unmarried daughters, if she has any) homeless. One of @landesaglobal’s goals in Kenya is to help women understand that the Kenyan Constitution guarantees them the right to own land and to support them when they seek to exercise this right. Mama (as Elizabeth asked us to call her) told us her story, and introduced us to her husband and six of her eight children, including her daughter Dorcas, who just completed university with a degree in nursing. To honor Mama’s trailblazing fight, Landesa gifted her with a dairy cow. (I’d been told it would be a goat, so I was quite surprised when I heard a MOO.) We were all so moved (by Mama’s story, not by the cow), we got together to support Dorcas in her future educational pursuits—we have guaranteed to cover the cost of her two-year Masters of Nursing program! Go Dorcas! More to come…
DAY 2 of the Landesa Kenya Trip! 🇰🇪🇰🇪 We departed Nairobi bright and early for the 5 hour drive to Baringo County. Our journey took us across the equator, which, map-geek that I am, I had to celebrate with a ridiculous dance. We drove straight to the home of Elizabeth Kabon Chepkochei, who, after THIRTY-FIVE visits to court, became the first woman in her community to hold a title deed to land in her own name. Indigenous Kenyan society is quite patriarchal, and land is generally passed from father to son. If there is no son, the brothers of the man who has died usually claim the land, leaving the widow (and her unmarried daughters, if she has any) homeless. One of @landesaglobal’s goals in Kenya is to help women understand that the Kenyan Constitution guarantees them the right to own land and to support them when they seek to exercise this right. Mama (as Elizabeth asked us to call her) told us her story, and introduced us to her husband and six of her eight children, including her daughter Dorcas, who just completed university with a degree in nursing. To honor Mama’s trailblazing fight, Landesa gifted her with a dairy cow. (I’d been told it would be a goat, so I was quite surprised when I heard a MOO.) We were all so moved (by Mama’s story, not by the cow), we got together to support Dorcas in her future educational pursuits—we have guaranteed to cover the cost of her two-year Masters of Nursing program! Go Dorcas! More to come…
DAY 2 of the Landesa Kenya Trip! 🇰🇪🇰🇪 We departed Nairobi bright and early for the 5 hour drive to Baringo County. Our journey took us across the equator, which, map-geek that I am, I had to celebrate with a ridiculous dance. We drove straight to the home of Elizabeth Kabon Chepkochei, who, after THIRTY-FIVE visits to court, became the first woman in her community to hold a title deed to land in her own name. Indigenous Kenyan society is quite patriarchal, and land is generally passed from father to son. If there is no son, the brothers of the man who has died usually claim the land, leaving the widow (and her unmarried daughters, if she has any) homeless. One of @landesaglobal’s goals in Kenya is to help women understand that the Kenyan Constitution guarantees them the right to own land and to support them when they seek to exercise this right. Mama (as Elizabeth asked us to call her) told us her story, and introduced us to her husband and six of her eight children, including her daughter Dorcas, who just completed university with a degree in nursing. To honor Mama’s trailblazing fight, Landesa gifted her with a dairy cow. (I’d been told it would be a goat, so I was quite surprised when I heard a MOO.) We were all so moved (by Mama’s story, not by the cow), we got together to support Dorcas in her future educational pursuits—we have guaranteed to cover the cost of her two-year Masters of Nursing program! Go Dorcas! More to come…
DAY 2 of the Landesa Kenya Trip! 🇰🇪🇰🇪 We departed Nairobi bright and early for the 5 hour drive to Baringo County. Our journey took us across the equator, which, map-geek that I am, I had to celebrate with a ridiculous dance. We drove straight to the home of Elizabeth Kabon Chepkochei, who, after THIRTY-FIVE visits to court, became the first woman in her community to hold a title deed to land in her own name. Indigenous Kenyan society is quite patriarchal, and land is generally passed from father to son. If there is no son, the brothers of the man who has died usually claim the land, leaving the widow (and her unmarried daughters, if she has any) homeless. One of @landesaglobal’s goals in Kenya is to help women understand that the Kenyan Constitution guarantees them the right to own land and to support them when they seek to exercise this right. Mama (as Elizabeth asked us to call her) told us her story, and introduced us to her husband and six of her eight children, including her daughter Dorcas, who just completed university with a degree in nursing. To honor Mama’s trailblazing fight, Landesa gifted her with a dairy cow. (I’d been told it would be a goat, so I was quite surprised when I heard a MOO.) We were all so moved (by Mama’s story, not by the cow), we got together to support Dorcas in her future educational pursuits—we have guaranteed to cover the cost of her two-year Masters of Nursing program! Go Dorcas! More to come…
DAY 2 of the Landesa Kenya Trip! 🇰🇪🇰🇪 We departed Nairobi bright and early for the 5 hour drive to Baringo County. Our journey took us across the equator, which, map-geek that I am, I had to celebrate with a ridiculous dance. We drove straight to the home of Elizabeth Kabon Chepkochei, who, after THIRTY-FIVE visits to court, became the first woman in her community to hold a title deed to land in her own name. Indigenous Kenyan society is quite patriarchal, and land is generally passed from father to son. If there is no son, the brothers of the man who has died usually claim the land, leaving the widow (and her unmarried daughters, if she has any) homeless. One of @landesaglobal’s goals in Kenya is to help women understand that the Kenyan Constitution guarantees them the right to own land and to support them when they seek to exercise this right. Mama (as Elizabeth asked us to call her) told us her story, and introduced us to her husband and six of her eight children, including her daughter Dorcas, who just completed university with a degree in nursing. To honor Mama’s trailblazing fight, Landesa gifted her with a dairy cow. (I’d been told it would be a goat, so I was quite surprised when I heard a MOO.) We were all so moved (by Mama’s story, not by the cow), we got together to support Dorcas in her future educational pursuits—we have guaranteed to cover the cost of her two-year Masters of Nursing program! Go Dorcas! More to come…
DAY 2 of the Landesa Kenya Trip! 🇰🇪🇰🇪 We departed Nairobi bright and early for the 5 hour drive to Baringo County. Our journey took us across the equator, which, map-geek that I am, I had to celebrate with a ridiculous dance. We drove straight to the home of Elizabeth Kabon Chepkochei, who, after THIRTY-FIVE visits to court, became the first woman in her community to hold a title deed to land in her own name. Indigenous Kenyan society is quite patriarchal, and land is generally passed from father to son. If there is no son, the brothers of the man who has died usually claim the land, leaving the widow (and her unmarried daughters, if she has any) homeless. One of @landesaglobal’s goals in Kenya is to help women understand that the Kenyan Constitution guarantees them the right to own land and to support them when they seek to exercise this right. Mama (as Elizabeth asked us to call her) told us her story, and introduced us to her husband and six of her eight children, including her daughter Dorcas, who just completed university with a degree in nursing. To honor Mama’s trailblazing fight, Landesa gifted her with a dairy cow. (I’d been told it would be a goat, so I was quite surprised when I heard a MOO.) We were all so moved (by Mama’s story, not by the cow), we got together to support Dorcas in her future educational pursuits—we have guaranteed to cover the cost of her two-year Masters of Nursing program! Go Dorcas! More to come…
DAY 2 of the Landesa Kenya Trip! 🇰🇪🇰🇪 We departed Nairobi bright and early for the 5 hour drive to Baringo County. Our journey took us across the equator, which, map-geek that I am, I had to celebrate with a ridiculous dance. We drove straight to the home of Elizabeth Kabon Chepkochei, who, after THIRTY-FIVE visits to court, became the first woman in her community to hold a title deed to land in her own name. Indigenous Kenyan society is quite patriarchal, and land is generally passed from father to son. If there is no son, the brothers of the man who has died usually claim the land, leaving the widow (and her unmarried daughters, if she has any) homeless. One of @landesaglobal’s goals in Kenya is to help women understand that the Kenyan Constitution guarantees them the right to own land and to support them when they seek to exercise this right. Mama (as Elizabeth asked us to call her) told us her story, and introduced us to her husband and six of her eight children, including her daughter Dorcas, who just completed university with a degree in nursing. To honor Mama’s trailblazing fight, Landesa gifted her with a dairy cow. (I’d been told it would be a goat, so I was quite surprised when I heard a MOO.) We were all so moved (by Mama’s story, not by the cow), we got together to support Dorcas in her future educational pursuits—we have guaranteed to cover the cost of her two-year Masters of Nursing program! Go Dorcas! More to come…
DAY 3 of the Landesa Kenya trip! 🇰🇪🇰🇪🇰🇪 We began the day by meeting with the Indigenous Women and Girls Initiative, which partners with @stand4herland, to learn about their work in Baringo County. Leader Monica Yator (picture 7) explained that one of their biggest challenges is that in pastoral culture (which traditionally relies on cattle herding and grazing for food and income) the husband controls land usage even though the wife is in charge of feeding the family and managing the household. Many women want to set aside a portion of the family’s land for farming and agriculture, but their husbands frequently disagree, feeling that the land should be reserved for grazing (as is traditional.) And if he says no, she can’t develop the land (even though it’s her home). IWGI works with the women who have control of land to develop their plots, and as these women experience success, they are able to demonstrate to more of the men that everyone benefits when the women can farm some of the land. We then visited the farm of Salina Chepsat (pictures 3 and 4) who turned her plot of land into a wondrous mix of vegetables, orchards, and animal husbandry. She has an indigenous seed bank and makes her own fertilizer. Salina meets regularly with a group of women (and even two men!) to share best practices and learn from one another. I can’t say enough about how great her farm is—she’s amazing! After lunch (with a visit from a monkey!) the @landesaglobal team headed out to visit hot springs on the shore of Lake Bogoria. The drive was very hot and VERY dusty, but worth it in the end when we boiled eggs (sold by an enterprising lady at the entrance to the park) in the hot springs. YUM!
DAY 3 of the Landesa Kenya trip! 🇰🇪🇰🇪🇰🇪 We began the day by meeting with the Indigenous Women and Girls Initiative, which partners with @stand4herland, to learn about their work in Baringo County. Leader Monica Yator (picture 7) explained that one of their biggest challenges is that in pastoral culture (which traditionally relies on cattle herding and grazing for food and income) the husband controls land usage even though the wife is in charge of feeding the family and managing the household. Many women want to set aside a portion of the family’s land for farming and agriculture, but their husbands frequently disagree, feeling that the land should be reserved for grazing (as is traditional.) And if he says no, she can’t develop the land (even though it’s her home). IWGI works with the women who have control of land to develop their plots, and as these women experience success, they are able to demonstrate to more of the men that everyone benefits when the women can farm some of the land. We then visited the farm of Salina Chepsat (pictures 3 and 4) who turned her plot of land into a wondrous mix of vegetables, orchards, and animal husbandry. She has an indigenous seed bank and makes her own fertilizer. Salina meets regularly with a group of women (and even two men!) to share best practices and learn from one another. I can’t say enough about how great her farm is—she’s amazing! After lunch (with a visit from a monkey!) the @landesaglobal team headed out to visit hot springs on the shore of Lake Bogoria. The drive was very hot and VERY dusty, but worth it in the end when we boiled eggs (sold by an enterprising lady at the entrance to the park) in the hot springs. YUM!
DAY 3 of the Landesa Kenya trip! 🇰🇪🇰🇪🇰🇪 We began the day by meeting with the Indigenous Women and Girls Initiative, which partners with @stand4herland, to learn about their work in Baringo County. Leader Monica Yator (picture 7) explained that one of their biggest challenges is that in pastoral culture (which traditionally relies on cattle herding and grazing for food and income) the husband controls land usage even though the wife is in charge of feeding the family and managing the household. Many women want to set aside a portion of the family’s land for farming and agriculture, but their husbands frequently disagree, feeling that the land should be reserved for grazing (as is traditional.) And if he says no, she can’t develop the land (even though it’s her home). IWGI works with the women who have control of land to develop their plots, and as these women experience success, they are able to demonstrate to more of the men that everyone benefits when the women can farm some of the land. We then visited the farm of Salina Chepsat (pictures 3 and 4) who turned her plot of land into a wondrous mix of vegetables, orchards, and animal husbandry. She has an indigenous seed bank and makes her own fertilizer. Salina meets regularly with a group of women (and even two men!) to share best practices and learn from one another. I can’t say enough about how great her farm is—she’s amazing! After lunch (with a visit from a monkey!) the @landesaglobal team headed out to visit hot springs on the shore of Lake Bogoria. The drive was very hot and VERY dusty, but worth it in the end when we boiled eggs (sold by an enterprising lady at the entrance to the park) in the hot springs. YUM!
DAY 3 of the Landesa Kenya trip! 🇰🇪🇰🇪🇰🇪 We began the day by meeting with the Indigenous Women and Girls Initiative, which partners with @stand4herland, to learn about their work in Baringo County. Leader Monica Yator (picture 7) explained that one of their biggest challenges is that in pastoral culture (which traditionally relies on cattle herding and grazing for food and income) the husband controls land usage even though the wife is in charge of feeding the family and managing the household. Many women want to set aside a portion of the family’s land for farming and agriculture, but their husbands frequently disagree, feeling that the land should be reserved for grazing (as is traditional.) And if he says no, she can’t develop the land (even though it’s her home). IWGI works with the women who have control of land to develop their plots, and as these women experience success, they are able to demonstrate to more of the men that everyone benefits when the women can farm some of the land. We then visited the farm of Salina Chepsat (pictures 3 and 4) who turned her plot of land into a wondrous mix of vegetables, orchards, and animal husbandry. She has an indigenous seed bank and makes her own fertilizer. Salina meets regularly with a group of women (and even two men!) to share best practices and learn from one another. I can’t say enough about how great her farm is—she’s amazing! After lunch (with a visit from a monkey!) the @landesaglobal team headed out to visit hot springs on the shore of Lake Bogoria. The drive was very hot and VERY dusty, but worth it in the end when we boiled eggs (sold by an enterprising lady at the entrance to the park) in the hot springs. YUM!
DAY 3 of the Landesa Kenya trip! 🇰🇪🇰🇪🇰🇪 We began the day by meeting with the Indigenous Women and Girls Initiative, which partners with @stand4herland, to learn about their work in Baringo County. Leader Monica Yator (picture 7) explained that one of their biggest challenges is that in pastoral culture (which traditionally relies on cattle herding and grazing for food and income) the husband controls land usage even though the wife is in charge of feeding the family and managing the household. Many women want to set aside a portion of the family’s land for farming and agriculture, but their husbands frequently disagree, feeling that the land should be reserved for grazing (as is traditional.) And if he says no, she can’t develop the land (even though it’s her home). IWGI works with the women who have control of land to develop their plots, and as these women experience success, they are able to demonstrate to more of the men that everyone benefits when the women can farm some of the land. We then visited the farm of Salina Chepsat (pictures 3 and 4) who turned her plot of land into a wondrous mix of vegetables, orchards, and animal husbandry. She has an indigenous seed bank and makes her own fertilizer. Salina meets regularly with a group of women (and even two men!) to share best practices and learn from one another. I can’t say enough about how great her farm is—she’s amazing! After lunch (with a visit from a monkey!) the @landesaglobal team headed out to visit hot springs on the shore of Lake Bogoria. The drive was very hot and VERY dusty, but worth it in the end when we boiled eggs (sold by an enterprising lady at the entrance to the park) in the hot springs. YUM!
DAY 3 of the Landesa Kenya trip! 🇰🇪🇰🇪🇰🇪 We began the day by meeting with the Indigenous Women and Girls Initiative, which partners with @stand4herland, to learn about their work in Baringo County. Leader Monica Yator (picture 7) explained that one of their biggest challenges is that in pastoral culture (which traditionally relies on cattle herding and grazing for food and income) the husband controls land usage even though the wife is in charge of feeding the family and managing the household. Many women want to set aside a portion of the family’s land for farming and agriculture, but their husbands frequently disagree, feeling that the land should be reserved for grazing (as is traditional.) And if he says no, she can’t develop the land (even though it’s her home). IWGI works with the women who have control of land to develop their plots, and as these women experience success, they are able to demonstrate to more of the men that everyone benefits when the women can farm some of the land. We then visited the farm of Salina Chepsat (pictures 3 and 4) who turned her plot of land into a wondrous mix of vegetables, orchards, and animal husbandry. She has an indigenous seed bank and makes her own fertilizer. Salina meets regularly with a group of women (and even two men!) to share best practices and learn from one another. I can’t say enough about how great her farm is—she’s amazing! After lunch (with a visit from a monkey!) the @landesaglobal team headed out to visit hot springs on the shore of Lake Bogoria. The drive was very hot and VERY dusty, but worth it in the end when we boiled eggs (sold by an enterprising lady at the entrance to the park) in the hot springs. YUM!
DAY 3 of the Landesa Kenya trip! 🇰🇪🇰🇪🇰🇪 We began the day by meeting with the Indigenous Women and Girls Initiative, which partners with @stand4herland, to learn about their work in Baringo County. Leader Monica Yator (picture 7) explained that one of their biggest challenges is that in pastoral culture (which traditionally relies on cattle herding and grazing for food and income) the husband controls land usage even though the wife is in charge of feeding the family and managing the household. Many women want to set aside a portion of the family’s land for farming and agriculture, but their husbands frequently disagree, feeling that the land should be reserved for grazing (as is traditional.) And if he says no, she can’t develop the land (even though it’s her home). IWGI works with the women who have control of land to develop their plots, and as these women experience success, they are able to demonstrate to more of the men that everyone benefits when the women can farm some of the land. We then visited the farm of Salina Chepsat (pictures 3 and 4) who turned her plot of land into a wondrous mix of vegetables, orchards, and animal husbandry. She has an indigenous seed bank and makes her own fertilizer. Salina meets regularly with a group of women (and even two men!) to share best practices and learn from one another. I can’t say enough about how great her farm is—she’s amazing! After lunch (with a visit from a monkey!) the @landesaglobal team headed out to visit hot springs on the shore of Lake Bogoria. The drive was very hot and VERY dusty, but worth it in the end when we boiled eggs (sold by an enterprising lady at the entrance to the park) in the hot springs. YUM!
DAY 3 of the Landesa Kenya trip! 🇰🇪🇰🇪🇰🇪 We began the day by meeting with the Indigenous Women and Girls Initiative, which partners with @stand4herland, to learn about their work in Baringo County. Leader Monica Yator (picture 7) explained that one of their biggest challenges is that in pastoral culture (which traditionally relies on cattle herding and grazing for food and income) the husband controls land usage even though the wife is in charge of feeding the family and managing the household. Many women want to set aside a portion of the family’s land for farming and agriculture, but their husbands frequently disagree, feeling that the land should be reserved for grazing (as is traditional.) And if he says no, she can’t develop the land (even though it’s her home). IWGI works with the women who have control of land to develop their plots, and as these women experience success, they are able to demonstrate to more of the men that everyone benefits when the women can farm some of the land. We then visited the farm of Salina Chepsat (pictures 3 and 4) who turned her plot of land into a wondrous mix of vegetables, orchards, and animal husbandry. She has an indigenous seed bank and makes her own fertilizer. Salina meets regularly with a group of women (and even two men!) to share best practices and learn from one another. I can’t say enough about how great her farm is—she’s amazing! After lunch (with a visit from a monkey!) the @landesaglobal team headed out to visit hot springs on the shore of Lake Bogoria. The drive was very hot and VERY dusty, but worth it in the end when we boiled eggs (sold by an enterprising lady at the entrance to the park) in the hot springs. YUM!
DAY 3 of the Landesa Kenya trip! 🇰🇪🇰🇪🇰🇪 We began the day by meeting with the Indigenous Women and Girls Initiative, which partners with @stand4herland, to learn about their work in Baringo County. Leader Monica Yator (picture 7) explained that one of their biggest challenges is that in pastoral culture (which traditionally relies on cattle herding and grazing for food and income) the husband controls land usage even though the wife is in charge of feeding the family and managing the household. Many women want to set aside a portion of the family’s land for farming and agriculture, but their husbands frequently disagree, feeling that the land should be reserved for grazing (as is traditional.) And if he says no, she can’t develop the land (even though it’s her home). IWGI works with the women who have control of land to develop their plots, and as these women experience success, they are able to demonstrate to more of the men that everyone benefits when the women can farm some of the land. We then visited the farm of Salina Chepsat (pictures 3 and 4) who turned her plot of land into a wondrous mix of vegetables, orchards, and animal husbandry. She has an indigenous seed bank and makes her own fertilizer. Salina meets regularly with a group of women (and even two men!) to share best practices and learn from one another. I can’t say enough about how great her farm is—she’s amazing! After lunch (with a visit from a monkey!) the @landesaglobal team headed out to visit hot springs on the shore of Lake Bogoria. The drive was very hot and VERY dusty, but worth it in the end when we boiled eggs (sold by an enterprising lady at the entrance to the park) in the hot springs. YUM!
DAY 3 of the Landesa Kenya trip! 🇰🇪🇰🇪🇰🇪 We began the day by meeting with the Indigenous Women and Girls Initiative, which partners with @stand4herland, to learn about their work in Baringo County. Leader Monica Yator (picture 7) explained that one of their biggest challenges is that in pastoral culture (which traditionally relies on cattle herding and grazing for food and income) the husband controls land usage even though the wife is in charge of feeding the family and managing the household. Many women want to set aside a portion of the family’s land for farming and agriculture, but their husbands frequently disagree, feeling that the land should be reserved for grazing (as is traditional.) And if he says no, she can’t develop the land (even though it’s her home). IWGI works with the women who have control of land to develop their plots, and as these women experience success, they are able to demonstrate to more of the men that everyone benefits when the women can farm some of the land. We then visited the farm of Salina Chepsat (pictures 3 and 4) who turned her plot of land into a wondrous mix of vegetables, orchards, and animal husbandry. She has an indigenous seed bank and makes her own fertilizer. Salina meets regularly with a group of women (and even two men!) to share best practices and learn from one another. I can’t say enough about how great her farm is—she’s amazing! After lunch (with a visit from a monkey!) the @landesaglobal team headed out to visit hot springs on the shore of Lake Bogoria. The drive was very hot and VERY dusty, but worth it in the end when we boiled eggs (sold by an enterprising lady at the entrance to the park) in the hot springs. YUM!
DAY 3 of the Landesa Kenya trip! 🇰🇪🇰🇪🇰🇪 We began the day by meeting with the Indigenous Women and Girls Initiative, which partners with @stand4herland, to learn about their work in Baringo County. Leader Monica Yator (picture 7) explained that one of their biggest challenges is that in pastoral culture (which traditionally relies on cattle herding and grazing for food and income) the husband controls land usage even though the wife is in charge of feeding the family and managing the household. Many women want to set aside a portion of the family’s land for farming and agriculture, but their husbands frequently disagree, feeling that the land should be reserved for grazing (as is traditional.) And if he says no, she can’t develop the land (even though it’s her home). IWGI works with the women who have control of land to develop their plots, and as these women experience success, they are able to demonstrate to more of the men that everyone benefits when the women can farm some of the land. We then visited the farm of Salina Chepsat (pictures 3 and 4) who turned her plot of land into a wondrous mix of vegetables, orchards, and animal husbandry. She has an indigenous seed bank and makes her own fertilizer. Salina meets regularly with a group of women (and even two men!) to share best practices and learn from one another. I can’t say enough about how great her farm is—she’s amazing! After lunch (with a visit from a monkey!) the @landesaglobal team headed out to visit hot springs on the shore of Lake Bogoria. The drive was very hot and VERY dusty, but worth it in the end when we boiled eggs (sold by an enterprising lady at the entrance to the park) in the hot springs. YUM!
DAY 3 of the Landesa Kenya trip! 🇰🇪🇰🇪🇰🇪 We began the day by meeting with the Indigenous Women and Girls Initiative, which partners with @stand4herland, to learn about their work in Baringo County. Leader Monica Yator (picture 7) explained that one of their biggest challenges is that in pastoral culture (which traditionally relies on cattle herding and grazing for food and income) the husband controls land usage even though the wife is in charge of feeding the family and managing the household. Many women want to set aside a portion of the family’s land for farming and agriculture, but their husbands frequently disagree, feeling that the land should be reserved for grazing (as is traditional.) And if he says no, she can’t develop the land (even though it’s her home). IWGI works with the women who have control of land to develop their plots, and as these women experience success, they are able to demonstrate to more of the men that everyone benefits when the women can farm some of the land. We then visited the farm of Salina Chepsat (pictures 3 and 4) who turned her plot of land into a wondrous mix of vegetables, orchards, and animal husbandry. She has an indigenous seed bank and makes her own fertilizer. Salina meets regularly with a group of women (and even two men!) to share best practices and learn from one another. I can’t say enough about how great her farm is—she’s amazing! After lunch (with a visit from a monkey!) the @landesaglobal team headed out to visit hot springs on the shore of Lake Bogoria. The drive was very hot and VERY dusty, but worth it in the end when we boiled eggs (sold by an enterprising lady at the entrance to the park) in the hot springs. YUM!
DAY 3 of the Landesa Kenya trip! 🇰🇪🇰🇪🇰🇪 We began the day by meeting with the Indigenous Women and Girls Initiative, which partners with @stand4herland, to learn about their work in Baringo County. Leader Monica Yator (picture 7) explained that one of their biggest challenges is that in pastoral culture (which traditionally relies on cattle herding and grazing for food and income) the husband controls land usage even though the wife is in charge of feeding the family and managing the household. Many women want to set aside a portion of the family’s land for farming and agriculture, but their husbands frequently disagree, feeling that the land should be reserved for grazing (as is traditional.) And if he says no, she can’t develop the land (even though it’s her home). IWGI works with the women who have control of land to develop their plots, and as these women experience success, they are able to demonstrate to more of the men that everyone benefits when the women can farm some of the land. We then visited the farm of Salina Chepsat (pictures 3 and 4) who turned her plot of land into a wondrous mix of vegetables, orchards, and animal husbandry. She has an indigenous seed bank and makes her own fertilizer. Salina meets regularly with a group of women (and even two men!) to share best practices and learn from one another. I can’t say enough about how great her farm is—she’s amazing! After lunch (with a visit from a monkey!) the @landesaglobal team headed out to visit hot springs on the shore of Lake Bogoria. The drive was very hot and VERY dusty, but worth it in the end when we boiled eggs (sold by an enterprising lady at the entrance to the park) in the hot springs. YUM!
DAY 4 of the Landesa Kenya Trip! 🇰🇪🇰🇪🇰🇪🇰🇪 We set out early and drove 6 hours from Baringo to Kisumu County, where we met with a group of women who are experiencing legal conflicts regarding land ownership. Much of the land in Kenya has never been adjudicated, meaning that the government never issued titles. Everyone knows which family has been living on which land, and that is who “owns” it. As you can imagine, this can lead to disputes. Kisumu County land, however, was systematically titled in the early 70s. This is good, except that each time land changes hands, the government collects a fee, and buyers and sellers often instead choose informal transactions without providing the buyer with the deed. Also, when a landowner dies, very often the family doesn’t “do succession,” which means to legally register the transfer of inherited property. This leads to situations where land is still registered to long-dead grandfathers. Women face extreme difficulty in owning land for several reasons. First, traditional rural Kenyan culture dictates that when a couple marries, the wife goes to live with the husband’s family. It’s NEVER the other way around. So parents don’t bequeath land to their daughters. Also, when a woman is widowed, the husband’s family usually tries to “reclaim” his land. The wife may be kicked off the property (especially if she has no sons). The women we met were so strong. One woman (we’ll call her Anne) was nearly kicked out of the home she’d been living in for 2 decades because when her in-laws bought the property in 1971, they did so informally and never received a deed. Fast forward 50 years, and the descendants of the original seller came out of nowhere to claim that their ancestor never received the full price. Fortunately, Anne had the original contract, but the claimants tried to bully her off her land and attacked her family with a machete. She now lives in fear for herself and her children. @landesaglobal is working with her, and we are hopeful that she will finally get the title to her land and feel secure in her home.
DAY 4 of the Landesa Kenya Trip! 🇰🇪🇰🇪🇰🇪🇰🇪 We set out early and drove 6 hours from Baringo to Kisumu County, where we met with a group of women who are experiencing legal conflicts regarding land ownership. Much of the land in Kenya has never been adjudicated, meaning that the government never issued titles. Everyone knows which family has been living on which land, and that is who “owns” it. As you can imagine, this can lead to disputes. Kisumu County land, however, was systematically titled in the early 70s. This is good, except that each time land changes hands, the government collects a fee, and buyers and sellers often instead choose informal transactions without providing the buyer with the deed. Also, when a landowner dies, very often the family doesn’t “do succession,” which means to legally register the transfer of inherited property. This leads to situations where land is still registered to long-dead grandfathers. Women face extreme difficulty in owning land for several reasons. First, traditional rural Kenyan culture dictates that when a couple marries, the wife goes to live with the husband’s family. It’s NEVER the other way around. So parents don’t bequeath land to their daughters. Also, when a woman is widowed, the husband’s family usually tries to “reclaim” his land. The wife may be kicked off the property (especially if she has no sons). The women we met were so strong. One woman (we’ll call her Anne) was nearly kicked out of the home she’d been living in for 2 decades because when her in-laws bought the property in 1971, they did so informally and never received a deed. Fast forward 50 years, and the descendants of the original seller came out of nowhere to claim that their ancestor never received the full price. Fortunately, Anne had the original contract, but the claimants tried to bully her off her land and attacked her family with a machete. She now lives in fear for herself and her children. @landesaglobal is working with her, and we are hopeful that she will finally get the title to her land and feel secure in her home.
DAY 4 of the Landesa Kenya Trip! 🇰🇪🇰🇪🇰🇪🇰🇪 We set out early and drove 6 hours from Baringo to Kisumu County, where we met with a group of women who are experiencing legal conflicts regarding land ownership. Much of the land in Kenya has never been adjudicated, meaning that the government never issued titles. Everyone knows which family has been living on which land, and that is who “owns” it. As you can imagine, this can lead to disputes. Kisumu County land, however, was systematically titled in the early 70s. This is good, except that each time land changes hands, the government collects a fee, and buyers and sellers often instead choose informal transactions without providing the buyer with the deed. Also, when a landowner dies, very often the family doesn’t “do succession,” which means to legally register the transfer of inherited property. This leads to situations where land is still registered to long-dead grandfathers. Women face extreme difficulty in owning land for several reasons. First, traditional rural Kenyan culture dictates that when a couple marries, the wife goes to live with the husband’s family. It’s NEVER the other way around. So parents don’t bequeath land to their daughters. Also, when a woman is widowed, the husband’s family usually tries to “reclaim” his land. The wife may be kicked off the property (especially if she has no sons). The women we met were so strong. One woman (we’ll call her Anne) was nearly kicked out of the home she’d been living in for 2 decades because when her in-laws bought the property in 1971, they did so informally and never received a deed. Fast forward 50 years, and the descendants of the original seller came out of nowhere to claim that their ancestor never received the full price. Fortunately, Anne had the original contract, but the claimants tried to bully her off her land and attacked her family with a machete. She now lives in fear for herself and her children. @landesaglobal is working with her, and we are hopeful that she will finally get the title to her land and feel secure in her home.
DAY 4 of the Landesa Kenya Trip! 🇰🇪🇰🇪🇰🇪🇰🇪 We set out early and drove 6 hours from Baringo to Kisumu County, where we met with a group of women who are experiencing legal conflicts regarding land ownership. Much of the land in Kenya has never been adjudicated, meaning that the government never issued titles. Everyone knows which family has been living on which land, and that is who “owns” it. As you can imagine, this can lead to disputes. Kisumu County land, however, was systematically titled in the early 70s. This is good, except that each time land changes hands, the government collects a fee, and buyers and sellers often instead choose informal transactions without providing the buyer with the deed. Also, when a landowner dies, very often the family doesn’t “do succession,” which means to legally register the transfer of inherited property. This leads to situations where land is still registered to long-dead grandfathers. Women face extreme difficulty in owning land for several reasons. First, traditional rural Kenyan culture dictates that when a couple marries, the wife goes to live with the husband’s family. It’s NEVER the other way around. So parents don’t bequeath land to their daughters. Also, when a woman is widowed, the husband’s family usually tries to “reclaim” his land. The wife may be kicked off the property (especially if she has no sons). The women we met were so strong. One woman (we’ll call her Anne) was nearly kicked out of the home she’d been living in for 2 decades because when her in-laws bought the property in 1971, they did so informally and never received a deed. Fast forward 50 years, and the descendants of the original seller came out of nowhere to claim that their ancestor never received the full price. Fortunately, Anne had the original contract, but the claimants tried to bully her off her land and attacked her family with a machete. She now lives in fear for herself and her children. @landesaglobal is working with her, and we are hopeful that she will finally get the title to her land and feel secure in her home.
