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Meet Valentina, Greenhouse Worker and Brave Single Mother of Five
By Jade Cizeau-Zeenni, Wildlife Works Intern Our profile this week is about Valentina, Wildlife Works Greenhouse worker. Valentina Sera Mwakazi was thirteen years old when she had to leave school to take care of her ill mother. Born and raised in Marungu, Valentina did not have the opportunity to complete primary education. Very young, she got married to a man who was ten years older than her and gave birth to her first child when she turned sixteen. Her husband was working as a driver for the County Government and was able to provide for Valentina and the rapidly growing family of five children. Sadly, Valentina’s world fell apart when…
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Wildlife Works Partners With Zooterra to Empower Women in Vertical Farming
By Jane Okoth Women’s empowerment and equality is one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and is integral in ensuring that women are not deprived of their basic rights and opportunities. In order to achieve this goal, Wildlife Works has been working with various organizations to support women and encourage them to be self-reliant. Recently, Wildlife Works partnered with Zooterra, a habitat conservation digital firm that allows donors to engage in nature conservation using digital tokens named terras, which use geolocation and satellite imaging technologies. Thanks to this partnership, two women’s groups in the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project were provided with funds to start a vertical farming project. Celestine…
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Empowering Women and Girls in the Kasigau Corridor
By Jane Okoth At Wildlife Works’ offices in Maungu, two women’s groups are on an educational visit around the project. As part of the visit the women have been shown different departments including the eco factory, soap factory, and printing factory, among others. After the tour, they all gather at the greenhouse for a quick discussion with our Greenhouse Manager George Thumbi, after which the group receives a demonstration from our greenhouse team on how to make a vertical garden. Women and girls living in our project area face a lot of challenges that are linked to gender inequality and cultural barriers. The United Nations Sustainable Development goal 5 advocates…
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Meet the Female Rangers Protecting the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project
By Jane Okoth In 2011, Wildlife Works opened its doors to its first female rangers who are now part of the 100+ ranger team currently working at our Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project to protect wildlife and the environment from poachers and other illegal activities. Since joining Wildlife Works, these conservation rangers have gained valuable insight and experience on how to deal with poachers and other threats. This is their story. Constance Mwandaa “Before I joined Wildlife Works, I was not sure whether I would do what is traditionally seen as a man’s job,” says Constance Mwandaa. Growing up as a child, she enjoyed going on wildlife tours in school. This…
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My Trip to the Kasigau Corridor: Seeing a REDD+ Project in Action
Guest blog written by Vibeka Mair, a Senior Reporter for Responsible Investor who visited our Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project in February 2018. Jacob Kazungu has been disabled since birth. Now 72, he walks with a stick and has shakes when he stands up. But he insists he will stand as he presents the work of his community group in rural Kenya. The Buguta Disabled Group supports the disabled and parents of the disabled with a place to come to every day, conversation and most importantly a form of income through the making of toys, jewelry and baskets sold in places including popular fashion website ASOS. “We want to be self-reliant and not begging,” he says. Buguta Disabled…
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Empowering Women Through Greenhouse Farming
By Jane Okoth In sub-Saharan Africa, women perform more than 50% of the agricultural activity, according to the United Nations. While women provide the majority of labour in agricultural production, their power over resources is restricted due to discrimination by male dominated traditions. Wildlife Works has been empowering and encouraging women to take the lead in their communities and lift themselves out of poverty. We have been teaming up with organizations in order to support local women’s groups in setting up greenhouses within their surrounding communities. The concept of greenhouse farming was adopted because only a small size of land is needed to erect the greenhouse, and conditions can be…
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Against All odds: Janet Wanjala’s Determination to Succeed
By Jane Okoth If you happen to pass by Wildlife Works’ organic greenhouses, chances are that you will notice Janet Elina Wanjala. The shy petite woman is always busy; if she is not taking care of the tree seedlings, or harvesting jojoba seeds, she is packing the soil into the potting bags. Janet’s day begins with a 2-hour walk from her home to Wildlife Works, ready to commence her usual duties. On this particular day, she is helping out peeling the mango seeds for drying and replantation. “I take my work seriously, with much dedication and hard work because I find morale and stimulation in it,” she says. According to…
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Keeping Girls in School: Women Receive Training to Make Sanitary Towels
Wildlife Works, the world’s leading REDD+ project development and management company, is dedicated to supporting and empowering women through community initiatives and specialized training. Women are key pillars of society, and our aim is to ensure that they receive the support they need. This past week, a team from Wildlife Works spent time with the Tumaini Women’s Group, a lively and well-organized group consisting of 24 women. These free spirited women have every reason to smile because Wildlife Works has been a key supporter of their projects. This particular visit was focused on teaching the ladies how to make reusable sanitary towels and how to turn them into an income…
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Can Carbon Credits and Communities Help Save the Planet?
Every 3 months, women from the community gather for Women Empowerment Trainings. Together, they learn about finance, health, and the environment. Then, they bring this information back to their villages to teach others. This quarter, the training was held in Mwatate, 42 kms northwest of Maungu where Wildlife Works operates. Fifty women leaders from all over Taita Taveta County are learning to write proposals, how to cope with climate change (the area has been affected by drought for over 18 months), and keeping healthy. Their colorful dress and personalities stand out against the red hills characteristic of the area. Community-Based Conservation In Action The people in charge of today’s meeting are the Community Based Organization (CBO) Board Members…
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Empowering young girls through GLOW training
Wildlife Works is committed to supporting community projects as we feel these can be the most important tools to developing self-sufficient and self-governing communities. One of our main focuses is on education, especially for women and girls. This past weekend, a sexual health and sanitation session for young girls at Kiteghe Primary School within our Kasigau Corridor REDD+ project area in southeastern Kenya was funded through Wildlife Works. This program is called GLOW (Girls Leading Our World), and is run by Monica, a local Kenyan lady who volunteers her Saturdays to run this training session in local primary and secondary schools across Taita Taveta County. Monica writes essential goals for…
