Our programs are catered to align with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals

We utilize practices that enhance natural resources and restore the environment while partnering with women to champion gender equality in our communities

Our Objectives

1. Promote women’s social and economic empowerment and advancement

The issue: Women are often seen as second class citizens in our villages, receiving far fewer opportunities than their male peers.

How we help: Each of 74 women, organized into three self-governing groups, were given about 20 tree seedlings after agreeing to follow the instructions and preparing tree planting holes. To remain in a group, more than 10 of the 20 trees provided had to survive or be replaced after one dry season. This is a challenging task due to the long distances over which women need to carry water needed for the household and the trees. By being in a group, each woman also received vegetable seeds, instruction in vegetable production and nutrition, entrepreneurial opportunities, and the social support of weekly meetings.

Empowering women socially and economically is one of the core objectives of WAEV, and this goal influences everything that we do. To jump start entrepreneurial projects, each of the three groups received 1,000,000 TZS ($440) from WAEV as seed money. These initial funds, plus membership dues and profits, are managed by each self-governing group and are able to be used for group projects or loans for individual projects. The social microfinance program has not only increased business skills but has been a principal motivation for the success of the Tree Project.

Some of the successful individual business ventures funded by microloans have been: the opening of a small retail shop, starting a business buying and selling beans, and buying and reselling petrol and diesel.

2. Increase the protection and enrichment of natural resources and ecosystems

In Lendikinya, the environment is degrading. Trees are harvested for firewood and building materials. Grassland are overgrazed due to the large animal herds maintained by Maasai peoples. Water resources are overused. This results in excessive soil erosion, soil compaction, and water runoff. It leads to the disappearance of springs, certain wood species, and wild animals, all while increasing the distances women in the community must travel for firewood and water. Climate change has intensified the fluctuation between the dry and wet seasons, leading to greater extreme climatic events such as droughts and floods, increasing the difficulty of agricultural practices.

3. Advance community education to encourage sustainable and equitable development

Many aspects of our society are detrimental to the environments we occupy, which ultimately hurts our successes as human beings, but the knowledge of such issues is lacking. Many individuals in our communities are unaware of how certain actions affect our lands and the importance of environmental protection. Furthermore, most community members do not have financial literacy or the tools necessary to improve their economic status. Poverty is prevalent in our communities, yet very few know how to escape its grasp.

Educating community members about these issues is the first step in addressing environmental degradation. The second is harnessing individuals with the tools to engage in sustainable actions. Through our women’s groups, WAEV teaches women about the importance of sustainability, while providing them with financial literacy, so that they can engage in sustainable and long lasting developmental movements. We are empowering women to think creatively and to make a difference at home and in the natural environment around their communities.

The Entrepreneurship/Microfinance Project has been a resource for women in WAEV’s groups to expand their entrepreneurial capacity and afford opportunities they would not have otherwise accessed. But, perhaps more importantly, it has been valuable for: 1) ensuring the successful participation of group members in the Tree Project and 2) empowering women to think creatively and take action in order to make a difference at home and in the natural environment around Lendikinya.

WAEV wishes to encourage, and collaborate with, an appropriate agency on women’s health and family planning. One aspect of growing toward gender equity and a sustainable future includes each woman’s right to an educated choice of if, and how many children she bears. In addition to greater control over her own future, knowledge of reproductive health (and having access to reproductive health options), creates a foundation for families to plan for the resources needed to fully support the number of children they plan to have. Our efforts for a sustainable community and environment are in tandem with women’s rights and access to reproductive health.

4. Improve nutrition, food security, and societal health

For most families in Lendikinya, white corn and beans are the primary foods. These foods can provide adequate energy and protein but are deficient in several minerals and vitamins. At the beginning of the vegetable garden planting project, close to zero vegetables or fruits were already grown in Lendikinya and consumption of these foods remains minimal.

Fortunately, Vitamins A, C, and K, which are missing
in a corn/bean-exclusive diet, can be supplied
adequately with one serving (67 g) of kale and less than
one serving of carrot. Detailed instructions on how to plant and produce these vegetables were demonstrated by a specialist from WAEV.

Excessive rainfall that is followed by drought makes vegetable production difficult. There is either too much for consumption and market, or too little. A method for storing and preserving harvested crops could confront this issue. One such method, solar drying, utilizes the naturally abundant sunlight and minimal resources to provide
vegetables and nutrients long after the harvest.
Additionally, water and simple irrigation kits would
allow production in the dry season when supplies are
low, and prices are high.

Also, WAEV will investigate preservation methods such as solar drying, marketing options, value-added products like packaged dried kale, “out-of-season” production strategies, and tactics to reduce labor and environmental damage. There is a great need and opportunity for developing a productive vegetable enterprise.