About Us
Our Story
WAEV was founded in early 2019 by our Executive Director, Saing’orie Sangau. Saing’orie was born and raised in Lendikinya, a village in the Arusha region of Tanzania. As a child, he watched his mother and sisters experience enduring discrimination because of their gender. They had fewer opportunities to attend school and little access to financial resources. The consequences of climate change further propelled environmental degradation, making women’s daily tasks of obtaining water and firewood, even more difficult.
Saing’orie demonstrates how to create a
drip irrigation system to a women’s group
Through these experiences, Saing’orie became deeply committed to improve his community through sustainable social and economic development. This passion led him to establish the framework for WAEV in 2019. Since then, Saing’orie and the WAEV team have empowered women with economic opportunities and mobilized them to become environmental stewards. Through his leadership, WAEV has achieved a favorable reputation and established a strong foundation for the program’s future growth.
Since its inception, WAEV has grown from a single group of 17 women who met under an acacia tree, to now over 400 women across 13 groups. These women are the leaders of environmental and social justice and are empowered to be change-makers in their communities.
Where We Work
WAEV is currently focused in the Monduli District in Tanzania, an area largely populated by Maasai communities. As is typical in Maasai communities, women are tasked with food production, cooking, domestic chores, and gathering of water and firewood from hours away. They are given little financial resources and, in most cases, have low social status in their families and communities.
WAEV is determined to address disparities and empower women socially and economically.