Legal Services Facility (LSF), in collaboration with North-South Cooperation from Luxembourg, has concluded a two-year project called 'Wanawake Tunaweza,' which has empowered women and girls from the Maasai community in Longido District, Arusha Region.
Launched in 2022, the project aimed at improving the social and economic status of women and girls by building their capacity through 11 women's groups.
These groups established various entrepreneurial ventures such as livestock, farming, cereal trading, Maasai beadwork, horticulture and VICOBA activities.
The women also formed a joint group, 'Osiligi' and were provided with 11 sewing machines to produce reusable sanitary pads, improving the learning environment for girls at Lekule and Namanga schools, the main beneficiaries.
The project also constructed new dormitories, benefiting over 1,214 girls and promoted gender equality and girls' rights.
A total of 209 women gained entrepreneurship skills, while 2,500 people, including men and women from Longido, were reached with educational campaigns on gender issues and women's rights.
Also read: Impact of the Malala Fund FAWE Project on child mothers in Unguja North
In addition, 20 traditional leaders and seven male champions were trained through WASHEWILO, an LSF-funded organisation, to positively shift community perceptions of women's rights.
The project further enhanced Namanga Secondary School by improving its ICT room with computers and equipment, enabling 40 students to receive ICT education at once.
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A tree-planting campaign in schools and communities resulted in the successful nurturing of 1,420 seedlings, despite drought challenges.
During the project handover, LSF's Manager for Communication and Partnership, Ms Jane Matinde, urged the district government and stakeholders to sustain these achievements and expand market opportunities for the women's products.
LSF also called on the government and stakeholders distributing sanitary pads to prioritise purchasing products made by these women to enhance their economic empowerment.
North-South Cooperation, a development organisation based in Luxembourg, focuses on improving the lives of marginalised communities through projects involving health, education, human rights, gender equality and economic empowerment.
