NLIPP is a community based organization founded with a premise of community togetherness in advocating for the fundamental rights of the most marginalized and underserved members of the society who are mostly women and girls.
When pastoralist women know and understand their rights they can defend themselves, protect their families and support their entire community. Many modern legal and human rights remain unrecognized in Maasai patriarchal society, particularly where they concern the individual ownership and protection rights of women. NLIPP is helping whole communities understand their legal and human rights and supporting women to defend themselves.
Addressing Gender Based Violence
Gender-based violence remains an issue within patriarchal Maasai communities. We work through community paralegals to provide education to women in on their legal rights of protection and security and empowerment for them to report and resolve these issues. In 2018, 27 cases of domestic violence were reported to local authorities and successfully resolved. Beads To End Gender Based Violence This campaign works with survivors of gender based violence as a psychosocial support group where they are engaged in their traditional beadwork to improve their livelihoods through adoption of competitive beadwork designs. The actual group beadwork and discussions leads to personal challenge disclosures, better coping mechanism resulting in reduced mental health challenges.
Escaping Forced Marriage
Girls aged 9-18 years are vulnerable or at risk of gender based violence such as forced and early marriages and we have been working with the local authorities to ensure that such retrogressive practices are stopped completely. We have worked closely with the county children’s services, the county court users’ committees and the area advisory council which we are members to fast track cases involving minors.
Women In Leadership
Women remain under-represented in Maasai culture within their local communities and local and district government and decision-making bodies. NLIPP is increasing women's participation and representation in leadership and decision-making roles through leadership training and advocacy for inclusion and advancement of women in all spheres of the community. We’ve adopted the young women leaders approach in the advocacy campaign where we are encouraging young women to take elective political spaces. This is due to almost zero elected woman in Kajiado county in Kenya.
Building Youth Resilience and Belonging Initiative (Sauti Ya Wanarika)
The youth resilience and belonging seek to support the indigenous youth who are mostly left out in governance, health and livelihood programs. The program works with the youth to claim back their power,spaces to speak, be heard and services rendered to them in an efficient and timely manner..
NLIPP is a community based organization founded with a premise of community togetherness in advocating for the fundamental rights of the most marginalized and underserved members of the society who are mostly women and girls.