PWC

Pastoral Women’s Council

"What we need is education. Most of the time we lose our land because we can't understand what is being written. If we could be educated and read and write then we would know what is happening to our place."
Maanda Ngoitiko, Pastoral Women's Council

Maasai society is patriarchal and polygamous and women suffer from a subordinate position and discriminated rights. They have no right to own property or cattle and regardless of their disproportionate workload have little access to the resources they produce. They also have no right to chose their husbands and are often married by the age of twelve or thirteen. Few will be allowed to continue attending school after they are married and many are illiterate.

Maanda Ngoitiko is an inspired and dedicated community leader who, unhappy with the lack of commitment by male dominated pastoralist NGOs, started mobilising and supporting Maasai women in claiming their rights while addressing their basic livelihood needs. She founded the Pastoral Women's Council (PWC) which to this day remains the only women-led pastoralist NGO in Tanzania.

Activities

Boma

Women's Solidarity Boma: The council is developing a secure home (or "boma") for the most vulnerable women and their children to live in, which offer access to land and where the women receive credit and training to rear their own livestock, diversify their economic activities and secure independent ways to earn a living.

Education

Community centres are running classes in adult literacy for women; primary and secondary school preparation for children; and nurseries. The education component also includes training in human and women's rights awareness; reproductive health and HIV/Aids awareness; and Natural Resource Management.

Advocacy