The Samburu people have been living in the desert in northern Kenya for over 500 years. They are a strictly patriarchal tribe. For centuries the Samburu women suffered immense abuses, genital mutiliation and forced marriages, until one day one woman said, "No more".
Rebecca Lolosoli married when she was 18 years old. She was a young woman who went out of her way to stop forced and child marriages. As a result, she gained the wrath of her people who, one day, beat her black and blue — her husband remained a mute spectator. Angered by her husband's lack of support, she went away and founded what would later come to be known world over as the Umoja village - the land of no men; a safe haven for the region's women. That was 25 years ago.
Umoja, means "unity" in Swahili. Today, it is not only offers shelter for women who no longer want to suffer from the hands of their menfolk, but it is also a place of women empowerment. The women make exquisite jewellery which they sell to the tourists and have become financially independent. They 'lean in' on each other. They have started a school for the children, because they believe that education is key. And the school is not only for the children of Umoja but also for those from the surrounding areas. Today the women choose who they want to be with. They can have boyfriends/husbands if they wish, but the men are not allowed inside the village.
There are many such safe havens -- Umojas -- in Kenya today, breaking away from certain traditions which have no place in the 21st century or for that matter in any century.
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