Maysoune Ghobash
Maysoune's Her Planet Earth Kenya Expedition 2019 page
Fundraising for CI
Story
Thank you so much for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page!
In October 2019, I will be embarking on a 100 km trek to be completed in 5 days in Northern Kenya with teammates from Her Planet Earth. We aim to raise funds and awareness for Conservation International's projects focused on the advancement and economic empowerment of women and girls in northern Kenya.
With limited access to education, an average of 8 children per mother and daily chores that include walking up to 10 miles to fetch water, opportunities for women in this landscape are sparse. Women are often regarded as subordinate and as property of men. Leadership and ownership of assets such as cattle and land is considered a male entitlement and women are rarely engaged in decision-making. It is commonplace for girls to be married from the age of 11; and female genital mutilation is still widely practiced, despite being illegal in Kenya. The cultural dynamics of early marriage, child rearing and household chores deprives girls of a chance to pursue education, which acts as an additional barrier to future employment and opportunity.
Community conservancies in Northern Kenya are providing an opportunity to change these cultural norms. Women play an important role in the governance and management of the community conservancies holding top-level positions such as radio operators, rangers, chairwomen, elephant keepers, drivers and peacekeeping ambassadors.
Through scholarships provided by the conservancies, girls and women are able to access primary and secondary education. Entrepreneurial endeavours such as BeadWORKS, a handicraft business with a mission to enhance lives and protect wildlife by empowering women through the production and sale of authentic hand beaded products, it provides income for over 1,300 women, allowing them to work flexible hours from home, while ensuring that a traditional artisanal crafts are not lost. This income can be transformational, giving women the autonomy to make independent decisions about family spending, often for the first time in their lives. Through the conservancy Savings and Credit Cooperative, women are now able to access loans, savings and financial training to build sustainable businesses.
Everyone on the trek is covering her own costs so any much-appreciated donations will go directly to Conservation International.