The Pastoral Women’s Council: Empowering Maasai Women in Tanzania

The Pastoral Women’s Council: Empowering Maasai Women in Tanzania

Maasai women are among the poorest and most marginalised groups in Tanzanian society.

A local women-led organisation – the Pastoral Women’s Council – works to improve the lives of Maasai pastoralist women and children by increasing their access to social services and economic empowerment.

Research from the Pastoral Women’s Council (PWC) in Tanzania, and the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) in the UK, examines how the work of the PWC helps women to claim their rights and address their basic livelihood needs.

The Maasai community lives in Ngorongoro District in the Arusha Region of northeast Tanzania.

They are pastoralists: semi-nomadic livestock keepers who move with their herds but their livelihood and way of life are under constant threat because the Tanzanian government does not recognise their land-use rights.

This resource provides a fascinating insight into the Pastoral Women’s Council’s approach to addressing the problems faced by Maasai women via encouraging communities to play an active role in designing and implementing their own development projects. MT.

To view the complete document, please visit IIED.

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This entry was posted on Friday, March 12th, 2010 under E-gender.