1.1 Vision

Since its inception, CORDS developed and sharpened its vision of a desired futuree. CORDS envisages a pastoral society that has a strong voice and a wide range of choices over its own development and destiny. CORDS believes in a society in which people are governing, self-defining, self-representing, self-developing, and self-determining; a society in which all persons have legal recognition of ownership of their own natural resources, a society in which its members have the right to development and live long, healthy, productive and dignified lives and sustaining livelihoodss of their own choice; that their social, economic, political and spiritual rights be enshrined in the constitution and other governing legal instruments.

1.2 Mission

The mission of CORDS or the fundamental purpose of CORDS is to enhance sustainable pastoral livelihoods. CORDS Mission is:- To work for holistic social development and to fight against all forms of injustices, oppression, gender imbalances, poverty, hunger, ignorance and disease.

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GENDER AND WOMEN DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

Programme Background 

The programme was initiated in 2000, as CORDS saw a need to combine its efforts to address land rights, land-use planning, and livestock health with efforts to empower pastoral women with regards to access, control, and ownership of productive resources. In order to address both practical and strategic gender needs, the programme adopted a four legged approach, with four clusters that constitute strategic objectives of the programme which are assets, capabilities, choices and rights.

The programme therefore implements different activities, which reduce women's workload, increase their self-esteem, and enhance their access, control, and ownership of resources. Thus, the programme promotes socio-economic development and sustainable livelihoodss strategies among pastoral women and their communities.

 

Target population and Geographical coverage:  

The programme is implemented in 17 women groups which are found in Kiteto (Makame, Loolera, Lembapuli, Orkiloriti, Kandiya, Lesoit, Amei juu, Amei chini, Orpopong'i), Simanjiro (Nemalulu and Kitwai) and Longido (Kiserian, Mairouwa, Eworendeke, Engikaret, Engutukoiti and Elerai) district respectively. These 17 women groups have a total of 65,000 (35,000 Female and 29,400 Male) direct beneficiaries.

 

Aims

The overall aim of CORDS' Gender and Women's Development Programme is to integrate pastoral women fully into pastoral development processes by improving their working and living conditions and create an awareness of gender issues in pastoral communities.

Objectives

• To reduce income related poverty among the pastoral Maasai women in 17 women groups

• To reduce non-income related poverty among pastoral Maasai women in 17 women groups

• To enhance food security in the household managed by members of the 17 women groups.

 

Programme Activities:

To conduct seminars and trainings in order: • To impact new knowledge and skills to women about running small scale projects • To facilitate mobile clinics. • To raise their capacity for income generating activities. • To enhance women's access, ownership and control over productive resources. • Privation of credit to self-help women's groups. • To enable pastoral women to have access and control over livestock and livestock products and also natural resources. • To initiate alternatives for pastoral women income generating projects. • To enable pastoral women build capacity through a participatory mechanism. Main Achievements • Women and children are getting access to health services in CORDS working areas. • Women have access, capacity and control over the income generating activities e.g. 15 women groups are owning grinding mills machine. • Baseline data collection showed 477 women own land. • Women have been empowered. • 67 girls are supported by the programme for secondary schools and 15 adult literacy classes are working. • Supports one(1) group living with HIV/AIDS in Mairouwa village Longido district.