Kalacha Women's Group
Photo Gallery of the Gabbra People of Kalacha, Kenya
Who are they: Formalized in Sept. 2000, a group of Gabbra women, living in the oasis community of Kalacha Dida (gabbra for 'open space" in the Chalbi Desert about 50 km south of the Ethiopian border, nestled in Marsabit District in the open desert wilderness between Maikona and North Horr. The Gabbra are influenced both by Ethopia and Somalia history.
The group started with 30 members and has grown to about 50 over the years. Many of the women in this community belong to several of the groups, as each group has separate goals to accomplish community development throughout the settled community and into the nomadic Gabbra population.
Gabbra are traditionally pastoralist camel and small stock (some cattle- goats and sheep--known as 'shoats") herders. With the advent of a settled community there became need to manage resources to lessen environmental degredation and to provide education for future generations.
What do they do: Resource management education, community irrigation and gardens. They were of the first people to create an open irrigation system that all members of the community can stem from in growing food: papaya, sugar cane, beets, carrots, greens. The Gabbra communities also harvest salt from the Huri hills salt mines, using donkeys for portage.
How does WildiZe help them: WildiZe provides small grants since 2000 to enhance the groups ability to fulfill prioritized goals, set at site visits.
Results: They've built accomodations for tourists and NGOs operating in the area-- as a result of the long term relationship with WildiZe the women have been able to take on farther reaching goals such as Adult education, and instituting a roving school for nomadic children. Built a well, increased their garden plot, built a conference room, attend workshops in Nairobi on small business and learning English.
Work on prioritizing goals in a group setting understanding how best to make use of WildiZe funding knowing the competition between the many groups in the area and thus have learned to enhance how best to coordinate their efforts within the larger community needs and available funding.
FAST FACTS:
To empower women is one of the most importaqnt driving forces behind economic growth and the fight against poverty in developing communities.
With assistance of clean water and funds for the network of groups there, the community can in turn thrive, and survive in their traditional ways. These ways are sustainable and taught for ages.
Wildize is able to assist in finding the projects that will help the women of this tribal land and in turn the community.
