Summary
Women in Kenya are moving up. About three hundred women in
El Poloi have switched from goat-keeping to farming aloe. They are transforming
their economic status and creating educational opportunities for their daughters.
El Poloi has been in a drought for a while; they receive less than sixteen
inches of rainfall annually. Usually, only a few shrubs and savannah grass can
survive. Knowing that other things, such as vegetables, would not harvest well
in this climate, the women decided to cultivate Aloe. Four groups were formed
to fight poverty and gender inequality. Each group farms at least 3 acres of
the plant. A women named Rosemary Putunoi said her group was given forty acres
of land. This is when they saw an income opportunity. The men used the aloe to
brew a traditional fermented wine made of pounded roots mixed with water, sugar
and honey. The women discovered the plants reduce erosion and improve soil and
decided to charge fees to herders who wanted to graze animals on their land.
They used the money from their aloe sales to pay for their daughters’
education. It gets even better. The aloe plant is considered endangered and
aloe propagation is only permitted under a license, which the local groups had
gotten. After meeting requirements, they were introduced to Lush, a UK-based
retailer of handmade cosmetics. The women won a contract to supply fresh aloe
leaves to the company for use in its products. The women no longer have to rely
on food aid from the government. They make further income by leading tourist
groups on walks, selling beads and performing cultural dances.
Reaction
I am proud that there are women in Kenya finding ways to
improve their economic status and fighting for their rights. Originally, the
women would wait and starve while the men traveled miles through desert to
retrieve food. Realizing that they could help too has seemed to benefit everyone.
They are moving up in the economic status, the men do not have to work as hard
and they can feed themselves and their children now. Men who only want their
wives to stay at home and not have a say in anything should realize that
including women can actually be beneficial. Obviously, women do not have the
same physical build as men so they cannot help with everything but they can
definitely do everything else a man can do. As you can see, the women brought
their ideas, worked with the men and succeeded. They made enough money to pay
for their daughters to be educated. This progression turned these women’s lives
around. The women saw opportunity so they took their chance and succeeded
greatly. It was only a matter of time.
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