13/06/2016
"Growing up as a member of the Samburu tribe in Kenya, Rebecca Lolosoli attended primary school and then nursing school but dropped out early due to a lack of money to pay for school fees. She married at the age of 18 and then started her own business selling goods. As she learned of women who had been r***d by British soldiers training nearby, she began to speak up to help them. In retaliation, neighborhood men beat her, and when her husband did not protest the beatings, she left him.
Lolosoli, along with several other women who were also survivors of violence, established the Umoja Women's Village, which means unity in Swahili. To sustain themselves, they sell beadwork and open up their village as a tourist attraction. With the money they have earned, they built a school for their children and those in surrounding villages and eventually purchased the land they live on.
Lolosoli has been repeatedly elected as chairperson of the village and is also chair of her local chapter of Maendeleo Ya Wanawake Organization (MYWO), a nonprofit, voluntary group working to improve the lives of women and youth in Kenya. Lolosoli received the Global Leadership Award from Vital Voices in 2010. She continues to fight for a woman's right to make decisions, own land and run a business, and she works tirelessly to end harmful and unsafe cultural practices and violence against women. She plans to run for local office and will be the first Samburu woman ever to do so." -- via Half the Sky
To learn more about Rebecca Lolosoli and other girls and women who are fighting back against oppression and transforming their communities, their stories are told in the highly recommend book "Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide" at http://www.amightygirl.com/half-the-sky and the accompanying documentary, for ages 13 and up, at http://www.amightygirl.com/half-the-sky-documentary
For a fantastic book full of practical ideas on how you can help change the lives of girls and women around the world, including helping women to be financially self-sufficient, check out "100 Under $100: One Hundred Tools for Empowering Global Women" at http://amzn.to/1H9CoRl
Thanks to Show of Force: Social Good for sharing this image!
