Fokus Frauen: Securing Women's Social Rights

With support from Fokus Frauen Switzerland, KWDT implemented a project that created awareness on human rights violations, prompting positive change at individual and community level.

A total of 560 women and 126 men were educated in their groups, while 1,158 women and 607 men were reached within the communities, enlightening them about their human rights. Women working in the groups have progressively worked towards protecting human rights, particularly women's rights, children's and economic social cultural rights.

However, despite these strides, challenges persist, particularly in women's economic empowerment. Insecure land tenure, crucial for communities reliant on fisheries and agriculture, poses a significant barrier. Limited access to capital stems from systematic barriers such as educational restrictions and denial of inheritance rights, rendering women dependent. This prompted the continuation of the partnership between KWDT and Fokus Frauen.

Objectives

The project seeks to achieve three specific objectives:

1. Secure tenure of land for women
Supporting women working in groups to acquire land for production and secure legal tenure through the acquisition of land titles.

2. Women economic empowerment through enterprises development
Supporting women working in groups to start and operate group enterprises that aim to increase their incomes while sharing the associated risks. This includes provision of fish smoking equipment and dairy farming.

3. Knowledge and skills empowerment
Training women's groups to work in cooperatives, complemented with trainings and dialogues on human rights for women's groups and 18 fishing communities.