MADRE's Sister Organization in Kenya

The Indigenous Information Network

Founded in 1996, the Indigenous Information Network (IIN) works to develop connections between Indigenous groups in Kenya, strengthen Indigenous demands for human rights and enhance the political participation of Indigenous Peoples. Its goal is to help Indigenous Peoples become more effective in making demands of the government and securing their human rights.

The Indigenous Information Network organizes trainings in Maasai, Samburu, Rendille, Turkana and other Indigenous communities. Trainings focus on human rights, HIV/AIDS and forced female genital mutilation among Indigenous Peoples. Through their Breaking the Silence program, IIN offers trainings to thousands of people in eight districts throughout Kenya, focusing on communities with high rates of HIV infection. In order to reach as many people as possible, IIN offers trainings in schools and in homes. Special workshops for health workers focus on proper care for HIV/AIDS patients. The impact of the trainings reaches far beyond the thousands of direct participants, since workshop attendees are trained to bring information to and continue discussions with friends and families.

To bring Indigenous voices to a wider audience in Kenya and create a space for communication between Indigenous Peoples, the Indigenous Information Network publishes Nomadic News. The magazine reports news by and for pastoral and nomadic peoples of Africa. Nomadic News focuses on the struggles of Indigenous Peoples in Africa and makes connections between grassroots, national and international politics.

In addition to its work within Kenya, the Indigenous Information Network is deeply involved in African and International networks of Indigenous women activists. As an active participant in the international Indigenous movement, the IIN has played an important role in many UN conferences and forums, including the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and the World Conference Against Racism.

Umoja Uaso Women's Group

The Umoja Uaso Women's Group, a member of the Indigenous Information Network, is an organization and community of Indigenous Samburu women formed in 1990 by 15 women who were rejected by their husbands and forced out of their homes after being raped. These women founded Umoja as a safe community for survivors of gender-based violence. Living and working together, the women of Umoja combat discrimination, poverty, and violence against women, building a brighter future for themselves and their children.

As a women-run organization and community, Umoja has declared itself a violence-against-women-free zone. Umoja aims to meet the needs of women living in extreme poverty, without access to critical information about HIV/AIDS, high-quality healthcare, and education. Umoja has offered human rights trainings for local women on HIV/AIDS, forced female genital mutilation (FGM), and combating domestic violence, and has created programs that promote women economic self-sufficiency and provide access to education and healthcare for Samburu women and their families.

Women from Umoja are among a group of Samburu women bringing a case against the British military for the rapes of more than 1400 Indigenous women during the 1980s and 1990s.