The village of Umoja is a sanctuary for the abused, located in the grasslands of Samburu in Kenya, was founded in 1990 by 15 women, all survivors of rape by local British soldiers. Since then, the village’s population (which includes 47 women and 200 children) also includes women escaping other terrifying brutalities such as child marriage, female genital mutilation and domestic violence. Many of these practices are normal in the nearby Samburu.
Rebecca Lolosoli the founder of Umoja and the village matriarch was in hospital recovering from a beating by a group of men when she came up with the idea of a women-only community. The beating was an attempt to teach her a lesson for daring to speak to women in her village about their rights
And in Umoja, women and girls who seek refuge are taught how to trade to help support and raise their children in an environment without fear of violence or retribution.
Seita Lengima, a senior figure at the refuge, stressed how important the unconventional village was as it celebrated its 25th anniversary.
‘Outside, women are being ruled by men so they can’t get any change,’ she told Guardian journalist Julie Bindel.
‘The women in Umoja have freedom.’
That freedom has allowed them to become self-sufficient, with the residents selling jewellery and running a tourist campsite nearby.
And Umoja isn’t totally anti-male either, with the village allowing visitors from the opposite sex (but they’re not allowed to stay for too long).
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