Introduction
Chui Mamas women group is a self-help group, within Laikipia North, in the Laikipia County, Kenya. Laikipia North is a beautiful natural area which boasts of top-of-the list lodges, large ranches owned by white settlers, wildlife conservancies and breath-taking views. A drive through the region presents an experience of a lifetime, as one weaves through the meandering earth road, driving through thorn bushes and forests, sharing paths with elephants, zebras, dikdiks and exotic birds.
The community consists of the Samburu and Ndorobo, who are sub-groups of the expansive Maa-speaking community. They boast of a rich culture that is the admiration of many.
In the midst of this beauty and abundance, is a community in great need, crippled by harmful cultural practices, lack of formal education and access to economic opportunities, in a changing world.
The group’s main focus is the support and empowerment of women and children within the community. It is the brain child of Modester Ellie and Ambrose Letoluai
The group derive its name from their passion to be ambassadors of the endangered leopard species in order to conserve wildlife in the community. Therefore, look forward to conserve the leopards in the community in order to maintain its heritage and attract tourist both locally and internationally.
Mission
Our mission is to empower women to attain the highest possible standards of living through engaging in income generating activities such as bead works, multipurpose soap making, dress making and tailoring, baking and to work towards a progressive alleviation of the unfavorable circumstances afflicting them such as poverty, hunger, drought, famine, marginalization, insecurity, harmful cultural practices, gender based violence, discrimination, cattle rustling and armed conflict. To initiate, promote and accelerate development projects in their areas in a bid to enable them realize socio-economic and cultural development, self-reliance and general advancement through the provision of financial and technical support and other capacity building members.
Objectives
• To empower our members financially and socially to help them have a voice and be able to influence their own lives and those of their families
• Fight for equality for the members of Chui Mamas and their family members who do not have equal access to opportunities.
Core values
• We value and respect diversity
• Respect for the culture of the community within which we exist
• We respect and uphold for everyone’s dignity, irrespective of their circumstances
Membership
The self-help group is an umbrella body that has twenty women groups. The membership of this groups is made up of very vulnerable members of the community as follows:
• Widows who do not have anyone to support them
• Single mothers who have been rejected from their marital because of giving birth to a child with disability thus making them vulnerable as they have no social protection
• Single women who have not been married for various reasons and thus remain in their homes of birth