Kenya: Matriachs Of Climate Resilience – Visualizing The Care Work Of Indigenous Women

By Rita Nyaga

Lensational is a non-profit social enterprise that aims to empower underrepresented women by equipping them with photography training and equipment. Its mission is to provide women with the skills to tell their own stories, ensuring that their voices are heard and seen.

The effects of climate change have hit women in Kenya’s arid and semiarid areas hard. The communities living in these areas are mainly pastoralist, relying on domestic herds of cattle, goat and sheep for food. But in recent years, dry ground is forcing them to walk long distances in search of water and pasture for their animals.

Lenoi, from Kenya’s Narok County is a farmer and grandmother. She is abled differently. Despite being elderly, she still must do all her house chores and take care of her grandchild. In 2023, extreme and high temperatures caused her maize harvest dropped from 20 bags in the last season, to just six.

A reduced harvest means that the available food is shared with the domestic animals. Thus, when other crops on the farm do not do well, part of the harvest is converted to fodder and fed to the goats and sheep. Because of her large herd, Lenoi can sell milk and some of her animals at the local market. She uses the proceeds to cater for different needs in her home and school fees for her grandson.

Adaptation and mitigation

Hope is not lost says Pilale from the neighbouring Amboseli County. When the rains come, the community harvests grass from the forest to feed young calves and weak animals that cannot walk long distances. The community members are also using donkeys to carry water. When wild fruits grow on the trees, they are blown to the ground by heavy wind. Families collect these fruits and feed them to the weak animals.

In another area, a group of maasai women have formed groups where they come together and produce beaded jewellery for sale. With the proceeds, they hire herdsmen to graze the cattle. Those who have large chunks of land also lease out part of it and remain with small portions.

“Each and every community has a unique narrative in the climate struggle, with one of the main challenges being the accessibility of designated funds for assistance," said Emily Wanja, Director of Africa Programs at Doc Society. She feels that while part of the adaptation to climate change has been by banning plastics, saving and harvesting rain- water and recycling, more resources and finance is needed.

“Communities are already conducting different climate actions in their respective communities without support/financing; hence climate finance comes to scale up their initiatives”, said Ndinda Maithya, Country Engagement Manager at Hivos. The burden to address matter of climate change lies on women and they must be represented at the table, because many of them are already up and doing something, not just sitting and waiting.

The African voice

Stories matter when told from lived experiences and putting the photography skillset in the hands of women enables them to elevate the voices of under-represented communities from behind the lens.  They are able to tell their stories using their own voice and showcasing their daily life.

In 2021, Lensational trained 7 women to document climate change using photography. The stories they produce create opportunities for economic empowerment for these women photographers through commissioned assignments and editorial licensing. Word on the challenges experienced by these indigenous women is out and promises of support have started trickling in.