GROOTS Kenya

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GROOTS Kenya

• "Let us be masters of our own destiny"
• P.O Box 10320 - 00100 Nairobi, Kenya
• Telephone
• 254-2-2718977/3873186, Emailgrootsk_at_grootskenya.o
  rg
• Presented by Everlyne Nairesiae
• Program Coordinator

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About GROOTS Kenya

• GROOTS Kenya is a movement of grassroots women
  led organizations whose mission is to facilitate
  women and their communities to effectively
  participate in development.
• It is an affiliate of Huairou Commission and
  GROOTS International.
• Huairou Commission is a global coalition of
  networks, institutions and individual
  professionals working for the advancement of
  grassroots women-led community development work
• Huairou Commission Through a Global land and
  housing campaign seek to increase womens access
  to and control over land, housing and property.
• Building economic and livelihood capacities of
  women to work and maintain land and actively
  participate in decision making.
• GROOTS Kenya programs include Community
  Responses to HIV AIDS, Women and Property
  Program, Women Leadership and Governance,
  Community Resources and Livelihoods

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GROOTS Kenya Women and Property Program

• It concerns addressing challenges of women and
  children access to immovable assets mainly land
  and housing
• Key objectives of this program are
• To reduce poverty among women and children
  through access to and control of property
  (inherited).
• Reducing women and children vulnerability to
  HIV/AIDS by ensuring their property inheritance
  rights (PIR) are safeguarded.
• Increase awareness on the linkages between
  HIV/AIDS, gender and poverty among grassroots
  communities in Kenya.
• Facilitate formation of community led mechanism
  that address PIR issues for women and children
  (the watch dog groups).
• Enhance and strengthen community working
  relations with PA and other relevant institutions
  around PIR issues.

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Community Entry Point

• Use of surveys to map community needs, copying
  mechanisms and identification of existing gaps .
  Community take the centre stage in assessing its
  needs for instance PIR.
• Dialogues between grassroots women
  leaders/communities and relevant intervening
  institutions addressing property issues including
  provincial admin (PA), the land tribunal,
  traditional leaders, FBOs, and other
  stakeholders.
• Through dialogue there is consensus on existing
  gaps, agreement on strategies of mending the
  gaps, assignment of tasks, responsibilities and
  follow up.

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GROOTS kenya strategies of addressing PIR issues

• Formation of watch dog groups and Ombuds
  committees to guard against property grabbing for
  women and children and monitor performance of PA.
• Watch dog groups includes PA, trained paralegals,
  orphan representatives, FBOs and land tribunal,
  traditional leaders and grassroots women leaders.
• Training of women leaders and PA as paralegals to
  provide legal education to community members.
• Raise awareness on PIR issues through radio
  listening groups, public forums/ chief barazaas,
  funerals and church congregations.
• Support of test cases addressed by watchdog
  groups.

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Challenges

• Lack of formal recognition of watch dog groups
  by legal institutions.
• Women and children have insufficient knowledge on
  PIR including type of legal documents required,
  succession law and procedures.
• Limited resources to motivate and facilitate
  effective working conditions of watch dog
  members.
• Limited number of women in decision making levels
  e.g. in land board and courts.
• Culture and tradition including perceptions on
  the role of women and property ownership still
  serve as a barrier to attitude and behavior
  change in favour of w PIR.

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Impact of the project

• There is significant increase in the number of
  community leaders and community support groups
  aware that HIV/AIDS, PIR and poverty are
  interrelated and understand why the relationship
  is important.
• Increase in community recognition and support of
  the role of community Watch Dog groups in PIR
  interventions
• Increased in number of trained paralegals hence
  able to reach more people in the communities.
• Increased awareness on legal provisions and
  procedures of addressing PIR issues by women.
• Increased accessibility and quality of services
  provided by the paralegals and PA as a result of
  the training.
• Increase in number of women and children cases
  PIR getting redress at community, PA offices and
  law courts.

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Recommendations

• There is need to replicate , institutionalize and
  strengthen the role of the Watch Dog group in
  the protection of PIR for women and children. The
  pilot Watch Dog Groups did not only mobilize
  and organize community processes they also
  became effective dispute resolution mechanisms
  and referred complicated cases to higher
  authority like court of law.
• Encourage a bottom up approach to addressing
  women and property rights to facilitate
  transparency, accountability and sustainability.
• Provide support to grassroots organizations that
  work directly with grassroots women to ensure
  resources reach the target groups.

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Conclusion

• Land is at the centre of all social, cultural and
  economic lives of Kenyan communities since it is
  perceived as a heritage as well as a means of
  identity.
• There is a strong linkage between HIV/AIDS,
  gender and poverty levels of women and children.
• There is need for partnership between actors on
  PIR for more synergies.
• Development actors need to mobilize space, funds
  and opportunities for action and creation of
  public awareness on PIR issues.

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THANK YOUASANTE