General

CCI seeks to contribute to increased access to land ownership and utilization by rights holders. The Women Power’s in Action project aims at directly amplify the voices of the women whose rights to property, Land ownership and utilization denied and they face abuse, discrimination and exploitation. It will empower women leaders in the parishes of Arwotomito, Acutkumu and Walela in Ayami sub county and Otara and Barpii in Aromo Sub-county. The WOPA-project will use the approach of the Parish welfare women groups to identify women leaders, widows, girls who are back home from marital homes and other marginalized women in the community. CCI will play facilitative and mentorship roles in equipping, supporting, linking and guiding the women leaders throughout the project life, also create sustainability approaches even after the project ends. The project will focus on empowerment through awareness raising and campaign through information sharing, mentorship sessions; use IEC materials, drama, poems, capacity building and case management. Womenleaders will be positioned to mobilize, sensitize and counsel Rights holders who are faced with challenges related to abuse, exploitation and property ownership, she will hold the lower local government accountable for poor response towards Gender based violence,inadequate budget allocation and gaps in policies that address issues related to vulnerable women. Specific Objectives: To increaseknowledge of community members and rights holders on legal literacy and constitutional remedies available on Land rights and Customary Land tenure system through legal awareness campaign, education and sensitisation at local and different levels; To enhance the capacity of stakeholders and different leaders at local and district level to support rights holders’ rights to land and ownership; To lobby, advocate and support amplification of women’s voice on land, mapping and documentation of customary land owners, and respond to rising land disputes and conflict through alternative dispute resolution (ADR). Expected change. Increased number of rights holders freely accessing, utilizing and owning land and other resources, and are free from abuse and exploitation. Solutions. Conducting community awareness creation to address the issue of women’s right violation. The community will be sensitised to respect the right of women and girls by protecting their rights and supporting them and to have their names registered in the family shared customary land registration certificate. Training of selected women leaders to use ADR in addressing land wrangles and violence against theright holder groups through engagement of the conflicting parties in ADR. Conducting capacity building for women and girls to empower them in order to claim for their right to land access and utilisation. The project will empower and build the capacity of the rights holders to have knowledge, demand and access to certificates of customary land ownership (CCO). This will also encourage the right holders to actively participate in decision making in their community meetings. Working with empowered key women leaders to support advocacy on women’s rights to land and access to resources, provided identification, follow-ups and referral services on the landrights cases by means of improving information and access to customary land ownership for the right holders. Advocating and encouraging registration of customary land where every member of the family including women and girls are included in the land registrationand documentation. Some key people among the rights holders will be selected and their capacity built in order to reach out to other rights holders facing abuse and discrimination. Supporting and promoting land demarcation and marking land boundaries using the local available tree called “Omara Omara”, this will act as a means of protection and reduction of land wrangles arising from boundaries and ownership. This will help the vulnerable women (widows and disabled women), girls (orphans and childheaded children) from being deprived of their right to own and use the land left for them. CCI will work hand in hand with both the district and sub county stakeholders and political leadership to support the creation and development of bylaws on women’s right to land and resources and toensure its effective implementation. This will also encourage the increase in the number of functional association of women’s leadership with knowledge on land right and resources.