a village where men are banned

Kenya: Can you think of any village or city where there is not a single man. Everything is like other villages in the village of Umoja in Samburu province in the northeast of Kenya in South Africa, but not a single person lives there. This village has been like this for 30 years. This village provides shelter to the women of the Samburu community by protecting them from circumcision, domestic violence and child marriage. “I used to be treated unfairly, but now I feel free,” said 26-year-old Christine Sitien, a mother of four who left after being physically abused by her husband.

Losing hope in the relationship, they first tried to return to their home village, but the cattle used as dowry to secure their marriage were stolen. “When I went back home, I was simply sent back to my husband because my mother did not have an animal to give back,” says Sitiyan, “The only option I had was to go to Umoja.

Sittian is in no rush to get any man back in her life. She said, “I don’t want to get married again because I went through difficult times, I was being treated unfairly. I had no rights and my children were not allowed to go to school. Now, I am proud to be a mother.”

This village was built three decades ago
The village was founded three decades ago by a woman named Rebecca Lolosoli, who was forced to speak out after experiencing violence in her home. After this she and 15 other women together formed Umoja. It means unity i.e. a village where men are banned.

Sittian is in no rush to get any man back in her life. She said, “I don’t want to get married again because I went through difficult times, I was being treated unfairly. I had no rights and my children were not allowed to go to school. Now, I am proud to be a mother.”
It is now a thriving, self-sufficient community of about 40 families, where the women earn money by selling traditional beadwork to tourists and from nearby campsites. However, in this village of women, men also try to create all kinds of trouble. They regularly steal cattle.