Women and Forests - Kenya

Restoring the Kakamega Rainforest

PARTNER: Women in Water and Natural Resources Conservation (WWANC)

FOCUS AREA: Women & Forests

REGION: Kenya

YEAR: 2022 - 2024

After years of deforestation and the growing climate emergency, the future of the Kakamega Rainforest — the last remaining tropical rainforest in all of Kenya — and all those who depend on it, hang in the balance. Working in partnership, WEA and Women in Water and Natural Resource Conservation (WWANC), a Kenyan women-led NGO and WEA's longtime partner, are working to restore the Kakamega rainforest and promote women’s participation in community-led forest restoration and climate adaptation initiatives. The project fosters the growth of indigenous trees and empowers women leaders to establish tree nurseries and train others in forest management, ensuring the ongoing rehabilitation, restoration, and protection of this critical ecosystem.
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WEA Women & Forests

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In East Africa, WEA's Women and Forests Accelerators empower local women leaders to monitor forests, educate communities on the forests' role in climate resilience and food production, plant native trees for sustainable firewood, and launch microenterprises as alternatives to logging and animal trapping.

Women play a crucial role in forest protection, as their participation and decision-making significantly improve forest conditions and conservation. Empowering indigenous women's leadership fosters thriving communities that coexist sustainably with the natural world.

WEA's Women and Forests initiatives build capacity and promote women's leadership in community-led forest restoration and protection efforts worldwide. Our signature accelerator model partners with local NGOs, investing in community-centered programs that equip grassroots and indigenous women leaders with the skills, tools, and resources to excel as conservationists and land stewards.

Through these initiatives, WEA leaders have implemented reforestation, conservation, and sustainable forest management projects; established forest-friendly microenterprises; generated income without depleting forests and ecosystems; and increased community involvement in forest protection through education and outreach.

Learn more about WEA's Women and Forests programs here.