Reply #31: I was in Umoja on July 5, 6 [View All]

[World Traveller]

Visiting with a non-profit. It's an incredible place, with courageous women from a very traditional society, who are trying to make a better life for themselves and their children. In Samburu culture, most marriages are arranged, girls typically marry much older men, when they are between 13 and 15. Their families are paid n number of cows as the bride price and from then on wives belong to their husband's families. Wives do most of hard labor and own NOTHING (that is complaint I heard over and over from Samburu women). Wife-beating was another complaint. Husbands may have more than 1 wife. If husband dies, children belong to husband's family, so wife usually stays there and works for dead husband's family. Widows cannot re-marry, except to brothers of deceased husband.

As you can see, these women are breaking many cultural rules in their quest for automony. But they are determined and I am sure they will prevail. They have come too far to go back now.