Rebecca Lolosoli

Rebecca Lolosoli (born 1962) is the founder and matriarch of the Umoja village in the Samburu County of Kenya.[1][2] The village is a refuge for women fleeing sexual abuse, and men are banned from the village.[3] She plans to run for local office and will be the first Samburu woman ever to do so.[4]

Rebecca Lolosoli
Awards

Biography

Lolosoli was born in the village of Wamba in 1962 and was one of a family of six brothers and sisters.[5] In 1971 she attended Wamba girls' primary school. Afterwards she joined the Catholic nursing training center, but dropped out 6 months before completion due to lack of fees[5] She married Fabiano David Lolosoli[6]at age 18 and her dowry consisted of 17 cows.[5] She created her own business selling goods in the village and stood up for the rights of other women.[1] When her husband left for business, she was beaten by four men who took her money. When her husband did nothing to help her, nor object, she left him.[7] In 1990, she and a few other women founded the village of Umoja, and made it a woman-only space.[8]

In 1995, the women of Umoja elected her to chair the Maendeleo Ya Wanawake Organization (MYWO), an organization for the enhancement of women. She held the post for ten years.[5]

In 2005, Lolosoli attended a United Nations conference in New York.[9] She received death threats from local men over her stance on women's rights just before she went to New York.[10]

Umoja was attacked in 2009 by Lolosoli's former husband, armed with a gun. He chased the women out of their home and allegedly was looking for Rebecca, who was not home at the time.[6] In 2010, she was awarded the Global Leadership Award from Vital Voices.[1]

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References
  1. "Rebecca Lolosoli Survivor of violence finds a new "unity"". Independent Lens. PBS. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  2. Wax, Emily (9 July 2005). "A Place Where Women Rule". Washington Post. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  3. Bindel, Julie (15 August 2015). "The village where men are banned". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  4. "Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide". Halftheskymovement.org. Retrieved 2015-08-18.
  5. "Interview with Rebecca Lolosoli". Satya Mag. June 2007. Retrieved 2017-08-21.
  6. Schell, Brittany (22 August 2009). "Gunman Attacks Women's Village in Kenya". New America Media. Archived from the original on 21 May 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  7. "Women in the World: Rebecca Lolosoli, Kenya". The Daily Beast. 2011-03-06. Retrieved 2017-08-21.
  8. "Violence Against Women in Kenya". Sister Namibia. 21 (4): 44. December 2009 – via EBSCOhost.
  9. Wax, Emily (2005-07-09). "A Place Where Women Rule". The Washington Post. p. 2. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2017-08-21.
  10. Wax, Emily (2005-07-09). "A Place Where Women Rule". The Washington Post. p. 1. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2017-08-21.


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