Endorois women in Kenya rally villagers to save community swamp.

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Endorois women in Kenya rally villagers to save community swamp.

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Kenyan minority indigenous community – the Endorois live around Lake Bogoria in Baringo County in Kenya’s Rift valley.In 1970’s they lost their grazing ground when Lake Baringo was registered a national reserve. The remaining swamp – Kiborgoch or Loboi swamp stated shrinking in the 1990’s due to land degradation and wildfires.

The Women depend on the swamp to collect Papyrus reeds they use to make sleeping mats, leisure mats, sofa sets, and roofing materials. The swamp is a source of food and medicine and a dry season grazing area for the community. They rallied the community to rehabilitate and protect the swamp. Years later the community has registered the swamp as a community conservancy.