Food Delivery Support

December 30, 2022: The current drought has intensely effected our communities’ access to food. We feel blessed to have been able to partner with Partners For Equity to distribute 50-60kg of maize to more than 200 households this past week. This is our second time working with Parters For Equity this month to enhance our communities’ access to food during these hard times. Two weeks ago, we worked to distribute food resources to an additional 100 low income families throughout the Sepeko Ward. We hope that these efforts alleviate food scarcity issues and ensure the safety and security of these families.

7,000+ Trees Planted!

December 8, 2022: We are excited to announce that this rainy season we were able to plant over 7,000 trees! This is an extraordinary accomplishment for us, and we cannot wait to watch these trees grow over the next few years.

Permaculture Program

December 1, 2022: Last week WAEV established a permaculture demonstration farm at Lendikinya primary school. In addition to fighting climate change and soil degradation, this project also intends to increase food availability within local primary schools in the Monduli District. Permaculture is a sustainable form of farming that combines the planting trees and vegetables, while utilizing unique regenerative practices. By doing so, this farming technique simultaneously ensures food security and minimizes the effects of climate change. Our hope for the upcoming year is to replicate this project in more local primary schools.

Sewing Training

November 20, 2022: Part of WAEV’s goal is to unlock new economic opportunities for the women we work with. This month, 16 of our beneficiaries started a 3 month long sewing training, which aims to provide them with the skills necessary to utilize sewing and tailoring as an lucrative pursuit. So far, they are producing amazing work and we are extremely proud of their efforts!

35 Water Tanks Distributed!

October 24, 2022: This week we collaborated with the Pastoral Women's Council (PWC) to distribute 35 water tanks to families in Lendikenya and Arkaria villages. We are ecstatic to be able to alleviate water scarcity issues and ensure our beneficiaries have access to safe drinking water.

Water Tank Repairs

September 7, 2022: As part of our Water and Sanitation Program, we were able to repair a 30,000L tank for Lendikinya Primary School. This tank was built many years ago, but has not been able to be used for an extended period of time due to foundational damages. Now that we have repaired it, this tank will increase water availability to 11 teachers and over 700 students.

Literacy Project

April 8, 2022: This year we decided to start a literacy project, called the Enkisoma Project, to aid with increasingly low literacy levels in local primary schools. According to research compiled by the Moduli District Education Department, 32 percent of students that graduate from primary school (grade 7) have inadequate literacy rates. To combat these issues, we have partnered with two organizations, Grassroots Nest for Innovations and Change (GRIC) and The Pastoral Woman’s Council (PWC). With the aid of GRIC and PWC, we are working to implement a pilot literacy project in 3 local primary schools in the Monduli District.

The main objective of the project is to build pathways for effective communication between teachers, parents and students, and to enhance the literacy instruction in local primary schools. By enhancing professional development, increasing access to resources, and utilizing small study groups both in class and at home, we aim to increase students’ ability to accurately read, write and count by 75% by the end of November 2022. Currently we are working with more than 160 students and aim to increase the number to 300.

Welcome, Group 7!

April 4, 2022: Meet our 7th woman’s group, Kipok (a Maasai word meaning thrive). This group is located in the Arkaria village of the Monduli District, and currently has 27 members. They united in February and have since received many of their initial trainings and have already planted 400 tree seedlings around their homesteads! Last week they also received their initial seed money for microloans. We are so excited to see everything that they will accomplish!

Communal Tree Planting Project

March 17, 2022: As we continue to celebrate international women's month, we would like to highlight the hard work of the women we work with. Last week, all seven groups came together to work on communal tree planting at the village's health clinic. Prior to this project, there was only one tree on the clinic’s grounds. We are excited to say that there are now 200!

Safe Menstrual Health Training

November 10, 2021: Together with our partner, TATU Project, WAEV conducted training sessions on safe Menstrual health to 70 female students with teachers from Lendikinya primary school, and over 60 young women in Lendikinya village. Additionally, 50 female students received packages with reusable sanitary pads that will help alleviate Menstrual hygiene poverty for these girls. Menstrual hygiene was mentioned to be the main contributing factor for girls’ absence in class which ultimately leads to low performance. Menstrual health training is vital in our communities as we notice it being perceived as a taboo!

More Water Tanks!

November 10, 2021: We are excited to announce that another 15 women received 2000L water tanks today! These tanks are intended to alleviate water shortages among families, while also functioning as a motivational strategy for the Tree Planting Program.

New Vehicle

October 31, 2021: We have some great news: we have finally been able to purchase an all terrain vehicle from our fundraiser earlier this year! Here is our Founder, Saing’orie, with it below.

This vehicle is such a huge step for our growth as a nonprofit as it will enable us to access our beneficiaries with ease, help us transport supplies and personnel and ensure the safety of our staff. We are so excited for this step and cannot wait to see what we can accomplish with this resource. Thank you to all of our donors and supporters for all of your kindness and support!

End of Year Update

December 29, 2020: In 2020, we established 3 new women’s groups, planted 3,000 trees, enabled 27 women to grow/start businesses, installed 15 2000L water tanks and hired 2 field assistants (Emanuel and Einoth) to support our programs. We also began partnerships with local governments and other nonprofits, including the TATU project. We launched our Holiday 2020 Collection, featuring hand-crafted wire ornaments and jewelry with traditional Maasai beadwork.  In December, through jewelry sales and our Giving Tuesday campaign, we raised over $4,000 to fund our programs.

In 2021, we look forward to adding another women’s group, planting 6,000 trees, strengthening our partnerships and working closely with the Tanzanian government and local schools. We aim to install more water tanks and hire more staff members to expand our capacity. We are also developing programming around women’s reproductive health and fuel-efficient stoves, and hope to establish these programs later this year. Another goal is to install 20 irrigation systems at each select gardens to allow for vegetable growth during the dry season. In the next few months, we will be launching an official jewelry line, Isosi!

There is much to look forward to in 2021, and so many more women and communities to empower.

New Women’s Group: Maendeleo

December 19, 2020: Earlier the week, we established our 6th group of 32 women! These women are located in the highland area of Lendikinya, which is known to have a more suitable climate for vegetable growth. This will enable them to have gardens year-round, instead of only during wet seasons! The women will begin planting trees next week, and subsequently receive their seed money and training in business and agriculture.

The area where this women's group is located is quite far from the other women's groups, making it difficult to access, especially during the rainy season due to flooding and poor road conditions. In the next few months, WAEV is hoping to purchase a AWD vehicle to have reliable transportation to meet with these women. This will also enable us to expand our operations to other more distant villages and increase our overall impact.

Launching our Holiday Collection