Our Profile
TUWAJALI WAJANE KWALE INITIATIVE
Tuwajali Wajane Kwale CBO is a women-led, women-serving community-based organization based in Kwale County, Kenya. The organization works to ensure that widows and vulnerable women live with dignity. TWK empowers widows, young mothers, youth, and girls from widow-headed households through economic empowerment, psychosocial support, gender-based violence prevention and response, education, leadership and governance, climate change and food security initiatives, and access to justice.
The organization currently serves over 1,000 women across 77 community chapters in Msambweni and Lungalunga Sub-counties, promoting dignity, human rights, solidarity, and sustainable livelihoods.
Vision
TWKI envisages a society where widows are treated with dignity and live quality lives.
Mission
To empower widows and other vulnerable women out of stigma and socio economic marginalization, transform them and mentor them and enhance safe space for inclusive society.
Core Values
- Feminism and solidarity
- Dignity and respect
- Collaboration and innovation
- Innovation and sustainability
- Transparency and accountability
- Human rights and social justice
Areas of Focus
- Prevention and response to GBV and sexual reproductive health and rights
- Widows Economic Empowerment
- Mental health
- Leadership governance
- Peace and security
- Climate change ,food security and blue economy
- Male engagement
- Adult and continuing education
Our Objectives
- To develop and implement vocational training programs to enhance the employability and entrepreneurship skills of widows, young women grown in widowed homesteads, orphans and vulnerable women.
- To facilitate access to microfinance and credit facilities to support the initiation and growth of income-generating activities.
- To collaborate with educational institutions and organizations to provide scholarships and learning opportunities for the target group.
- To create a network of support groups and counseling services to address the emotional and psychological needs of widows and vulnerable women.
- Organize community events and awareness campaigns to reduce stigma and promote social inclusion.
- Advocate for the rights and welfare of widows and vulnerable women at local, regional, and national levels.
- Collaborate with policymakers to influence and implement supportive policies for the target group.
- Foster a sense of community and solidarity among widows and vulnerable women through regular gatherings, events, and social activities.
- Develop partnerships with other organizations and community leaders to strengthen the overall support system.
Key achievements
- Has supported 101 widows with business kits under the 1k business challenge in the pick of covid 19 where their businesses had collapsed.
- Has mobilized 821 women and assisted registration of 30 women self-help groups partnering with the organization
- Has held meetings with different government departments to support widows, links to department of children for OVC cash transfer services and social services for inua Jamii program awareness.
- Have been linked to non-governmental projects for awareness on human right, SGBV and matrimonial laws.
- Has held the first ever international widows’ day where a petition was presented to the government on need to have widows’ plights addressed.
- Has healed 111 Women from trauma through its trauma healing project for peace in partnership with Hifadhi initiative CBO.
- Through the support with global one foundation the organization has reached 150 widowed farmers in organic farming project that targets 13 acres and 5 self-help widows groups attached to the organization. Global one has funded a solar powered irrigation system, donated farm tools,agricultural training on compost manure making and making organic pesticides.
- The group has been at the fore front in creating awareness on the covid 19 pandemic.
- The organization has changed the mind set of two widows whose ideology was antigovernment to see the importance of working with the government that resulted to them asking their daughters to attend the NYS recruitment 2021 in Msambweni where they were recruited for paramilitary training and have got professional courses.
- The initiative was recognized by the department of social services as among the volunteer organization of the year 2020.
- The initiative was the first ever to celebrate the international widows’ day in Kwale County a holiday that was not popular among stakeholders in the county.
- The organization has built trust with stakeholders from both national and county governments the good relationship enhances better services to the beneficiaries
- The group beneficiaries have had awareness on uwezo fund; National government affirmative action fund ,women enterprise fund and thamini loan and have benefited 1 got uwezo fund,5 got national government affirmative action fund and 7 got women enterprise fund.
- The initiative won a small community peace grant by search for common ground and successfully implemented peace activities that brought political rivals on board and are now living as good neighbours.
- The CBO has recently formed Mwanamke kwanza movement to call on board women in sustainable peace initiatives after the general elections.
- The CBO is a member of the psychosocial and economic pillar at the KCAP
- The CBO is also a member of the gender technical working group at the county level.
- We have formed and registered a widows saving and credit cooperative society-a sustainable vehicle for widows economic empowerment.
