Neema Michael LEKULE

Since working with Ujamaa Community Resource Team as Gender Field Officer and later promoted to Gender program coordinator, I have established and trained 97 Women's Rights and Leadership Forums in 97 villages across the Arusha and Manyara regions. These women's groups have managed to influence women's rights over land and share revenue from the benefits of their natural resources. The WRLF has become a strategic women's platform to promote gender equality within pastoralist communities. These achievements were realized when women began to claim equal rights in decision-making and challenge dominant traditional male leadership, which generally holds power in decision-making for cultural values. The results of the women empowerment interventions led to establishing of a combined leadership forum in pastoralist communities and accepting education rights for female children. Women can now exert decision-making at the household level and gain leadership opportunities. I have also represented my organization on different occasions and participated in decision-making at various levels. My position has promoted gender mainstreaming within other organizational programs, where gender rights were taken as a cross-cutting issue and have enhanced community well-being. Neema has a bachelor of science in wildlife management and vast work experience in gender development.