SPEECH BY HER EXCELLENCY MARGARET KENYATTA

THE FIRST LADY OF THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA

DURING THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF IMBIRIKANI
WOMENS
PROJECT
WITH
UNDP
AND
RD
WILDLIFEDIRECT ON 23 OCTOBER, 2015

Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Just over a year ago, we announced our intention to start a

project here aimed at womens empowerment and
elephant conservation, in collaboration with Helen Clark
the Administrator of UNDP.

I am delighted to return here today to witness

the official launch of this project which remains very close
to my heart. Although Helen Clark could not be here with
us today, I am sure that she is with us in spirit.

In
2013, I
joined WildlifeDirect as
the
of the Hands off Our Elephants Campaign.

patron

The campaign has made great strides in raising public

awareness and mobilizing support for the protection of
our elephants:
And
has
successfully used
the Amboseli National Park as a showcase of excellent
conservation partnerships
between host communities,
government, scientists, NGOs and international partners.

The stakeholders have closely worked together to protect

the worlds most famous elephants and I wish to thank all
of you, for playing such an important role in that effort.

To
save
the elephants,
we need
the support
of
the host communities who live with them. They are the
Most important and first line of defense for these
treasured animals.

Women are known to play an important role when it

comes to conservation issues world over. Which is why we
are investing in women projects in this region, because we
can count on you to protect our elephants. Women are
never known to kill the elephants.

In this regard, we already have wonderful role models

right
here,
two Maasai sisters, Katito and Soila Sayialel who
are
amongst the worlds most famous experts on elephants;
they are both Maasai women from this community!
I thank you both for your dedication and contribution
which has made this community so important for the
future of our elephants.

Elephants,
are truly magnificent
to
visiting
tourists, but can also be a terrifying threat for individual
families and farmers.
I thank the UNDP for making it possible for us to turn this
challenge into an opportunity for women, their families,
their communities, and for Kenya.

I am also grateful that the women of Imbirikani have

accepted the challenge to pilot this ambitious idea, of
turning challenges into opportunities.

They have worked so hard on this project despite all the

difficulties they face on a daily basis fetching firewood,
collecting water, herding livestock, managing their homes,
their children and families.

For our women to effectively play their rightful role in

conservation matters, it calls for their empowerment
through education; additional investments in women
projects and eradication of retrogressive cultural practices
that limit their opportunities and possibilities.

As a country, we must realize that the absence of women

in our economy, especially in rural areas, is holding back
our development and our ability to achieve our aspirations
to be a wealthy nation.

This project is a boost for those women who want to do

business and its launchmarks the beginning of a major
opportunity for Amboseli.
I request the County Government of Kajiado through
the governor,
Dr. David Nkedienye, to
support
the
women and facilitate the marketing of the products from
this group; improve their health care and also focus
on improving the schools to ensure the girls get quality
education.

I am truly humbled to have played a role in

this exciting project and I am very grateful to all those who
have partnered with us especially BIg Life Foundation who
have been in Amboseli for over thirty years.

I am especially grateful to you, the women involved in this

project for your courage and determination to make this
project succeed.

It is now my pleasure to declare the Imbirikani Women

Group Project officially open.

Ashe Ole