Last month in Laikipia County, Kenya, hundreds of women representing communities across the country gathered to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Indigenous Women’s Council (IWC) — an AJWS partner that has been a bedrock of the country’s growing movement for Indigenous rights. We asked Jane Meriwas, one of IWC’s co-founders and the founder of Samburu Women Trust, another AJWS partner, to reflect on the gathering, and the first decade of this powerful council.
Read her powerful words below, with photos of this unifying celebration:
Indigenous communities in Kenya face deep challenges — including historical marginalization, land dispossession, gender-based discrimination, and the accelerating impacts of climate change. Indigenous women, in particular, carry the heaviest burden while often being excluded from decision-making. That’s why the IWC is critical — it provides a united voice, strengthens leadership, and creates visibility for Indigenous women who are shaping solutions rooted in their cultures, land, and rights.
We are both a movement and a safe space that ensures Indigenous women are no longer invisible in national, regional, and global spaces.
The gathering was profoundly moving. To witness women who started this journey as survivors, learners, or quiet voices now standing tall as leaders, advocates, and policy influencers was inspiring. I felt deep pride, gratitude, and renewed commitment. This convening showed that a decade of persistence and solidarity has grown into a powerful collective force that is transforming communities.
I believe that gathering is itself an act of resistance and resilience. When Indigenous leaders come together, they exchange knowledge, strengthen alliances, and nurture collective strategies that go beyond individual struggles. Solidarity allows us to see that we are not alone—that across Kenya our issues are interconnected, and our unity makes us stronger and more influential. It builds hope, courage, and shared action.
The fire of Indigenous women’s leadership is unstoppable — what began as a spark ten years ago is now a blazing movement for justice, dignity, and equality.
Scroll through more vibrant photographs from IWC’s celebration below. All photos courtesy of Samburu Women Trust.
