Endorois Indigenous Women Empowerment Network
Supporting Endorois-Led Advocacy for Land Justice and Climate Resilience
about eiwen
About Endorois Indigenous Women Empowerment Network
Founded in 2016 by Endorois women and formally registered in 2019, EIWEN emerged from the intersection of land rights, climate change, and social marginalization. Their work addresses the specific challenges faced by those often excluded from both mainstream society and community decision-making.
Led by Executive Director Christine Kandie alongside Chairperson Josephine Chepkuto, Vice Chairperson James Koima, and Vice Secretary Agnes Kiptoo, EIWEN works through two core programs:
⊃ Women’s Empowerment Program: Building women’s capacity in decision-making, land rights, and climate-smart agriculture using traditional ecological knowledge
⊃ Disability Rights Program: Creating accessibility in governance and advocating for political and economic inclusion of persons with disabilities
What makes EIWEN’s approach distinctive is their ability to connect the personal with the political—showing how women’s daily struggles for water, food, and dignity link directly to broader questions of land sovereignty and climate justice.
Our partnership
Our partnership
A Shared Commitment to Justice
Our partnership with EIWEN began in 2022, starting with the Endorois Indigenous Women Sustainable Health and Environmental Project.
Together, we focused on three interlinked priorities:
⊃ Improving access to health services and safe drinking water
⊃ Preserving territorial sovereignty and traditional knowledge
⊃ Advocating for implementation of the African Commission ruling
The project yielded meaningful results for the community:
⊃ Protection of Sosiche, a sacred site, preserving over 1,000 native trees
⊃ Health campaigns reaching 500+ households with information on water purification
⊃ Formation of women-led advocacy groups for land rights in local governance
⊃ Documentation of climate impacts to strengthen environmental policy advocacy
More recently, EIWEN consulted the community and identified other priorities, such as restoring culturally significant sites, as well as wetlands and grazing lands affected by flooding and supporting women-led income generating initiatives in beekeeping, eco-tourism, and drought-resistant farming.
We’re working together to ensure these community-driven initiatives receive both the necessary resources and the visibility they deserve.
Building Networks for Community-Led Change
EIWEN identifies where international engagement can strengthen their local advocacy. When they seek these connections, we help create platforms for meaningful exchange with peers and policymakers. This approach recognizes that Indigenous-led solutions deserve global attention while building EIWEN’s capacity to navigate complex policy spaces on their own terms.
Together, we’ve created opportunities for their team to:
⊃ Connect with other Indigenous leaders at the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (April 2024), where Christine Kandie brought Endorois perspectives into global policy discussions
⊃ Establish dialogue with similar movements at our Roots of the Future event in Lisbon (January 2025), where we discovered parallels between the Endorois struggle, a Portuguese community resisting extractive industries, and the Krahô people in Brazil
⊃ Build relationships with potential allies at the International Funders for Indigenous Peoples Global Conference (February 2025), creating spaces where EIWEN could share their community-driven approaches directly as well as learn from and share experiences with other Indigenous leaders
These international connections serve EIWEN’s strategic goals. Rather than speaking for the community, these forums allow Christine and her colleagues to represent Endorois interests directly to institutions that influence global environmental, social, and human rights policies. After these engagements, EIWEN brings valuable knowledge and networks back to their community.
IMPACT
Impact
Since 2016, EIWEN has transformed Endorois lives by addressing interconnected challenges of land rights, climate adaptation, and social inclusion.
At Sosiche sacred site, community members planted 5,000 indigenous trees, preventing erosion while preserving cultural heritage. This project exemplifies their approach: environmental restoration strengthening both ecological systems and cultural practices.
Their health initiatives reach 10,000 households across 17 locations, combining traditional healing with practical interventions like solar-powered water systems at Chebinyiny. By addressing specific community needs – especially women’s and children’s health – they’ve reduced barriers to healthcare access where government services fall short.
EIWEN has created concrete pathways for marginalized voices in governance. Their February 2024 workshop engaged 17 women and 20 persons with disabilities in leadership training, leading to community-based enterprises that generate independent income while addressing local challenges.
Their global advocacy connects community experiences to international platforms like the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, enabling Endorois knowledge to influence broader policy conversations without intermediaries.
EIWEN’s success stems not from imposing external models, but from centering Endorois knowledge, priorities, and leadership – demonstrating that community sovereignty produces effective solutions where top-down approaches often fail.
Updates
Updates
News from the ground on projects, initiatives and collaborations.
Support
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
Support
The Endorois struggle for land rights and cultural survival continues, with EIWEN playing a crucial role in ensuring that women and persons with disabilities are central to this movement. Their work represents a model of Indigenous-led advocacy that deserves support:
> Learn more about the Endorois case and share their story
> Directly support EIWEN through their donation page
> Amplify Indigenous voices by following and sharing EIWEN’s advocacy campaigns
By supporting EIWEN, you’re contributing to the protection of a people and their irreplaceable knowledge and culture. The Endorois struggle isn’t merely about land or resources—it’s about preserving a way of being in the world that offers profound wisdom about human dignity, communal resilience, and our relationship with the environment.
In an era where dominant systems have brought us to the brink of multiple crises, Indigenous knowledge systems like those of the Endorois may hold crucial insights for reimagining our collective future.
— Connect with EIWEN —
Share
Endorois Indigenous Women Empowerment Network
Supporting Endorois-Led Advocacy for Land Justice and Climate Resilience
about eiwen
About Endorois Indigenous Women Empowerment Network
Founded in 2016 by Endorois women and formally registered in 2019, EIWEN emerged from the intersection of land rights, climate change, and social marginalization. Their work addresses the specific challenges faced by those often excluded from both mainstream society and community decision-making.
Led by Executive Director Christine Kandie alongside Chairperson Josephine Chepkuto, Vice Chairperson James Koima, and Vice Secretary Agnes Kiptoo, EIWEN works through two core programs:
⊃ Women’s Empowerment Program: Building women’s capacity in decision-making, land rights, and climate-smart agriculture using traditional ecological knowledge
⊃ Disability Rights Program: Creating accessibility in governance and advocating for political and economic inclusion of persons with disabilities
What makes EIWEN’s approach distinctive is their ability to connect the personal with the political—showing how women’s daily struggles for water, food, and dignity link directly to broader questions of land sovereignty and climate justice.
Our partnership
Our partnership
A Shared Commitment to Justice
Our partnership with EIWEN began in 2022, starting with the Endorois Indigenous Women Sustainable Health and Environmental Project.
Together, we focused on three interlinked priorities:
⊃ Improving access to health services and safe drinking water
⊃ Preserving territorial sovereignty and traditional knowledge
⊃ Advocating for implementation of the African Commission ruling
The project yielded meaningful results for the community:
⊃ Protection of Sosiche, a sacred site, preserving over 1,000 native trees
⊃ Health campaigns reaching 500+ households with information on water purification
⊃ Formation of women-led advocacy groups for land rights in local governance
⊃ Documentation of climate impacts to strengthen environmental policy advocacy
More recently, EIWEN consulted the community and identified other priorities, such as restoring culturally significant sites, as well as wetlands and grazing lands affected by flooding and supporting women-led income generating initiatives in beekeeping, eco-tourism, and drought-resistant farming.
We’re working together to ensure these community-driven initiatives receive both the necessary resources and the visibility they deserve.
Building Networks for Community-Led Change
EIWEN identifies where international engagement can strengthen their local advocacy. When they seek these connections, we help create platforms for meaningful exchange with peers and policymakers. This approach recognizes that Indigenous-led solutions deserve global attention while building EIWEN’s capacity to navigate complex policy spaces on their own terms.
Together, we’ve created opportunities for their team to:
⊃ Connect with other Indigenous leaders at the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (April 2024), where Christine Kandie brought Endorois perspectives into global policy discussions
⊃ Establish dialogue with similar movements at our Roots of the Future event in Lisbon (January 2025), where we discovered parallels between the Endorois struggle, a Portuguese community resisting extractive industries, and the Krahô people in Brazil
⊃ Build relationships with potential allies at the International Funders for Indigenous Peoples Global Conference (February 2025), creating spaces where EIWEN could share their community-driven approaches directly as well as learn from and share experiences with other Indigenous leaders
These international connections serve EIWEN’s strategic goals. Rather than speaking for the community, these forums allow Christine and her colleagues to represent Endorois interests directly to institutions that influence global environmental, social, and human rights policies. After these engagements, EIWEN brings valuable knowledge and networks back to their community.
IMPACT
Impact
Since 2016, EIWEN has transformed Endorois lives by addressing interconnected challenges of land rights, climate adaptation, and social inclusion.
At Sosiche sacred site, community members planted 5,000 indigenous trees, preventing erosion while preserving cultural heritage. This project exemplifies their approach: environmental restoration strengthening both ecological systems and cultural practices.
Their health initiatives reach 10,000 households across 17 locations, combining traditional healing with practical interventions like solar-powered water systems at Chebinyiny. By addressing specific community needs – especially women’s and children’s health – they’ve reduced barriers to healthcare access where government services fall short.
EIWEN has created concrete pathways for marginalized voices in governance. Their February 2024 workshop engaged 17 women and 20 persons with disabilities in leadership training, leading to community-based enterprises that generate independent income while addressing local challenges.
Their global advocacy connects community experiences to international platforms like the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, enabling Endorois knowledge to influence broader policy conversations without intermediaries.
EIWEN’s success stems not from imposing external models, but from centering Endorois knowledge, priorities, and leadership – demonstrating that community sovereignty produces effective solutions where top-down approaches often fail.
Updates
Updates
News from the ground on projects, initiatives and collaborations.
Support
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
Support
The Endorois struggle for land rights and cultural survival continues, with EIWEN playing a crucial role in ensuring that women and persons with disabilities are central to this movement. Their work represents a model of Indigenous-led advocacy that deserves support:
> Learn more about the Endorois case and share their story
> Directly support EIWEN through their donation page
> Amplify Indigenous voices by following and sharing EIWEN’s advocacy campaigns
By supporting EIWEN, you’re contributing to the protection of a people and their irreplaceable knowledge and culture. The Endorois struggle isn’t merely about land or resources—it’s about preserving a way of being in the world that offers profound wisdom about human dignity, communal resilience, and our relationship with the environment.
In an era where dominant systems have brought us to the brink of multiple crises, Indigenous knowledge systems like those of the Endorois may hold crucial insights for reimagining our collective future.
— Connect with EIWEN —
Share
