#10Women: Helen Halake, Vice Chair, Jaldesa Community Conservancy

This tenth month of 2018, we’re all about the tenth UN Sustainable Development Goal - Reduced Inequalities. Throughout October, we’ll be featuring 10 stories from 10 inspirational women in community conservancies, working to promote social and economic inclusion for everyone in this changing landscape. 

First up, meet Helen Halake, vice chair of Jaldesa Community Conservancy in Marsabit. She devotes countless hours to promoting peace between Jaldesa and the surrounding communities, who historically haven’t always seen eye to eye. She says that this harmony with their neighbours is the biggest impact her community have felt from conservancies. “There’s nothing you can do without having peace first,” she says "including empowering women. Women cannot come together to start business groups in conservancies if there is no peace. They are an important group in the peace process, they have a lot of influence over the men that fight!” Her commitment to promoting peace started back in 2006, when Helen gathered together a few friends, some water and food and started to walk. "I walked for two weeks through Rendille, Gabbra and Borana territory,” she says. “We had tea with them, we sang peace songs with them, we danced together. The Government heard what we were doing and supported us with food and water. Since then I can say we’ve worked really hard to keep peace, and people are feeling this benefit.”