Joy and Celebration as 52 NRT Coast Women Graduate from LAMP

It was a joyous time of celebration at NRT Coast as 52 women leaders from Pate, Kiunga, Awer, and Lower Tana Delta Community Conservancies and gender mainstreaming champions from all 7 NRT Coast conservancies graduated from NRT’s bespoke Leadership and Management Program (LAMP) training at a ceremony graced by the Lamu County Governor, H.E. Issa Abdalla Timamy.

This graduation marked the completion of the second phase of LAMP, which ran for four months from June to September 2022, and increased the number of women LAMP graduates by 100%, bringing the total number of graduates to 104, up from 52 in the first phase of training. Other stakeholders who attended the event included the Office of the Women Representative, four Members of the County Assembly, conservancy leaders and representatives from Lamu Women Alliance, Maendeleo ya Wanawake, the Kenya Wildlife Service, Kenya Forest Service, The Nature Conservancy, and Lamu Youth Assembly.

This LAMP training was customized for women from fisher communities and aimed at strengthening their participation in natural resource management for community development. The Program was facilitated by NRT, with the support of The Nature Conservancy, USAID, and the Lamu, Tana River, and Garissa County Governments. LAMP has reduced gender inequality and empowered local women to effectively lead and manage their conservancies, women groups, fisheries, and beach management units among others, as evidenced by their increased participation in community development and conservation programs including mangrove restoration, microfinance, and plastic and waste management.

In his congratulatory speech to the women, the Lamu Governor stated, “The County Government will continue to partner with and support NRT’s and The Nature Conservancy’s conservation and community development efforts.”

As the recently elected Chair of the Blue Economy in the Council of Governors, the Governor added he would engage numerous partners to scale conservation efforts and ensure resources are used sustainably. He further invited the LAMP graduates to set up a tent at the Lamu Cultural Festival to create awareness of their conservation and community development activities.

“We are proud to support the activities that NRT is coordinating at the Coast such as the mangrove restoration, micro-finance program, fish to market, and conservation awareness, among others. You are making news and setting standards for other women across the world,” George Maina Africa Fisheries Strategy Manager, The Nature Conservancy.