Focus Areas
FOCUS AREAS
HUGAFO-K's focuses to build and sustain the network while addressing the challenges faced by HG communities. The strategy encompasses key thematic areas:
Land Tenure Rights
Many HG communities face insecure land tenure, with ancestral lands often gazette as state-owned conservancies, game reserves, or forest reserves, such as Mukogodo, Mau, and Boni Forests. Land grabbing for infrastructure projects and investments has led to widespread landlessness among groups like the Wayuu. And Aweer
Human Rights
HG communities have faced human rights violations through forced evictions, land grabbing, and displacement due to large infrastructure projects, mining, and resource conflicts. Insecurity, especially in areas like Marsabit and Lamu, has further exacerbated these challenges.
Language and Culture Preservation
Languages and traditions of HG communities are at risk of extinction due to assimilation and social pressures. By 2020, the Yaaku community had only one fluent speaker, while the Wayuu language had no known speakers.
Research & Documentation
Limited research exists on the origins, histories, and political organization of HG communities. To address this, HUGAFO-K aims to document the unique identities, traditions, and struggles of these communities.
Partnerships and Alliances
Collaboration with stakeholders such as development partners, civil society organizations, and government agencies is crucial for advancing the rights and interests of HG communities.
Capacity Building for Member Organizations
Significant number of HG communities lack formal structures and policies necessary for effective administration and resource management.
Conservation and Climate Justice
HG territories are heavily affected by land degradation and climate change, with shrinking rangelands and diminishing forest cover posing significant threats to their way of life.