CURRENT MECHANISMS TO HELP THE COMMUNITY MOVE FORWARD
The Ogiek Peoples Development Program has been at the forefront in advocating for issues relating to the Ogiek of Mau. They currently have the following programs to help the community:
- Culture and language promotion. Through OPDP, the Ogiek community is in the process of setting up a cultural center in Nkareta location. The center is intended to host aspects of culture related to the Ogiek including traditional foods, dressing and traditional food.
A folktale competition was also held and a book is currently in the printing stage. The book is aimed at preserving the language of the Ogiek. OPDP is also undertaking a program that is meant to create livelihoods for the Ogiek people while at the same time promote and preserve their culture. An example is the Kurusiot women group that makes honey bags and honey pots. Such activities bring them income and also preserve their culture.
- Implementation of the African Court Ruling. OPDP has been on the fore front in ensuring that the African Court Ruling in favor of the Ogiek land rights is implemented. This has been done through instituting cases in the local courts to implement the ruling.
- Creating awareness on land laws and community land registration processes. Numerous meetings have been hosted by OPDP to train community members on their rights related to land so as to empower the community to actively engage in defending their land rights.
- Rehabilitation of the forest. The Mau forest, due to ongoing activities e.g. forest logging has undergone destruction. The Ogiek people have been trying to rehabilitate the forest through the planting of more trees and nurseries.
- Forest conservation. Volunteer scouts have been recruited by OPDP to help in conserving the forest including making sure that there are no intruders who engage in logging activities in the forest.
- Economic activities to help support local communities. Economic empowerment is a key agenda for the Ogiek people. Some activities which have been organized so far to economically empower the Ogiek include bee-keeping activities and bead work to enable women in these communities to become economically empowered.
- Bio-cultural Community protocol: The development of a BCP is fundamental for the Ogiek of Mau people since it will help to shape their interactions with people outside the community who would like to utilize natural resources in the community.
- Involvement of youth in community affairs. The Ogiek recognize the importance of youth involvement in community affairs which is they are involved in activities in the community. There is an active organization that deals with the youth in the Ogiek community and that is the Ogiek Youth Council (OYC).
- Gender mainstreaming within the community. Women in the community are empowered to advocate for their human rights and have a voice in the community. This is achieved through training them on their rights and engaging them in conservations about resource management.
- Human rights advocacy within the community. Paralegals are being trained in the community relating to human rights issues. These paralegals are engaged in advocating for human rights within their community.
- Utilizing the media to publicize Ogiek people issues. Through networking OPDP is actively trying to expose the human rights violations against the Ogiek People through involving the media and making the public aware of their plight. This has been partly achieved through press conferences etc.
- Renewable energy programs. OPDP is also engaging in activities to support renewable energy within the community.