Legacy of War
In 2022 Naza had the amazing opportunity to support Legacy of War Foundation with their ‘Land for Women’ Project in Rwanda. Founded by Naza’s dear friend Giles Duley, Land For Women gives Women Cooperatives full ownership of the land, which empowers them and lifts them and their community out of poverty.
The five-year program supports women with the resources, tools, education and support systems that mean they can maximise their land and become the owners of a profitable business. Most of the remarkable women Naza met within this project are genocide and sexual violence survivors. They have an incredibly deep connection to the land and their environment, and many of them possess traditional, sustainable farming techniques that have been passed down for generations. Rwanda is a progressive country regarding women’s rights, but not all women are in a position to take advantage of their right to land or to adequately support their families. After the 1994 genocide, 70% of the population that remained are women, of which 85% live in rural areas. They depend almost entirely on agriculture and make up the vast majority of the workforce, and that is why access to and ownership of land is so important to them. It’s the most effective way to alleviate poverty and gives them enough produce to live healthily and enter the market. Naza is delighted to support programmes such as ‘Land for Women’ that work to address multiple causes simultaneously, providing the links between the cause, and having the power to drive impact for decades to come.
