Josephine Simon

Community Conservation Officer and Gender Specialist
Maasai Steppe Heartland, Tanzania

 

Imagine if your spouse controlled every cent of the family budget—and you never had a penny to call your own. Imagine the impact on your life, your well-being, your self-worth. That’s how life has always been for Maasai women. But thanks to Josephine Simon, things are starting to change. Josephine’s passion for conservation was first sparked by the majestic wildlife and beautiful landscapes the surrounded her as she began her professional career working for Serena Lodges in Serengeti National Park, and later in Ngorongoro conservation area.

Today, Josephine uses that passion by empowering women in the Maasai Steppe Heartland and throughout her native Tanzania to make significant contributions to conservation efforts. She helps women to manage and benefit from natural resources in their villages by utilizing their existing skills. Under Josephine’s guidance, Maasai women have successfully launched small enterprises such as producing and marketing handcrafted baskets and the brightly colored beadwork and jewelry that Maasai are famous for. This has lead to positive socio-economic and institutional changes in these communities.

Through her work, Josephine has been able to illustrate that with support, pastoral women’s groups can become engines for enhanced conservation and socio-economic development in East Africa.

Read more about the Josephine’s project that empowers women.