Imagine entering a village where adult men cannot live, yet boys can grow up there and receive an education. This is Umoja, a community near Archers Post in Kenya's Samburu County, founded by women seeking safety after experiences of abuse, forced marriage and violence, and built around independence, education and collective support.
Umoja means 'unity' in Swahili, and its story is more nuanced than its reputation as a 'women-only' village suggests. Founded in 1990, the community has spent more than 35 years creating a place where women can earn their own money, raise children and make decisions about their lives.
Umoja Was Built as a Safe Place
Umoja was founded by Rebecca Lolosoli and a group of Samburu women in 1990, eventually becoming a refuge for women escaping difficult and sometimes dangerous circumstances. Residents have included widows, divorcees and women seeking safety from domestic abuse, forced marriage and other harmful experiences.
The community was created around the idea that women could make decisions about their own lives without depending on husbands or male relatives for security or financial support. While its rules make Umoja unusual, its foundations centre on protection, independence and mutual support.
@erekosima43 Episode 24: 100 Things Before I Die Umoja Women’s Village Domestic Violence Awareness Month 📍Kenya 🇰🇪 Content note: This episode discusses domestic violence, s***al violence, and forced marriage. Domestic Violence Resources 🇺🇸 U.S. Call: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) Text: START to 88788 TheHotline.org 🇰🇪 KENYA Call: 1195 (Free, 24/7) 🌍 WORLDWIDE NO MORE Global Directory NOMOREDirectory.org 🧡 SUPPORT UMOJA UmojaWomen.org If you are in immediate danger, contact local emergency services. #100ThingsBeforeIDie #Kenya #UmojaWomensVillage #Umoja #DomesticViolenceAwarenessMonth
♬ original sound - Lawrence Erekosima
Adult Men Cannot Live Inside Umoja
Umoja has a rule that adult men cannot reside within the community, allowing its women residents to organise much of daily life independently. However, this does not mean men are completely forbidden from entering, with visitors able to go inside the village.
Boys may also live in Umoja while they are children but are expected to leave when they reach adulthood. They can still visit after leaving, making the community's approach more complicated than the simple 'men are banned' description often used online.
Education Is Part of the Vision
Education is an important part of Umoja's wider work, with the community having a school that serves children from Umoja and surrounding communities. Its focus includes education and empowering children, particularly girls, rather than simply creating a space separated from men.
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A Reddit comment discussing Umoja framed the community's approach as women not trying to create a world without men, but instead trying to create 'better men'. That interpretation attracted attention online, with one Reddit commenter responding to the video by calling the idea a 'powerful line'.
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The Women Built Independent Sources of Income
Umoja's independence is also closely tied to how its residents earn money. Traditional beadwork and jewellery provide important sources of income, while tourism brings visitors interested in learning about the community, experiencing its culture and purchasing handmade crafts.
The benefits extend beyond individual households, with the community having a school serving children from Umoja and nearby areas. This has allowed the village's influence to reach beyond its residents and into the wider community.
They Still Face Pressure From Outside
Creating an independent community has brought challenges, and accounts shared by the TikTok source describe instances in which husbands came looking for women who had left. Those accounts also describe women supporting one another during periods they considered threatening, including taking turns staying awake overnight.
Tourism has consequently become more than an economic activity in Umoja's story. Residents have described the attention surrounding the village as helping more people learn about its work, while women can maintain relationships with men outside the community on their own terms.
Umoja's Story Goes Beyond Its Rules
More than 35 years after its creation, Umoja remains an example of women building a community around safety, education and economic independence. Its rules may attract attention because adult men cannot live there, but the presence of children and the community's wider educational work reveal a more complicated picture.
Rather than simply defining itself by who is excluded, Umoja has built its identity around what its residents can create for themselves. The Reddit creator's 'better men' interpretation may have captured online attention, but the community's documented story ultimately rests on providing women and children with greater opportunities, security and independence.
