The village of “Umoja” in Samburu County, in northern Kenya, has a great reputation, as it is the ideal place for women, which was founded by the women themselves.

The village was founded in 1990 as a refuge for women fleeing sexual violence in Samburu, and men are never allowed to enter, to create a safe space for girls and women survivors of violence and sexual assault, as well as those fleeing child marriage or female genital mutilation, according to the website. CNN Arabic.

A Ghanaian photographer decided to document the distinctive village

Ghanaian photographer Paul Nenson decided to document and identify the women of Umoja, and visited Kenya to photograph this village in 2017, as he, in turn, felt that these stories needed to be told from an “African” perspective.

This self-sufficient village was home to nearly 50 families consisting of women and their children, and was keen to educate its residents about women’s rights and sexual violence, and allowed the women’s children to live in the village until they reached the age of 18.

village women

Ninson explained that his arrival in the village was not easy, and he was welcomed only after explaining the purpose of his visit, adding that the women were “very happy” when he showed them the pictures he had taken..

The women lead modest lives, working to earn their income in order to buy food and provide educational resources for their children, and sometimes themselves.

The village was established in 1990

The “Village Without Men” project is one of several photography projects by Ninson, through which he seeks to “raise awareness about social, environmental or political issues, inspire people to take action, and spark reflection and discussion on important topics.” He had decided to travel to Other African countries to share “Untold Stories of the People of the Continent”.

“In Africa we have storytelling challenges, and how we have been portrayed over and over again,” he said, “because of the stories of Africa being told by outsiders.”

One of the village ladies