Empowering women to express their opinions, make informed decisions and meaningfully participate in their household, communities and conservancies is a key factor in transforming harmful norms that perpetuate GBV. We have engaged women through different platforms such as community dialogue forums, landscape level women forum, international days celebrations and self-mobilized livelihood groups. The dialogues have built the women’s confidence and ability to self and collectively advocate, they have become more equipped to challenge and question harmful norms, they are more empowered to speak about violence towards themselves and others in the community. The community dialogues have also led to women increased awareness about their rights and making informed decisions. Women meaningful participation in conservancies AGM has improved, women expressing interest in conservancies elective leadership position has increased and women voting their own in the conservancy leadership has also increased. This led to an increase in the number of women in the board to be 4 from zero. The women forum at landscape level has been key in awareness on rights among women and a platform for learning and sharing knowledge. 

Male engagement has been a key component in transforming harmful social norms that perpetuate gender-based violence (GBV). This approach involves engaging male conservancy leaders and influential community men who play significant roles in decision-making at the household, community, and conservancy levels. 

These male leaders have been supported in reflecting on their own beliefs about gender equality and GBV, examining how they can either perpetuate or address inequalities through their roles in the conservancies. The engagement sessions were facilitated by the gender organization CREAW, which has extensive experience in this area. Initially, the focus was on increasing men's understanding of gender equality and GBV concepts, as well as the links between gender/GBV and conservation, before delving deeper into the related social norms. The male engagement sessions were done on a quarterly basis.  

A key factor in transforming harmful social and gender norms in the Kasigau and Kitirua conservancies has been community dialogues facilitated through the Social Analysis and Action (SAA) model. Developed by CARE International, the SAA model is a community-led social change process that encourages individuals and communities to explore and challenge social norms, beliefs, and practices related to gender, gender-based violence, and sexual and reproductive health rights. 

Since the inception of RISE, KWCA has adapted the SAA model to align with the conservation sector. This approach employs participatory tools that help individuals address the gender and social norms affecting development and conservation goals. 

The SAA approach was integrated into the wildlife conservancies by first training staff from the landscape association, conservancies, and their boards, followed by community members who now serve as SAA/gender champions. These champions facilitate community dialogues using participatory tools such as the Fixed Position Tool, "But Why?" Tool, 24-Hour Clock, Pile Sorting, and Vote with Your Feet, among others. The dialogues are facilitated to members of the conservancies at the villages either at a central site like a church, chiefs office or at the “Maasai boma’s-households”.  

Volunteering activities, such as constructing honey processing centers, tree planting, and nursery establishment, strengthened community ownership. Contributions like bricks and stones exemplified local investment in the project's success. Stewardship motivated community members to sustain the project beyond its initial implementation phase. Stewardship was the outcome of participatory planning, inclusivity, and capacity-building efforts, reinforcing project sustainability and ownership.

Training sessions equipped beneficiaries with skills in beekeeping, value addition, nursery management, and restoration. This empowerment enhanced local ownership, enabling community members to independently manage and sustain project components like nurseries and apiaries. The trainings were guided by the needs identified and supported through inclusive decision-making, ensuring relevance and community buy-in.

A participatory project committee process and platforms like the SMAG ensured diverse stakeholders, including government, NGOs, and local communities, contributed ideas. This inclusive approach empowered all participants to have a say in shaping activities, fostering collaboration and accountability. Inclusivity built trust and reinforced the outcomes of the needs assessment by incorporating a wide range of perspectives into project planning and execution.

This building block fosters collaboration among diverse stakeholders to address the structural and systemic issues intersecting gender equality and environmental sustainability. Through activities such as training sessions, conflict management meetings, and leadership support, stakeholders from the gender sector (led by the Division of Gender) and the environmental sector (led by the Ministry of Fisheries) engage in cross-sectoral discussions to align objectives and integrate solutions. For example, fisheries stakeholders provide insights into resource management and illegal practices, while gender sector members contribute expertise on GBV prevention and response mechanisms. The initiative also influences policy by advocating for and supporting the revision of legal instruments like the Fisheries Act and the Anti-GBV Act of 2011, ensuring they address the unique challenges at this intersection. Additionally, technical support is provided for mainstreaming gender considerations in other sectors and integrating cross-cutting issues into broader policy frameworks. By aligning community-level efforts with institutional policies, this approach ensures scalable, sustainable, and contextually relevant interventions.

T his building block focuses on raising awareness and providing tailored gender training to highlight the interconnectedness of GBV, particularly exploitative practices like "sex for fish," and environmental degradation in the fisheries sector. With men dominating fish harvesting and women constituting 90% of post-harvest activities, the sector reveals stark gender dynamics. The initiative educates communities and stakeholders on how these transactional relationships exacerbate resource depletion, harm biodiversity, and perpetuate power imbalances between men and women. Using diverse forms of communication, such as roadshows, community dramas, and GBV Watch Committee activities, the project aims to transform perceptions, foster collaboration, and inspire action to address these interwoven challenges.

This building block emphasizes the critical role of engaging men and boys in addressing GBV within the fisheries sector. Recognizing that gender equality requires collaboration between men and women, this initiative targets the predominantly male-dominated fisheries sector to foster a more inclusive and supportive environment. By involving men ie: fishermen, law enforcer, male stakeholders, landowners, transportation providers, and traditional leaders—in awareness raising, training, and GBV Watch Committees, the intervention seeks to transform negative attitudes and behaviours that perpetuate GBV, including exploitative sex-for-fish practices. It also leverages the influence of traditional leaders to drive societal change, ensuring that men play an active role in avoiding backlach and safeguarding women and addressing the interconnected challenges of resource depletion, illegal fishing, and GBV. 

The GBV Response mechanism at community level was establish to prevent and respond to the GBV cases and fishing illegalities which occours in the fisheries sector due to the lack of reporting structures and long distances from the fishing communities to the formal GBV response structures through the establishment of GBV Watch Committees. The GBV Watch Commitees provide awareness in the fishing camp and fishing communities about the exploitative sex for fish practices. They also respond to GBV disclosures at community level, the committees also link survivors to proffessional services and operate as safe space in the community among other functions.