Start one woman on her Legacy Journey today
Meet Naomi—one of the women leading enduring change in her community
This Fall, Legado is asking friends and donors to launch one woman on her Legacy Journey to lead powerful, enduring change in her community—a woman like Naomi. $250 is all it takes.
Naomi Paranai grew up in the Nyekweri ecosystem, patches of dense forest that border the rangelands of the Maasai Mari Reserve in southwest Kenya. Her community is part of Legado’s newest partnership in Kenya, working alongside the Maasai stewards of the Nyekweri.
Naomi began actively building her legacy with Legado this year as a young leader in her Maasai community.
For her, this means helping restore the cherished ecosystem that she grew up with—a key component of her community’s Thriving Future.
“Being born and raised in the Nyekweri forest, I have seen its glory—and how it has been deforested over time. Currently the forest cover is being depleted and endangered species like the giant pangolin are at risk."
Her hopes for her community go far beyond reforestation. She’s actively preserving female-led cultural traditions and livelihoods like beadwork. And, as one of a few young women with a college education, she wants to increase access to higher education—particularly for the women.
To do this, Naomi joined a youth convening when Legado began Legacy Planning with our partner in Nyekweri, The Pangolin Project, an organization that supports Naomi's community to conserve this important ecosystem. The two-day convening included specific ways for women to share their views.
“Coming from this area, I really resonated with the Legacy Process as I have always wanted to play a part in restoring the Nyekweri forest. This was an opportunity to come together with my peers and elders to do this.”
Naomi Parani at home in the Nyekweri ecosystem | Legado
Women celebrate their vision for their community and landscape, which includes preserving the habitat of the giant pangolin, at a Legacy Convening in Nyekweri | Roshni Lodhia/Legado/TPP
Kalela Sankale in front of her home in Nyekweri. She is one of many women articulating her legacy to benefit her family, community and landscape | Roshni Lodhia/Legado/TPP
The Nyekweri Forest Landscape | Roshni Lodhia/Legado/TPP
A young boy walks where the Nyekweri forest meets the Maasai Mara rangelands, home to iconic wildlife such as the giraffe | Roshni Lodhia/Legado/TPP
“Through the legacy process, I am determined that we must conserve what is left in our community, including both the culture and the forest, for a better future. For change to come it starts at a personal level."
Since starting Legacy Planning, Naomi has advanced her own Thriving Future by taking a job with The Pangolin Project. Every day, she works to protect the habitat of the giant pangolin, the most trafficked mammal in the world, and preserve her community’s landscape.
As Naomi pursues a Thriving Future for herself and her community, we need people like you to stand with her.
Launch one woman like Naomi on her Legacy Journey.
With your gift, you launch:
- A journey that will allow a woman like Naomi to protect her landscape and grow her community’s well-being;
- A journey through which a woman’s personal legacy drives her and her community’s actions to achieve climate justice;
- A legacy that will inspire upcoming generations to pursue their own Thriving Futures