The Maasai want to change, live a more modern life, a better and healthier life, but how can they without knowledge and tools? We need to help the Maasai!
Maasai are nomadic herders that immigrated from northern Africa to East Africa in the middle of the 16th century. This most well known ethnic group in East Africa is now located in the Kilimanjaro region, in both south Kenya and north Tanzania. Currently, there are about 1 million, equally divided between the two countries. Originally, they were known as a warriors and shepherds; their culture is mainly based on their cattle.
Even today, the cattle is the most important part of their diet. They feed primarily on the meat, milk and blood from cattle, for their protein and caloric needs. The milk/blood mixture is a traditional specialty. Vegetable dishes are typically not eaten. However, there are also who live outside the protected areas, resort to agriculture for their income, growing wheat, corn, beans, tea and potatoes. The traditional however do not cultivate these but buy them from other tribes.
There are no chiefs or leaders; they are organised by the age group of males. The transitions from one age group to the next are crucial moments in the life of a man and his reputation is very dependent on the number of cattle and women. It is not uncommon for a man to have 50 cattle and five wives. Numerous ceremonies, including the much criticized female circumcision and child marriage, mark their life. We can change this; we need to help the Maasai, and their daughters even more!
How we help the Maasai
We:
- build schools and teach both children and adults
- build health care centers in the Maasai area’s
- train Maasai men about agriculture and provide them with vegetables seeds and seedlings of fruit trees with as result that they generate more income in the future
- train Maasai women about healthy vegetables and fruits, learn them how to cook them and provide them with vegetables seeds and seedlings of fruit trees so that they can start their own vegetables and fruits gardens. The result is that their families eat much more healthy
- give Maasai men bee hives, train them about bee keeping and explain them how healthy honey is. The Maasai get more income and the whole community benefits of the nutrition of honey
- teach the teenagers and adults agriculture, mechanics, sewing, hairdressing, etc. and help them to find jobs or start their own business. Adults will get more income while teenagers become independent and start their own families
How you can help
- Become a volunteer! Help the Maasai with their work on the land and with the vegetables gardens. Help at schools or health care centers. Are you creative? Learn them something new. Your knowledge is worth more than you think!
- Make a donation! With your donation we can buy seeds, seedling and bee hives and/or we can build classrooms and health care centers
- Send us vegetables seeds and/or seedlings of fruit trees (only for locals), and help the Maasai to plant them!
Please contact us for more information, if you want to become a volunteer, make a donation or if you have seeds and/or seedlings for the Maasai
