The Best News!!!

We partnered with the Maasai of Makuyuni in Tanzania to build Nashipay Primary School and the first group of kindergarten students started on July 1, 2013.  I just learned today that they are doing exceptionally well!  According to the superintendent of schools, the children are more advanced than children of similar age in the public system.  That made my heart sing!!!

I know many of the children and I can just imagine their enthusiasm as they learn their numbers and alphabet.  The parents go along too and watch, so I'm sure they are learning as well -- what a perfect partnership this has been for us, a group of Canadians, and for the Maasai of Makuyuni.

Thinking it over, it really shouldn't be surprising that the children of Nashipay School would thrive. At Nashipay there is one teacher for about 35 children, in the public school there can be 60+ kids in a classroom.  At Nashipay each child has a seat at a desk or table -- in the public school we saw as many as 5 children at a single desk, crowded onto a bench.

When we went shopping for textbooks and workbooks in May, we bought one workbook per child and one textbook for every two children that attend Nashipay Primary School.  In the public school we visited, they had 3 or 4 tattered textbooks for the whole classroom of 60 or more children.

At Nashipay, the teacher is multilingual and one of her languages is Maa, the only language Maasai children of primary school age speak.  Just think, they can actually understand what the teacher is saying! The Maasai children who attend the public school have their lessons in either English or Swahili, and they understand neither language when they start school.  This was initially the primary motivator for building Nashipay School.

Now, the Maasai from other villages around Tanzania are pressing Clamian to build a boarding school. I have no idea how he's going to do that, but if anyone can do it, Clamian can!  His will to help his people is strong and his heart is big!  For now, we will start another class of kindergarteners in January.  Fortunately, we were able to raise enough money to put a solar panel on the school, which means they can run another class in the afternoon and even into the evening if necessary.

Our partnership with the Maasai of Makuyuni has had amazing results in such a short period of time; it has truly exceeded my dreams and expectations! It is so gratifying to have the connection with this Maasai village, to partner with them and to be able to cheer them on -- even if I am cheering across 2 continents and an ocean!!

Good News for the Mamas!

The Mamas work hard!  I can see it on their faces when I look at some of the pictures we took.  They have a hard life.  Hauling water for kilometres twice a day, procuring food for their children on a daily basis, rounding up firewood to cook the food, building and repairing their bomas (huts), raising their children and so much more.

 They want the same thing for their children that women all over the world want.  Education, safety, food, clothing -- the basics.  Traditionally Maasai women are master beaders and the Mamas use this skill to earn money to buy necessities for their families.  Like artisans all over the world, they have a challenge finding a distribution network where they can earn a living wage for their art.  Occasionally (like when we were in their village) they get to sell directly to the end-user, and to us the prices seem so reasonable, and for them, they had the best day ever.  It is really gratifying to know that we have helped them feed their children that day.

Now, we have the opportunity to help them build a workshop and retail outlet so they can sell their beautiful jewelry at a fair price.  Clamian has found a great location situated on the road to the National Parks. My latest project is to raise $8600 so that we can buy the land and building materials for construction.  The Mamas will actually own the land and building as a cooperative -- what a unique opportunity for them!

Just think -- they will no longer have to sit on the ground to work, or haul all their materials back and forth every day, or struggle to get a fair price for their beautiful tribal art. I can only imagine what a difference that will make in their day to day lives and the lives of their families.

More About Clamian

I first wrote about Clamian in my blog "Clamian and the Maasai" on March 6, 2012.  Since then, I have  gotten to know him much better through our partnership in building Nashipay Maasai School and during lots of conversations on our last trip to Tanzania earlier this year.  Here is a short video that I hope will inspire you half as much as he inspired me!

When It's Me or the Lion????

We learned how to kill a lion!  It was interesting to process that, since I am totally against killing anything.  I am one of those people who will capture a bug and put it outside rather than squash it.  But what if I had to make a choice; the lion or me!

I got to thinking about the controversy here over wolves and how ranchers protect their herds with guns.  The wolves are just being wolves and they really don't have a chance -- the odds are stacked against them.  The Maasai have to protect their herds and themselves from predatory lions now and then. I'm sure guns are available to them, but they live in their traditional way.  Take a look and see how they do it.  Looks like a pretty fair fight to me!

Meeting our Maasai Family

We were received with ceremony when we arrived at the boma. Clamian said they had been excitedly awaiting our arrival for days and this day they were watching for our dust on the road.  Bob and I were given a special place in the middle of the circle.  He was given a ceremonial "talking stick" -- a beautifully beaded piece of tribal art that chiefs carry -- when the chief raises the stick, everyone must be quiet and listen!  I told him not to let it go to his head!!!  I was given a beautiful necklace with my new Maasai name on it, Nagaloi, which means "caretaker".

The sun was setting as we settled into our tents and in the evening the people danced and chanted for us.  Their music is intoxicating and before long we were all dancing together, Maasai style.  I had no idea what to expect of this day -- I knew we would be honored, but words cannot express how we were unabashedly honored and respected.

The Most Special Day

Today we get to go to the school.  The whole village gathered to proudly show us what they have accomplished and no wonder they are proud!  There are 9000 bricks in this school, each one made one at a time, by hand, on the brick maker we bought for them in January, and dried in the sun!  They gave us the honor of passing up the first sheet of roofing and we all cheered as it was nailed in place.

Above: Erastos showing the children how to use a camera.  They are like sponges and pick things up very quickly.

Below: Some of our future students

This was the most special day for me as a small group of the women gathered around me and began to dance and chant their thanks to me for helping them with the school.  Fortunately Erastos was right there and could translate.  This was a totally spontaneous outpouring of gratitude in the form of song, which seems to be a prevalent form of communication.  

The roof was on when we left 3 days later.

A Maasai Track Meet

The villagers wanted to show us their games.  What fun we all had.  First a soccer game, then races for all ages, followed by high jump, then spear throwing and a lesson in how to kill a lion!  And a contest between a lion and a mother buffalo.  Of course at the end of the day more dancing and singing.  We were told that the Maasai dance every night -- certainly a different form of entertainment than in our world!  It was great fun for the observers too.  Check out the school in the background.

Water, a human right?

I remember a story our guide, Jackson, told us last year about one of his clients, an Italian woman, who went home and raised enough money to bring water to his mother's village. (See my early post, "Jackson's story") For $5000, they brought water to the village and it changed everything.  The biggest impact was on the school children because it meant that 700 children could have their morning meal there -- often their only meal of the day.  That was a teachable moment for me --- look at the value and impact money can have for Africans when it is thoughtfully and lovingly directed.

I was looking at the receipts I received for the construction of the foundation and it struck me that water was close to 10% of the cost.  Do we even consider that as an expense when we are building something here?  Don't we just turn on the tap and use as much as we want?  We recently did a renovation and I don't remember ever paying for water!

Searching for, waiting for, and hauling water is an activity that takes up much of a Maasai woman's day.  When we were in Tanzania last year, we witnessed women standing in long lines waiting for water from a single well and then hauling it on their heads for long distances to marginally meet the needs of their families.

Deodorizing the Tourists!

I am so looking forward to seeing my friend, Clamian again.   He took us on safari last  year and it was amazing.  He taught us so much not only about the animals and the incredible variety of birds, but about the land, and the way the Maasai live on it.  They are very knowledgable about a vast variety of herbs.

One day as we were driving along, he stopped the vehicle and got out and picked what looked like a weed on the side of the road.  It was an herb that the Maasai use in their bedding for its deodorizing properties -- he said they use it as deodorant as well.  Well, it was getting toward the end of a hot, dusty, sticky day and we thought deodorant was likely in order!

One of Clamian's many talents: herbs

Bob like it!

The Gift

When we went to the boma in the Serengeti last year (see my post 16/03/2012 ), we were given gifts when we left.  These beautiful beaded gourds were given to us by one of the "Mamas" there -- such generosity and totally unexpected.

These gourds are used to hold milk.  The women pick the calabash, clean it out with a root brush and disinfect the inside of the gourd with charcoal. It is beautifully decorated with leather and beads. Each cow has a name and the woman calls the cow by name and milks it every morning.  The milk feeds her children and husband -- she gets what is left when they are done.  Milk is the lifeblood of the Maasai people and the mainstay of their diet.

The lady below gave us these gourds and looking at them brings back such fond memories of our visit  to her boma.  I realize that this is a very special gift of tribal art and I treasure it.

We Have a Foundation!

The foundation is finished!!  I can't believe that we held our first fundraiser just a few months ago and already we have a foundation.  I feel like this whole project is propelled by forces well beyond the human efforts that have gone into it.  The Universe is conspiring with us to co-create Nashipay kindergarten, a place where a new generation of Maasai can find their voices and develop their abilities to thrive in today's world.  The best part is that it is being done with them in the leadership position and in a way that honours their culture and tradition.  And we get to come along and participate in this whole process.  It is truly a double blessing :)  Next, we can turn the pile of bricks into walls!

The Migration

The migration may seem chaotic, but there is order.  For instance, the zebras lead the migration, not because they are fastest, but because they eat the top part of the grass only.  That prepares the grassland for the wildebeest because they graze the lower part of the grass.  A perfect and efficient design.

Being in the middle of the melee was noisy, smelly and amazing.  Zebras are thirsty animals.  They also know that crocodiles are waiting for them in the river.  They run in, grab a drink, then run like crazy to get out of there.  They were plentiful on the Serengeti but we never tired of looking at them as they are beautiful to watch and always seemed to be doing something interesting.

The babies are brown, except when they are covered in mud!

Methane from Manure

We visited Daniel one day to see how he powered his home with one of the most rapidly renewable resources in Tanzania, manure!  He is the "mayor" of his village, he could name each Canadian province and its capital, all of the 50 US states and he was the developer/inventor of the process of capturing methane from manure to power his home.  He spoke 3 or 4 languages, including English, fluently.  We had a fascinating conversation about politics, not just Tanzanian politics, but world politics!  

Oh, and did I mention that Daniel is an educated, but not a "schooled" man.  I think he's only had a few years of any formal schooling.  It was really enjoyable few hours that we spent with him. He taught us about his culture, showed us a traditional house, let us try to throw a spear, took us through his methane manufacturing "plant" and invited us to his modern home that is completely powered by the gas he makes out beside the barn.  I bought the most beautiful and intricately beaded basket from his wife who had beautiful beaded art for sale in their living room.  This visit was truly an unexpected highlight.

Daniel, the teacher.

The methane "plant"

Daniel

A Visit With the "Mamas"

 Our visit to the "Mamas" (my post 02/23/2012) was one of the highlights of our trip in 2012 and I'm sure looking forward to another visit!  Last time we bought lots of their jewelry, brought it back, and sold it on Andi's online store, JamboCreations. Everything we made was used to help the Mamas and their children through the building of Nashipay Kindergarten, which is under construction as I write this.

Now, we need more of their creations.  We are going to take some raw materials from here (beads, wire etc), give them to the Mamas when we arrive and they will have our custom order ready 2 weeks later when we leave.  So, come summer, JamboCreations  will have some beautiful new pieces to sell to support the school.

Shopping Trip

Fabulous Fiddlestix, Monkey Mischief, Toobers and Zots!!  Sounds like fun.  I just placed our first order for things to take for "our" school.  I can just imagine the look on the kids' faces when they see these "toys".  To us they are educational toys, but to them??  You see, they have never had toys before.  What a joy to experience this with them for the first time.

Jim and Lorraine got boxes of crayons the other day -- hard to believe crayons aren't widely available in Tanzania, but good crayons aren't.  Just a few more things to get here to take with us and the rest we will shop for there.  Just watch us become kids again!

Maasai Mash

We partied for money!  And what fun it was -- we threw a bash complete with DJ, a cake walk, spot dances, a looney tooney draw and even a short concert.  We crammed a lot into a few hours and all left feeling full.  Full of fun, full of the satisfaction that comes from doing some good in the world as this was a fundraising event for our partners, the Maasai of Makuyuni.  We made the Cook Street activity Centre rock!!!!

Creativity manifest and donated for the cake-walk.

We crammed a lot into a few hours: dancing, cake walks, spot dances, a looney tooney draw, a concession.  And we raised over $1000 for our cause.  A win-win.

It takes a village!  Look at all these beautiful volunteers!  Hugs to all!

And even some costumes ......

The Invitation

From the beginning of our planning process, we had been going to stay in Makuyuni Village in relative luxury.  Private room with bathroom, running water, indoor plumbing -- all the conveniences we take for granted in our daily lives.  I thought this looked pretty comfortable, considering that we were in a relatively small village in a rural part of Tanzania.

Then, a week or two ago, we got an invitation via Cathy, the director of the Maasai Conservation Fund, and the angel that is planning our whole experience.  Cathy says:

"The villagers of Makuyuni Maasai village are anxious to invite all the volunteers to stay at their boma (homestead) rather than the volunteer accommodations that have been arranged. 

This is a wonderful opportunity for you to experience life in a traditional Maasai boma where you can take part in such activities as milking cattle, Maasai games, story telling around a campfire, visiting Maasai wells, walking with warriors to learn about local plants and animals, how to identify various animal tracks, traditional Maasai dancing and singing, beading with the women, fire starting etc."

All I can say is WOW!  What a great opportunity.  Then the doubts came flooding in:  How will I bathe, wash my hair, keep my clothes clean, go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and on, and on ad nauseum!!  And this got me thinking about how, in our comfortable world, we take the basic needs of life for granted.  They are just there for us, without us having to participate much -- except maybe to pay the bills.

And how kind of the Maasai people there, Clamian and Cathy to go to so much extra work to ensure our health and comfort.  We will each have our own tent, private chemical toilets, water daily and even someone to prepare special meals for us.  Such high maintenance, but still they invite us, still they want us to share their lives with them for a couple of days.  What generosity on their part!  And on my part, I am so grateful that they have extended this invitation that will open my eyes and my heart to a new view of the world.

Dancing the Night Away

We had a fundraising event last week called the "Maasai Mash" to raise money to furnish "our" school.  What fun we had!!  It is amazing how many people it takes to make an event like that happen.  There were a lot of moving parts!  A cake walk, spot dances, a short concert, a looney tooney draw and a concession and we raised money by charging a looney or a tooney to enter each one.  Each volunteer gave it his/her all -- it was a total team effort.

 The cakes for the cake walk were donated by members of the community.  They were beautiful and creative!

We planned and promoted for the previous 6 weeks and by the time the evening came everybody was pumped.  The icing on the cake (pun intended!) was that we were able to celebrate the ground breaking that had taken place in Tanzania just 2 days before.  A great cheer broke out when I made the announcement.

When all was said and done, we raised over $1000 to furnish the school and had a great time doing it.  A win-win for sure!