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!!

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.

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!

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.

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.

A Good Foundation

We had such great news last week.  They have started the school in Tanzania!  We had the most uplifting and encouraging e-mail from Clamian, along with some pictures.  The world seems so small and accessible.  We can send money one week and the next week see it put to good use. It feels like a true partnership, with each partner having a equally important role to play.

Clamian shares, "As I am writing this email, I have just arrived from Makuyuni where we went to lay the foundation for Nashipai!!!!! I tell you, we have a great time of laughter with villagers today. (Nashipay is the name of the school -- it means "friendly people" in Maa, the language of the Maasai people)

It's indeed a dream that came true. It was amazing and exciting to see villagers coming out to work and spend their whole day working for Nashipay. We even planned to celebrate with a little football playing.  But, because Nashipay is very lucky, we got some rains in the afternoon and could not have chance eventually. I tell you, people where very happy,cooperative, and very helpful to Ngowi [the builder]..."

Looking things over

Getting to work!

Getting it right!

I was so glad to see the women involved too.  

Happiness in action!

The Next Step

The brick-maker was funded and working.  Men were learning new skills.  The site of the brick-maker had become a gathering place for the community.  We felt we wanted to do more, take on another project, but what?  There was talk back and forth about a clean water system -- that sounded reasonable to us.  The question was; one big system for the whole community or individual small systems that could be installed for each family.

Clamian met with the other Maasai Elders and they discussed it.  In fact, it seemed to us like they discussed it "pole pole" (slowly, slowly).  And while we waited we continued to raise money, knowing that it was important that we partner on a project that they determined was their top priority.  And finally they decided.  The first priority was a kindergarten school, the second priority was a medical clinic and the third was a leadership centre.  We had no argument with those priorities!  I can only imagine the process of discussion, commiseration, consensus that likely took days and numerous cups of tea.  It was a partnership made in heaven -- we raised the money and halfway around the world they found the land and made bricks every day, knowing that one day we would have enough of both to build a school.

We had the vision for the school and uniforms from a school that Clamian went to see in Kenya.  It was great to see what we were working toward.

The Road After

Usually when I return from a trip, I think fondly of the places I've been and get on with my life.  Not the case with Africa.  I was warned, "Africa gets under your skin."  In fact, several people told me that in the months before we left.  Now I know what it means.

Before we left, our Spiritual Community had decided to undertake a global outreach project.  We didn't know where or what, so when we made our departure Rev. David said, "keep your eyes open for something that might be a fit for us."  I had no clue and no expectations!

Clamian turned out to be the connection we needed.  We evaluated several options, but each one had 40% to 60% of their donations go toward administration.  This was not a good fit for us.  We chose to help the Maasai of Makuyuni because it fit with our objectives and because we could send money directly to Clamian and the Maasai through the Maasai Conservation Fund, which was totally run by volunteers.  This meant that 100% of anything we sent would be put to work to help the Maasai.  A sweet deal!!

Our first undertaking was to fund the brick-maker implement they requested.  Through generous donations both inside and outside of our Community, we wire transferred the money.  Before long we received pictures and a receipt for the purchase of the brick-maker.

 Learning to become "manufacturers" is a whole new way of life for these Maasai Warriors.

The first 2 bricks!!!!

 The site of the brick-maker has become a gathering spot for the villagers

A great start for our first building project -- Nashipay Kindergarten School.

Visit to a Boma

A Boma is defined as an enclosure and for sure that's what it is.  The Maasai live in bomas just like this one.

Notice the sharp poles that surround the enclosure.  This "fence" is made from special trees with sharp thorns to prevent animals from coming into the living areas.








The Maasai are nomadic, so will move from these dwellings every 5 years or so.  This is necessary because they depend on good grazing for their cattle.  Once the plain is grazed, they must move on and they leave their homes behind.







One day Clamian asked us if we wanted to visit his Uncle's Boma.  Of course we did!  We entered the Serengeti Plain and made our way towards a distant hill, seeing all kinds of amazing things on the way.

The Serengeti is vast and there are roads all over the place.  How they ever find their way around there is beyond me.  At one point, Clamian said to us, "We're lost right now, but we'll figure out where we are later, OK?"

No problem!  We knew the boma was at the foot of a distant hill -- it was pretty easy to keep the target in site.

These two hyenas are waiting for a chance at lunch!

 

 Ostriches were easy to spot and there were lots!








After a long drive and lots of animals, we arrived at the boma to a heartfelt welcome.

This lady is a relative of Clamian's, an aunt I think, but he called her his "Mama".  He hadn't seen her for 20 years.

She was so happy to see him.  It was very touching to witness this tearful reunion.  Unfortunately Clamian's uncle was away, but we were welcomed with open arms and invited to go wherever we wanted and to take pictures of anything we wanted to.








We knew this was not a "tourist" attraction, but the real thing.  What a privilege for us!

Some people were happy to have their pictures taken.

These young girls were a bit shy and reluctant, but they did enjoy seeing their pictures once we had taken them.  They don't see a lot of tourists.






 



We were invited inside one of their dwellings.  The typical home is one room and does not have lights, windows, floors or furniture. Food is cooked over an open fire in the middle and there is an opening in the cone-shaped roof to let the smoke out.  Beds are made on platforms and cattle have a place too.  The people spend their time outside during the day and at night the only light comes from the fire.  It took awhile for our eyes to adjust from the bright sunlight to the darkness inside.

This lady was very hospitable and through Clamian, showed us around her home.

It's pretty dark inside, but look at the beautiful bead work!  Just a typical day at home!!

It was time to say goodbye and one of Clamian's cousins asked if we could give her a ride as we were going her way.  She and Clamian had a long conversation and he later explained that a couple of weeks earlier, 2 small children disappeared from the Boma during the day.  It was feared that they were taken by a leopard.  So sad, but reality of life in the Boma.

See my next blog for pictures of birds and animals.  The diversity is incredible.  What a country Tanzania is -- so rich in culture and nature!