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!

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

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.

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!

Claimian and the Maasai

Synchronicity -- our whole trip was based on a series of seemingly unrelated events that came together to create one of the most memorable experiences of my life.  By some act of Providence, Clamian, the owner of Warrior Trails, decided to come with us on safari.

Clamian Kitesho

Discussing the day's plan

 Each day was customized for us. Our main goal was to see animals, but Clamian would organize the day to include other activities  about which we had expressed an interest.













 We had this comfortable Toyota Land Cruiser for just the 4 of us.  Lots of space and the vehicle is customized for optimal viewing for everyone.

Our ride

Clamian attended a school just like the one we visited.

It is often not a high priority for boys to go to school because they are needed to tend the cattle.  For the Maasai, cattle are like money, so it is easy to see how families focus on their livelihood rather than the education of their children.

Note the traditional houses in the background.

Tending the herd

It must have been his destiny to get an education because he had to overcome formidable odds to get through school.  A 7 km walk, each way!  A school with scarce resources!  Cultural values that did not support higher education!  However, he had inspiration from an Uncle who is well educated and this man encouraged Clamian to persevere and get a degree in Tourism.   He obviously had the spark within, because it is clear that he is doing what he loves.

 Clamian is an expert in the flora and fauna of his native land.  This herb is one the Maasai use to make mattresses. It works as a natural deodorant.

                             



 It worked well in the car too, on a hot sweaty day!













He worked for a number of years for one of the larger safari companies in Tanzania and then started his own company, Warrior Trails  http://www.warriortrails.com  Our safari was such a well-rounded experience because of the cultural aspects that were offered.  We had some long drives, but he entertained us with lots of stories and willingly answered our endless questions about the wildlife, Tanzanian politics, the Maasai culture, tradition and his own life.

Spotting the leopard

A teachable moment

"The Mamas"

In Maasai culture, female relatives are all called "Mama" and one day Clamian took us to meet his "Mamas".  This was actually a women's co-op created to help women support their families.  You see, when a Maasai woman loses her husband to AIDS, illness or anything else, she becomes ineligible to re-marry and must provide for her children.

Clamian is a Maasai Junior Elder, so it is his responsibility to help his people.  He created this co-op to help these women support their children.  He told us a story about how one of his clients bought a cow for one of the women, giving her milk for her children and a degree of wealth, as in their culture, wealth is measured in cattle.


This large group of women make jewelry to sell to tourists.  Each one of them has a story, and we were anxious to help.

 We had such fun buying pieces that we thought would sell in the new Etsy Store, Jambo Creations

Now we had the connection, the circle was complete.  We could support the "Mamas" by buying their jewelry as the starting point for our own creations, sell it online, and send the profits to help the school to buy textbooks. 

We bid the "Mamas" goodbye and Clamian assured us that we had helped some people eat better that day.

Shopping in Tanzania

Our idea for Jambo Creations was taking form and originally we were going to buy the fabrics, beads etc in Tanzania and create fashion accessories inspired by our travels there.  There was inspiration everywhere. Beautiful fabrics, lots of color, jewelry. Just look at how these women are dressed as they go about their daily round.  Much of their time is spent fetching water and wood.  It is not unusual for women to walk 5 to 7 K each way per day to bring home water.




















We knew that the beautiful pieces we saw would be marketable, but as we took a closer look we could see how intricate and labor intensive this work is.  However, the solution to this challenge lay in the future.  See my blog, "The Mamas" coming up to see how beautifully it all came together.




                                                                                   

Shopping was so much fun