The latest news from the Maasai community in Eremit
January was the start of another year of charity works by MANDO in Kenya. Our warmest thanks go to all who have helped the charity to achieve this milestone. This year, we are concentrating on increasing our boarding schools enrolment through the sponsorship program and improving facilities at the school of Enkoireroi in Eremit.
The school sponsorship program is now gaining quite a reputation in the area with many parents trying to get their child a place for supported school. We are still restricting entry to sponsoring children who would not otherwise go to school due to poverty, so nearly all our children have illiterate parents and come from homes made of twigs and mud. It’s not the best pool of children to create a centre of excellence, but so far we are producing some impressive results. Our thanks to the teachers and the children sponsors through CICAN, for making this possible. After five year of collaborations and planning, in March 2014, our first girl, Tentemo Lesale has now has been sponsored to attend St. Elizabeth Girls Academy in Karen. She is the first girl to be sponsored to attend such a boarding school in the region, thanks to her sponsors through CICAN, a US based educational sponsors organization collaborating with MANDO for projects in Kenya.
Esther Tentemo Lesale, at St. Elizabeth Academy, Karen
Sponsor children
I was keen to meet all the past sponsored children in our recent visit, ideally at their home so that they would be more than just a name on a page for their new US sponsors. I hadn’t realized what an unrealistic aim this was. Any request for a home ‘address’ was met with;
“She lives over there (vague gesture), in the mountains.”
“How far?”
“Very far”
“Can we go by road?”
“No, no road.”
“How many minutes walk?”
“One hour, actually, more.”
So, most of our sponsor children walk more than two hours a day, just to get to school. MANDO advertised for a Maasai sponsor volunteer administrator and we are pleased to announce Elizabeth Kiya is joining us in this role. She is an excellent administrator. Her job is to ensure the children attend school, encourage them to keep in contact with sponsors and help with small problems such as new shoes, or simply writing paper. She appears to know everyone in her community so has been a good source for identifying suitable children for sponsorship.
I was surprised to learn that Elizabeth had invited all the sponsor children’s parents to her house to meet the MANDO board on our recent visit. I felt honoured and humbled that they all came – it is, after all, a long walk. Kipas Lekina, one of the fathers, says “I can not find the right word to say but a great burden has gone. Thank you from my heart”.
Past sponsored children attend the Eremit, Enkoireroi and Kimelok Primary School which gives a good opportunity to the girls. They are delighted to be at school and all seem to love reading story books in English. All wear uniform but for some the clothes have more holes than fabric!
Girl-child education
Early this year, MANDO through its US collaborator – CICAN, managed to secure a sponsor for Nkina Tinti.
Nkina Tinti and MANDO Founder Michael Sayo at Enkoireroi Primary school
Enkoireroi primary school is a collection of tin buildings mostly on community land, some with dirt floors and like many Kenyan schools is public run. Mr. Kingori, the head, is struggling to make ends meet and because he doesn’t own the school, cannot invest any money in it nor can he afford to pay experienced teachers. Teachers posted by the government at the school are few compared to the number to classes. Mr. Kingori have to work with the management committee to have parents meets cost to employ new teachers for the school.
To add to his problems, the recent droughts mean there is no money to pay for school fees so pupils are leaving. The fees are very low by western standards – normally just within the budget of a poor person. Over the past 3 years approximately to 15 girls drop at the Eremit and Enkoireroi schools due to early pregnancies.
We conclude that investment in this school is not viable, given the lack of land. Without investment though, the school’s future is hanging by a thread and if Kingori loses any more pupils she will have to close.
Teachers here say children will always want to go to school if only for the sugary, milky tea or porridge at morning break, usually their first food of the day. That may well be true but their enthusiasm for learning and to do well at school is unquestionable. Many of the older children ask me to say hello to their sponsors and to say they are grateful for the opportunity they have been given.
Embarbal Nalepo, 8 miles Enkoireroi School
The village elders call a meeting on Sayo’s land. About 60 people turn up. They give speeches about how important education is to the Maasai now and how, if the boarding school is built, they will do whatever they can to support it. The community is enthusiastic.
Most of the people here today live in manyattas – a collection of basic, traditional, windowless huts made of wood and cow dung. There is little inside each hut other than hide covered, raised, separate sleeping areas for men and women, a fire with no chimney and a couple of cooking pots. At the centre of the manyatta is a pen for goats made of thorn bushes to protect them from wild animals. The manyatta is surrounded by the same bushes.
MANDO decided to initiate discussion with CICAN with a view to build a new boarding school ready for the school year beginning January 2017. Pokidala and Mpatenga generously donate 2.5 acres each of their own land – the minimum size the government will allow for a school. It’s currently rocky and full of vicious thorn bushes but in a beautiful spot.
It was our plan to look for sponsors for needy children on completion of the new school but if we wait, many will leave school early due to poverty. We will try to find sponsors now.
Microfinance
During our recent visit to the community, we are invited to a meeting of the Olomayiana Women Co-operative, a group set up by MANDO and CICAN and with 15 members. We are impressed by its organisation and determination. In December 2013, 10 women were loaned 6,000 Kenyan shillings (just under $80) and 5 women loaned 10000 Kenya shillings for the women. The group loans money, with interest, to its members for projects such as growing and selling vegetables and paying school fees. The money is always paid back, on time. Mary the group’s representative is proud of her group and says “give a Maasai man 500 shillings in his pocket and he has no money. Give a Maasai woman 500 shillings and she will make every penny count”.
Michael looks a little out of place but is welcomed none the less and we are given a delicious meal of stew and chapati. Maasai men would not cross the threshold, apparently. MANDO are impressed and resolve to recommend a small interest free loan add to the group.
Being Maasai
What particular difficulties the Maasai face, an visitor may ask hile at the community; . Education, water and health are top of his list:
There is poor or no access to hospital. It can take a day to get to hospital in an emergency such as childbirth. Malaria is a problem and nets were handed out by an American charity but no one knew what they were for or how to use them. Many people have unspecified eye problems. They would like to learn about sustainable agriculture. In spite of leading such tough lives, the Maasai are a very happy people.
We ask Suyianka Lemurua an old elder in the community to tell us what he thinks is good about being Maasai. “That is a difficult question. A very difficult question.” We won’t let him off the hook. He thinks for a few minutes. “Maasai are happy, satisfied with their life, whatever comes, no matter if it is difficult. They are patient, disciplined, kind, and honest. No greed or jealousy. They are positive”
What’s next for MANDO Charity Projects?
I will be writing to the sponsor to give them some information and photos of the sponsor children end of the term results and performance of the girls. We will be working, full steam ahead, to raise money for the new sponsorships next team of needy girls and new boarding school.
The pants run……..
Many Maasai children cannot afford underwear. We intend to distributed 250 pairs of pants to the children before the end of the year. So they have no excuse. We invite volunteers to run donations drive towards this noble cause.
Water – clean or dirty, is a constant struggle in the area. During the rains, there is always somewhere to find water, whether it is collected from your roof or a small stream, but during the 8 months per year without rain, it may mean a 10-20 mile round trip to a dirty pool. Five years ago we installed roof water catchment into the above school, and this is still supplying about 300 school children daily with clean water. Soon, we will start drilling a bore-hole at the nearby market; thanks to new US partner Green Empowerment coming on board. The drill will give free water to the community, the school and eventually a health clinic. About 2000 people will gain from this new source of clean, local water. See the next newsletter for the progress.
Thank you
As always, many thanks to our wonderful sponsors, supporter and donors, as without your help, these improvements would not happen. 100% of any money we receive is spent on the projects in Kenya.
Michael Sayo, Founder & Director, March, 2014