Introducing... the Volunteer Safari!

Would you like to effect positive change as you travel?  Why not volunteer on vacation?  The Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust and Campi ya Kanzi are thrilled to introduce the new volunteer safari!  Guests are invited to volunteer with MWCT for three weeks while also enjoying a discounted stay at Campi ya Kanzi.  These guests will receive the same five-star treatment that Campi ya Kanzi is known for while also making a difference for the local Maasai community.

Are you ready to put your talents to use?  By traveling to the Chyulu Hills and the Maasai-owned Kuku Group Ranch, you can support the local economy while also helping to protect the wildlife and people who live here.  Make an impact in the areas of conservation, education, and health as you immerse yourself in the colorful Maasai culture and explore the unspoiled wilderness of the Amboseli-Tsavo ecosystem.  During your stay, you will live in a luxurious tented cottage, enjoy Italian cuisine at Tembo House, and split your time between safari and volunteer activities.  Spend the morning teaching a science lesson to local Maasai schoolchildren, then take a game drive and watch the sun set over Mount Kilimanjaro with a refreshing gin and tonic.  Vacation for a good cause and enjoy the trip of a lifetime as you promote positive change for the Maasai.  Read on to learn how you can help.

 

Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust

  
The Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust is a non-profit organization in southern Kenya that works to protect wilderness, wildlife, and culture across the Amboseli-Tsavo ecosystem through projects that directly benefit the local Maasai community.  MWCT has developed conservation, education, and health programs which demonstrate that the Maasai can thrive by managing their environment wisely.  MWCT employs nearly 250 Kenyans and serves a population of 17,000 Maasai.  To learn more about MWCT, visit www.maasaiwilderness.org.
   

How You Can Help 
      

Conservation

        •    Assist with wildlife counts
        •    Accompany MWCT rangers on their monitoring patrols
        •    Place camera traps in various locations and analyze their photo data of wildlife
        •    Teach lessons about the environment in local primary schools

Health

        •    Participate in health outreach events
        •    Assist the doctor at a local health clinic
                    o    Help with infant check-ups and immunizations
                    o    Record patient data in medical files
                    o    Assist with the dispensation of medicine at the pharmacy
        •    Give health talks in local primary schools
                    o    Possible topics include HIV/AIDS, puberty, and substance abuse

Education
        •    Teach guest lessons at a local school in the subject of your choice
        •    Assist the librarian at the Iltilal school library
        •    Help the teachers to prepare lessons, worksheets, and PowerPoint presentations

Other

We value the specific talents that you bring to MWCT.  Tell us about your skill set so we can put it to use in the best possible way.
        •    Are you an artist?  Paint a mural at a local school or health clinic.
        •    Are you a botanist?  Assist the conservation team with rangeland monitoring.
        •    Are you a photographer?  Take pictures for our website and social media platforms.
        •    Are you a blogger?  Write about your volunteer experiences on the MWCT blog.

Ready to sign up?  For more information, contact bookings@maasai.com.

Education Program Update - End of Term One at Kanzi Academy

Term One has ended at Kanzi Academy, and with it a successful season of learning and discovery.  As the welcome rains of November transformed the savannah from dusty yellow to lush green, the students enjoyed trekking in the Chyulu Hills and exploring the great outdoors.  The Kanzi teachers recognize the exceptional opportunities afforded to a school in the bush and incorporate nature into their lesson plans, building a learning environment that utilizes both the classroom and the world outside.  Experiential learning is key at the Academy, where students strive to understand their role in the community as well as their relationship with the environment.

Class One lines up for a hike in the Chyulu Hills.

 
In the second half of the term, Class 3 explored the theme of "leadership" in spiritual education class, addressing such probing questions as "What makes a good leader?"  Responsibility, trust, connection, tolerance, and empathy were all discussed in detail through debates and moments of reflection.  The facets of leadership were also demonstrated in fun, practical activities such as the "banana operation."

The students continued to benefit from advanced technology in the classroom, utilizing both laptops and a state-of-the-art SMART Board.  These tools enhance the learning experience and prepare students to succeed in an increasingly digital world.
 

Class Three hard at work on their laptops

Kanzi Academy students use interactive technology to complement their lessons.

  
The students enjoyed a musical treat when violinist Barbara Stoddard performed a private concert at the Academy.  The children learned about the parts of a violin, the bow, and the tuning process and also listened to different styles of music.  Meanwhile, in art class, the students had a great time making bracelets and "Kanzi Bears."
 

Students made "Kanzi Bears" as a craft project.

   
At the end of the term, the students got into the Christmas spirit by decorating the Christmas tree at Campi ya Kanzi's Tembo House.  The savannah-themed tree is decked with lions, zebras, giraffes, gourds, and small African dolls.  As the students and teachers head home for the holidays, they wish a joyous season of celebration to all!
 

Merry Christmas from Kanzi Academy!

Conservation Program Update - Rangeland Management Plan

The MWCT conservation team recently conducted a rangeland baseline survey in Kuku Group Ranch to assess grass cover.  Results of the survey showed that most of Kuku Group Ranch suffers from low grass cover and overgrazing.  MWCT will combat this problem by developing a participatory rangeland management plan in partnership with the local Maasai community.  This plan will aim to  prevent overgrazing, to reduce erosion, and to increase productivity of semi-arid land.

Rangeland baseline survey results: This map of Kuku Group Ranch shows the percentage of grass cover in the different rangeland survey plots. The number indicated above each pie chart is the measured percentage of grass cover in that specific plot.

Richard Hatfield and John Oitaos of Natural Capital East Africa are collaborating with MWCT to develop the rangeland management plan.  In mid-October, Richard, John, and the MWCT conservation team held a three-day workshop to lay out the details of the plan to the community.

John Oitaos from Natural Capital East Africa taught Kuku community members
about the different mechanisms of a holistic grazing management plan.

MWCT is also setting up a grass seed bank near the town of Kuku to reintroduce grass to an overgrazed area and to produce grass seed that can be sown in other areas.  A Maasai women’s group will be engaged to manage the area and to harvest and sell the seeds.  In this way, the project will empower local women, build their capacity in the community, and provide them with income through grass seed sales.  Because animal husbandry is essential to the Maasai way of life, MWCT is partnering with the community to improve rangeland management and to secure a healthy future for the pastoralist community.

The contrasting rangeland conditions on Kuku Group Ranch: Overgrazed rangeland in Samai (left)
and the healthy rangeland in the Chyulu Hills (right).

MWCT and Absolute Travel Run the New York Marathon!

We are thrilled and proud to announce that Absolute Travel has chosen to join together with the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust this year to run the 2014 New York Marathon!  

The 2013 MWCT Marathon team!

Absolute Travel, named Travel + Leisure's World's Best Tour Operator, has put together an incredibly impressive team of 8 runners (all AT staff!) that will run alongside team MWCT at the beginning of November! 

 Joining from Kuku Group Ranch this year to run the marathon will be MWCT President and Chairman, Samson Parashina, returning marathon participant (and warrior), Jacob, and a fellow local warrior, Phillip!

An incredible amount of thanks needs to be given to Absolute Travel. Your dedication to join in on efforts of sustainability of conservation as ambassadors of of the planet is extraordinary, and on behalf of the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust, and the Maasai community of Kuku Group Ranch thank you for joining in to raise awareness and funds for the efforts and programs of MWCT. The outcome will have sustainable lasting benefits to thousands of Maasai and we could not be more happy for our joint action! See you in New York! 

The 2009 Marathon Team in the Chyulu Hills - in 2009 MWCT successfully raised
over $1 million towards Conservation, Health, and Education Programs!

Absolute Travel is extending tremendous outreach in hopes to raise $40 000 for MWCT (incredible!), you can support the 8 members of the Absolute Travel team in their efforts by visiting their CrowdRise page here!

Running for the Maasai - A Post by Mark Somen

Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust board member, Mark Somen, chose to share his personal thoughts with us regarding the New York Marathon that occurred this past November. Read about it here!

Running for the Maasai:

I remember marvelling at the fact that 3 Maasai's ran the NY Marathon with shukas and all, in 2009 - accompanied by Luca Belpietro and Edward Norton. I ran my first New York Marathon in November with the team from MWCT. I wanted to share some things that really stood out for me. This was my second marathon - the first being the Safaricom (Lewa) Marathon in Kenya.

STAND OUT #1 - the crows of supporters in New York are famous. The crowds at the Lewa Marathon, well, lets say for much of the route the giraffe outnumbered the humans. So I was expecting huge crowds through New York, but nothing prepared me for the volume, intensity and passion that the crowd brought with them.

STAND OUT #2 - As some of you may know, we flew Jacob Lamaron out from the Chyulus to run with us and for the 2 days before the race, we walked Jacob around the streets of Manhattan. Jacob was dressed somewhat traditionally - and Stand Out 2 was the number of people stopping him to take his picture. Really? I though New Yorkers just dealt with all things unique and unusual...

STAND OUT #3 - pre Marathon party. Modo Yoga, Dina T the yoga instructor, DJ Kylie T, Health Warrior and the fabulous Melissa Chmelar from Spoon - all donating time/food/energy and great spirit to make the party happen; as well as numerous other people. When I think of the fact that we are 7000 miles away from the Chyulu Hills in New York City - and there are all these people who care passionately about MWCT - it humbles me. I am Kenyan, I am on the board of MWCT, I love what is happening there, and love Luca, Antonella and the extended family there - so in a way, I should be doing something. But these random other people - why are they making this a priority? The evening at Modo Yoga and the deep sense of community, sharing and togetherness will say with me for a long time. And the pride that I feel being a part of MWCT hopefully will stay with me forever.

STAND OUT #4 - my immense sense of gratitude. Finishing that distance made me feel amazing, but in no way did I feel it was only ME. The hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers and visitors that carried me though the distance and my many friends who sponsored me to reach my goal of $5000 for my charity. My Italian Maasai friends Luca and Antonella who got me into this incredible family called Campi ya Kanzi and MWCT, my New York (Japanese) running buddy, my best friend who was there practically every step of the day, and of course my lovely wife Yassi and kids. Yassi and the kids for putting up with my never-ending training, as well as giving me that boost just before the 59th St Bridge - boosting me over the bridge and through the second half of the marathon. I am so grateful to you all!

And so my mind turns to the upcoming year, to the next Yew York Marathon, and the words of Nelson Mandela:

"When people are determined they can overcome anything"

I think about the beautiful Chyulu Hills with all the challenges: filling the camp, having enough water, protecting the wildlife, building more schools and clinics - the list goes on. Running 26.2 miles seems like a task that is relatively easy to overcome, when you put it into perspective...

Health Program Update - Trachoma Campaign and Bead Project

Greetings from Kuku Group Ranch! Our Health Program continued its' busy efforts for the month of October. More specifically with a focus on the Trachoma Campaign.

Children que while distribution of Trachoma prevention drugs takes place

The Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust was integral in making the Ministry of Health's Trachoma Campaign a success. Trachoma is an infectious eye disease that can cause blindness if it is not treated in its' early stages.

From October 28 - November 2, MWCT health staff organized outreaches with our ambulance to villages of Samai and Enkusero, Moilo, Singila, and Campi ya Kanzi/Chyulu Hills Conservation and Research Centre (CCRC) to ensure the communities received appropriate drugs to prevent trachoma. 

A very successful campaign!

As a result, we exceeded the target set by the Ministry of Health and provided trachoma drugs to 3300 people in the Iltilal catchment area. What a success!

Another exciting update for MWCT, is the initiation of a new Bead Project. This income generating project has been initiated in collaboration with Campi ya Kanzi to benefit local Maasai women.

Women involved in the beads project

 Every guest from Campi ya Kanzi will receive a beaded bracelet made by women from throughout Kuku Group Ranch.  This project will also aim to improve access to an uptake of reproductive health services, and reinforce public health messages during women group meetings

A bracelet made by a local Maasai woman

Education Program Update - Another week at Kanzi Academy!

We love hearing about what the Kanzi Academy is up to - courtesy of Head Teacher Sarah! Read about the latest from the Academy below:

Jambo! Again, another busy week has been had at the Kanzi Academy! This last week, the children have been planting in their shamba (farm). As part of science, they have been looking at what condition best suits germination... so they have had much fun indeed and taken great care of their plants, which have included maize, oranges, passion fruit, potatoes and much more! Luckily, we had more than 72 mm of rain last week, so everything was well watered!

The children have been practicing acrobatics in PE and loving it! They are very skilful and have been demonstrating excellent balancing and co-ordination. They went horse riding as well, which they thoroughly enjoyed.

Classroom acrobatics! 

A few days back I flew to Nairobi to buy our reading scheme books; (Oxford Reading Tree). The children are incredibly excited and already becoming competent, independent readers and writers! To help remember which page the children are on in their book, we made book marks using a mosaic theme. The children found this concept fascinating, so I think we will be exploring this further.

Tatio, our Maasai elder who teachers Maasai Lore has been talking about nature and the environment with Class 2 as well as telling the children the names of the trees, along with their "medicinal" uses for lotions and "potions"! All the children have been completely absorbed in this. A couple of days back the children and I went on a walk; discussing the environment and noticing the changes around us since the rain. As we sat and talked, Stanley picked up some twigs, a seed pod, along with some dry grass and started to create "bush babies". Such creativity from natural things!

We have been talking about Diwali - the Hindu festival of light. So in art we have been colouring Rangoli patterns. Do not always confuse colouring with something boring! Colouring is almost like a meditation - it relaxes the mind. The conservations and questions that transpired as a result of all sitting around a table and working together was quite something!

Rangoli patterns coloured by two students! 

And whilst I mention meditation - we now have new yoga mats, thanks to Antonella, so we can now relax in comfort. In fact, last weeks' relaxation and meditation was so relaxing that two little souls fell asleep!

So to finish off - our favourite affirmation of the week was "I am unique and valuable".

More to follow next week. Karibu tena, Sarah

Conservation Program Update - New Lion Collars

Kuku Group Ranch, 1133 squared kilometres of communally owned Maasailand, is situated in the heart of the Tsavo-Amboseli ecosystem in Kenya, and acts as a critical wildlife corridor between Amboseli National Park, Tsavo National Park, and the Chyulu Hills National Park. It is crucial for maintaining healthy populations of wildlife and preserving ecological processes.

On Kuku Group Ranch, lion-livestock conflict is considered to be one of the most important threats to the lion population. The increase in human population density results in an increased frequency of contact between people, their cattle and lions. This causes intense lion-livestock conflict that consequently leads to the retaliatory killing of lions. 

The main objective of the MWCT Lion Project is to study the lion's social structure, its' home range and movements, habitat use and diet on the community land. Four new lions will be collared with GPS satellite collars and the diet will be determined using the GPS clusters method. The behaviour and movement of lions in respect to human settlements, water points and livestock will be investigated. More detailed information could help us find ways to more effectively mitigate the human - lion conflict and help us conserve this lion population in Maasailand. 

Lion conflict with people and their livestock has been a serious cause of lion population decline, especially in Maasailand, and therefore it is critical that local communities living with lions are incorporated into lion conservation measures. The Maasai communities who share their land with lions are critical stakeholders in ensuring their long term conservation and MWCT is working with the community to reduce the costs of living with wildlife, while demonstrating benefits derived from lions and other wildlife. This in turn can improve the lives of Maasai people and can be a key contributing factor to ensuring the long term survival of lions in Maasailand.

MWCT Simba Scouts with the four new lion collars!

MWCT has just recently obtained these four new lions collars. The collaring exercise has been planned for the end of November (weather permitting of course).

We would like to extend a word of thanks to the sponsors of these four new lion collars - Apple Inc. via Shari Overstreet (a CyK guest) whom agreed to have CyK conservation feeds and the matched dollars by Apple Inc. put towards the purchasing of these collars; as well as all guests of Campi ya Kanzi as their daily paid conservation fee significantly contributes to the successful outcome of this Lion Project.

Furthermore, through MWCT's crucial eco-tourism partner, Campi ya Kanzi, MWCT is able to utilize surcharges on visitors to CyK to fund Wildlife Pays, a program that compensates livestock herders for losses to wildlife predation. This occurs through a rigorous system of certification and monitoring of best practices. Maasai livestock owners are paid quarterly for value of losses in exchange for full protection of predators throughout the Group Ranch.

The Campi ya Kanzi conservation fee paid by guests significantly cover the annual compensation costs, establishing a sustainable model of Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) around the protection of wildlife, and further emphasizing the importance of the relationship between Campi ya Kanzi and the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust. 

Education Program Update - Kanzi Academy Weekly

A great update from the "happenings" at Kanzi Academy last week. We love to share what is going on at the school, how the students are progressing, and demonstrate the uniqueness of the Academy. Enjoy!!

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What a wonderful first week we've all had at The Kanzi Academy (KA)! All of the children and staff team have settled in really well, which has meant the creative juices have already started to flow!

I like to adopt a kinesthetic learning approach at KA, as children of a young age do not need to sit at a desk for hours on end... they are children! So when learning about verbs, (and children are built for verbs!) we get up, go out and physically practice and demonstrate them; running, jumping, eating, laughing, clapping, climbing, etc. Also, if the children are struggling with a concept in maths, I will often have them stand up, walk around and think on the area that they are having difficulty with, while moving - it really helps. We also do this in relaxation too. When the children are having their relaxation session, I talk to them about "all the difficulties they might have met during the week melting away..."

Kanzi Academy Class 2 Classroom

This leads me on nicely to our affirmations. The children have been writing their own affirmations, as well as choosing different ones to go on our "affirmations door". Everyday the children engage in positive through and have a sense of "I can do". Being a NLP Practitioner, I am very aware of the power of positive thought and see its' benefits when working with young children who can easily become frustrated because they think they "don't know how to do...", which rapidly becomes an "I can't do...". This is an unacceptable hurdle which we can learn to jump over effortlessly.

Kanzi Academy affirmations door

We have welcomed Tatio this week, our Maasai Elder. He has come to talk to the children about Maasai lore, which they thoroughly enjoy. Culture and roots are every important. Whether yours or someone else's they are often interesting, intriguing, and educational. more than that perhaps, is the awareness of responsibility and sense of belonging they give us; a vital life-lesson. Tatio will be doing some exciting, practical things with the children, such as painting their faces red, dressing them in traditional clothes, and more more. Pictures to come!

Class 2 have begun talking about Martin Luther King Jr.; an important and historic African without a doubt. We have talking about his works:

"I can change the world with my own two hands.

Make a better place with my own two hands.

Make a kinder place with my own two hands."

The importance of hands!

This has prompted much discussion, as Class 2 are VERY inquisitive. It has also led nicely into our spiritual education and the importance of hands: giving, hugging, touch, helping/kindness, etc. We have come to the conclusion that hands are very important, both practically and symbolically!

It has also been a very physical week! The children had a wonderful time practicing their teamwork on Monday with Philip as they learnt about relay races. This was not only great physical exercise, but taught them about timing, anticipating someone else's moves, how they had to rely on each other and work together. Tuesday we began swimming, which was great fun. Some of the children have never been in a swimming pool before; so confidence building is what is is all about right now. However, some of the children are already able to use a float and get to one side of the pool to the other in their own style! Our horse riding on Wednesday had to be postponed as supplies were being delivered to the stables. This however didn't stop us having a nice walk to go and see the baby rabbits! Friday saw us finish with a little yoga and relaxation.

Student's in the school yard

Finally, the children have not just been creative with their minds... they have made "trees of life" for the wall, learnt about the Kenyan flag, made hand pictures to go with our works from Martin Luther Kind, and much more!

"Trees of Life"

The above photos are snapshots of our week. Please feel free to post any questions, comments, or ideas! They are always gratefully received.

Asante, Sarah.

An Inspiring Elephant Story

Hello from the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust Headquarters in the bush!  We have a few recent stories about animals on the ranch and MWCT's Conservation Program, including this great news.  In mid-July we had an experience which was incredibly inspiring and heartening, and which showed that the Maasai community has really bought into our conservation efforts.  

Elephants crossing a road on Kuku Group Ranch in front of a Campi ya Kanzi safari car. 

The story begins on a slightly sad note, which is that one of the older wild elephants on the ranch took ill and died.  In one sense this is sad, but on the other hand it means it was able to live a long, full life and die of natural causes - an admirable fate for any large African mammal in these trying times of poaching.  The elephant was noticed by two young Maasai boys herding cattle; they alerted their fathers that an elephant had died.

MWCT's Community Rangers holding the ivory tusks after careful removal.

On receiving this news, the fathers came straight to MWCT Headquarters and notified our Conservation Coordinators of the death.  This was particularly wonderful, as the fathers could just as easily have gone to harvest the ivory and sell it to poachers for a substantial fee.  Upon hearing about the elephant, we dispatched several of our Community Rangers to remove the tusks and give them to Kenya Wildlife Services as required by law, so as to keep the ivory away from poachers and off the black market that has fueled so many elephant kills in recent decades. 

MWCT Assistant Commander Narua gives one of the boys two shukas a reward for his help.

In return for their commendable actions, we held a ceremony at the local school in which we honored the actions of the shepherd boys and their fathers in front of their peers.  One of the boys, a student, received a full new school uniform, and the other received two new shukas to wear around the village and while herding.  Our Head Ranger Muterian also spoke with the other students about how important their tips can be, as most schoolchildren act as herders and roam the bush during weekends and school holidays.

MWCT Head Ranger Muterian speaks to students on the importance of conservation and MWCT.

It was truly a moving occasion to see the Maasai community take such pride in doing the right thing to conserve their natural resources and biodiversity, especially when it would have been so easy to sell the information to poachers.  Events like these show that MWCT is truly making a difference in the lives of the Maasai and making substantial progress in helping locals to view their animals and land as valuable treasures.

Maasai Warrior Ageset Graduation Celebration

In early May MWCT had the great honor of witnessing a truly rare Maasai celebration, one that occurs only once every 15-18 years -- the graduation of a new age set into warriorhood.  The age set is a unique social structure found across East Africa in which Maasai of a similar age are grouped together.  They begin their warrior training together, and this year the most recent generation is graduating into morani.

A warrior carries the beautiful ceremonial horn that provided accompaniment to the singing and dancing.

The cerebration and ceremony last for four days, but we witnessed a special portion near the beginning in which the new warriors leave their previous boma (collection of households) and construct a new boma to live in for the duration of the ceremony.  There is also a ritual ceremony involving four white female cattle and one black male cow, seen in the photo below.

Warriors gather around the ceremonial cattle in the shadow of Kilimanjaro. 

After a short dance at the old boma the entire group walked around two kilometers to the new site, herding the five ceremonial calves and carrying the warrior group's flagpole.  This was followed by much singing and dancing by the warriors, which was quite the amazing spectacle.  The final part of the day's celebration involved starting a fire to signify the commencement of building the new boma.

Health Coordinator Lena Koh with Anne, a Maasai woman who does a lot of translating for the Trust.

In the end it was an amazing day, and one that almost no outsiders have ever been allowed to witness.  It is a testament to the partnership MWCT has built with the Maasai community of Kuku Group Ranch that we were allowed to view and record parts of the ceremony; we are very thankful for this.  Events like these are exactly the type of cultural heritage we're trying to help preserve, and it was gratifying to see it on such beautiful display.

Warriors gather around to start a fire at the new boma site.

MWCT Community Meeting

In late April MWCT hosted a meeting for all of its employees with the purpose of making sure everyone understands the aims and goals of MWCT's programs, how everyone is helping achieve these goals, and how it affects their communities.  Because we have a large number of employees and their individual tasks are often quite dissociated from the work of others in the Trust, we realized a meeting like this would be an excellent reminder of everything the Trust is accomplishing throughout the Maasai community.

All-employee meeting held in an Iltilal Village meeting hall.

Despite intense flooding due to heavy rains more than 50% of MWCT's 230 employees made it to the meeting in Iltilal Village, so it was a great success in that regard.  We began with short presentations on the Conservation, Health, and Education programs, and then opened the floor up for questions and comments.  Finally several community members told stories about how important the Trust was in their lives, and about the need to come together and be supportive of MWCT's activities.

Health outreaches like this one are one of many ways the Maasai benefit from MWCT's work.

The meeting was a great success because it allowed employees to get a true sense of the larger organization they are a part of, and to see the wide variety of ways the Trust is involved in the Maasai community on Kuku.  When our employees realize they are part of a wider group all working to improve the lives of the Maasai, they can travel home and spread this news to the rest of the Maasai.  Because it was such a good success, it was agreed we would hold a similar meeting every spring.

The kids at Kanzi Primary School also appreciate everything MWCT does!

MWCT's Community Involvement

Often this blog details the dedicated work of MWCT's three main programs in Conservation, Health, and Education, but it is important to remember one of the pillars of everything MWCT does: our involvement with the local Maasai community.  The Maasai of Kuku Group Ranch are the reason we exist, and they make our daily work worth doing.  In the past few months we've been honored to be involved in several important community events, providing excellent opportunities to remember why we do the work we do.

Three members of the Langata women's group display their beaded jewelry.

We've already detailed our adventures at the First Annual Maasai Olympics here, here, and here, and written about a celebration of a young women's group here.  We've also been encouraging the work of a women's group in Langata Village that has been crafting beautiful beaded jewelry.  Formed in 2009 when severe drought killed crops and forced families to search for alternative revenue, the group consists mainly of older women.  Our eco-tourism partner Campi ya Kanzi has graciously offered to help sell this jewelry in their gift shop, supporting the efforts of these local Maasai artists.

Village elders bless young women taking part in an alternative right-of-passage ceremony.

MWCT also collaborated with AMREF to sponsor a three-day workshop in Iltilal Village exploring alternatives to the traditional right-of-passage ceremony for young women, which involves female circumcision.  Over 200 young girls attended the workshop, where the dangers of circumcision were outlined and an alternative ceremony proposed.  On the third day this ceremony was held, with the entire Maasai community participating and the village elders blessing the young women.

Samson leading the community barazaa and explaining the new ambulance.

Finally, MWCT held a barazaa (community meeting) to announce the arrival of an important new part of the Health Program - an ambulance!  Nicknamed Anna (after its donor, Anna Kulidjian), this ambulance greatly expands the reach of our medical capabilities, and will allow for rapid transport of very sick patients, something that was previously impossible.  Samson presented the vehicale to the community and explained how it will be used; to cover costs and instill a sense of community ownership, there will be a small fee for emergency use.  It was well-received, and the Maasai are very happy with this new convenience.

A Community Health Worker examines our new ambulance.

Maasai Ceremony for Women's Group

In January MWCT had the opportunity to assist with a truly unique celebration that happened in Langata, on Kuku Group Ranch -- a ceremony celebrating the achievements of a local women's group.  Started by a local Maasai woman named Sylvia, the group focuses on a variety of women's issues, including forgoing the traditional Maasai female circumcision and improving literacy and education rates among girls.  Sylvia has been working with the young women of Langata for some time now, and came to MWCT for assistance with a ceremony to celebrate their achievements thus far.

A Maasai woman leads the chorus of mamas singing to their daughters and the other young women in attendance.

Traditionally education has been seen as much more important for Maasai males than for females, and very few girls have continued their educations past primary school.  Instead, they have been circumcised and often marry at young ages, providing their families with a source of income through dowries.  Furthermore, education is not seen as necessary to a girl's life, as they will simply become housewives and mothers.

A very large crowd of Maasai gathered for the celebration, many in bright, traditional Maasai clothing.

Sylvia and her women's group has sought to change this dynamic and improve the position of women in Maasai society, and so far it has been a very successful initiative.  Several of the girls have already entered secondary school, with more slated to do so next year.  Perhaps even more importantly, the Maasai are beginning to see the value of female education, and this new independence is allowing girls to do more with their lives than ever before.

Sylvia (back center) watches as the women's group performs a skit poking fun at the mannerisms of old Maasai men.

The event was a great success, and attended by a large number of the local Maasai.  It was held at a local nursery school on a Saturday, and MWCT helped with organizing the ceremony.  The girls gave speeches and performed a skit, the older Maasai women sang songs, there was a well-reasoned and civil debate about the place of women in Maasai society, and the oldest Maasai elders blessed everyone present.  From the youngest of children to the oldest of elders and everyone in between, it was a unique and exciting experience made possible by the MWCT team, Sylvia, and the efforts of her women's group.