Today I visited the Kipeto Community in Kajiado, about 55 km from Nairobi in Kajiado District. I was invited there by Maggdalene Esekei, a friend of Jane Cooper's who found this blog a while back and asked me to get in touch with her Maasai sister in Christ.
Maggy met Jane back in the US and has been trying to raise funds for a borehole back in her home community. The community struggles to find water after the rains leave in June and the dams dry up in October. Even using the exposed water of the dams is risky, posing health hazards like the recent malaria outbreak here which killed a mother and child.
My colleague Sam Mutua addresses the women
In meeting with the community, my colleague Sam and I listened to their stories of struggle and small success. Men own and take care of the cattle here, seen as the only source of wealth, leaving the rest of the work to the women (child-rearing, food, water, shelter, etc.) Compounding the problem is that the cattle are the only means of wealth generation, leaving the women entirely dependent on the men to buy anything, from medicine to school fees.
The women here are very skilled in beadwork and before we left presented us with some very nice gifts: a beaded belt and a runga, or beaded staff. Maggy and I have agreed to work together along with Jane to secure funds for a borehole. The women would like to use the borehole to grow vegetables and create a local center around the water in which to sell their vegetables and beadwork. With closer and cleaner water, these women and their families will have more time and resouces to generate income.Traditionally, the Maasai marry off their women at a young age (as early as 13) for anywhere from five to twenty cows. Returning as an educated woman, Maggy is a role model for her entire community, proving that a woman's education is a longterm yet profitable investment.
A sign of peace and hope
No comments:
Post a Comment