By Kim McCoy | Executive Director
Last month the eyes of the world were on Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Athletes from around the world competed for Olympic glory, fame, and in many cases riches. Maasai Olympics Patron, David Rudisha won the 800m event in a convincing and inspiring fashion to become a two time Olympic gold medallist for Kenya along with his other accomplishments of being a world champion and world record holder. David's achievements make him an admired global representative of the Maasai people and culture. Big Life congratulates him and is honored to have his support.
This month in Kenya, Big Life Foundation and selected Maasai warriors are diligently using your donations to organize and prepare for another upcoming Olympics with a one of a kind focus on conserving and protecting wild African lions. Warrior teams have been selected and they are becoming trained and physically conditioned for six regional competitions which will be held, August through October, culminating in the Olympics Day final in December.
Conservation is often not glamorous, it is often driven by unsung heros who have humbly dedicated their lives, and it is often not in the global spotlight but it is fundamentally critical and is becoming more so each day.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature estimates that the lion population in Africa plummeted 43 percent over a period of 21 years to 2014. Along with other species that Big Life works to protect such as elephants, rhinos, leopards, and cheetahs, lions have been on the planet for tens of millions of years and they are disappearing before our eyes in our time. For conservationists including the Maasai who live side by side with these animals, this reality is profound to consider. This is why it is inspiring that the Maasai Olympics were originally initiated by Maasai elders as a partnership to create a better world for people and for lions. Being community inspired and powered by people who live each day with lions has given this event the basis to create lasting, replicable, and truly impactful change.
In November 2015, in order to assess the impact of the Maasai Olympics and progress toward the goal of increased awareness of the importance of conservation, and resultant behavioural change among the warriors (young men) of the ecosystem, Big Life designed and conducted a survey of this demographic (the Iltuati) of the Maasai population. The survey was designed to be repeatable, and will be conducted periodically following Maasai Olympics events, to assess and track changes in attitudes and behaviour among the warriors. This is also part of Big Life's commitment to ensure donor funds are being used effectively. A total of 116 warriors (Iltauti) were interviewed. The following are notable results from this survey:
When asked how they viewed the Maasai Olympics as a way to compete for status and recognition of manhood, something that would historically have been done through lion hunting:
Overall the results from this survey indicate that the Maasai Olympics has had a large reach among the warriors of the Maasai community, and has been successful in imparting the intended messages about the importance of lion conservation, and associated behavioral change necessary to protect lions.
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