By Stacy Harris | Program Manager
Thanks to your support we will be officially opening our "Community Watering Area" on November 27th. We are allocating 2 hectares of land where we will pump clean water from the river for the Masai women. We are going to cut there walk down dramatically and they will have a place to rest, in the shade, and a place where the women can fellowship. This is the official beginning of our Woman's Group. We will also be planting out 500 trees at the "Community Area" and another 5,000 trees will be planted in the community. Over 1,000 students are expected to attend. This will truly be a great day for the community. As we bring clean water and food, we are literally bringing life!
The Masai women have to work so hard everyday just to survive that we are grateful for the support of Global Giving and its donors. Instead of a 3 km walk each way, now they will only walk less than 1 km. But the best part is, we have started a garden in the "Community Area" The women are being trained in agriculture and we will be planting, greens, beans, melons and tomatoes Now we will be able to give them water security and food security. We already have 15 women signed up to volunteer to work in the garden and many more are coming. It is good to see them inspired.
The "Community Area" will have calliandra (fodder crops) for the livestock. The Masai live of their cattle and goats and with the drought they have been dying and people have been losing their livelihoods. The herdsmen will take turns grazing as to not overgraze the area. There will also be a watering trough specifically for the livestock. On a recent visit there were more dead carcasses than I have ever seen in my life. Bones littered the area.
"One lady committed suicide because she invested all her money in cattle and they all died due to the drought, also the men are under so much pressure, they are starting to commit suicide. This has never happened in our community" Peter Tingai, Masi Elder/Camp Manager
Life is unbearably tough for the Masai of Kenya, yet through your support we are able to positively impact their lives. I have a special thank you to all our supporters from the Masai women. "If we can get water and food, we will be able to keep ourselves going, otherwise, there is no future in Magadi." Female Masai Worker
CONGRATULATIONS to the Shompole Primary School for taking first place in Kenya Music Festival. Their trip was sponsored by Global Giving supporters who visited the school earlier this year and donated money for their transportation. You can hear them sing on Turk Pipkens video listed on the site. For students to live in such a remote and dry area and to perform at this level, it is truly remarkable. A special thanks goes to Mary Drinkwater, from Canada, who stayed at the school for 30 days and worked with the students.
If you are in southern Florida on November 17th, check out the Miami Short Film Festival and you will see a film about our project and the impact it has on the Masai women. The film was produced and directed by Turk Pipken.
Thank you for your continued support and together we can change the lives of vulnerable Africans. it is not their fault that all the trees were cut down or the water has been polluted, yet they are the ones who suffer the consequences. They have lived here for over 500 years, lets keep them here a little bit longer.
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