Education is a very important initiative for our Moran Chief Commander & our Manyatta’s Chief Advisor. In 2009 with the worst drought of the past decade destroying most of our cattle, our newly elected Moran Chief along with thousands of other Maasai, was forced to discontinue his studies and seek employment in the tourist city of Mombasa. Starting January 2014, thanks to a sponsorship for his studies, our Chief Commander will finalize the two years left of his high school education (Form 3 & 4).

 

We estimate that 2% of all Maasai have completed high school education. Maasai men with a college education and women with any sort of education are even more rare.  While many of us are receptive to the education concept, most of our people have little understanding on how it will improve our daily lives.

 

The daily 20 km walk to school is especially dangerous in the early hours of the morning when our kids leave and at the end of the day when they return back home.  The nearby river, which attracts elephants, lions and hyenas is most visited by these predators at such hours.  The 4-hour daily walk is the only viable option for children pursuing education. There is a boarding option, but the cost is double. The nearby school 3 km away is three times more costly.

 

Approximately 50 children from the least fortunate families out of the total 150 children with less than 15 years of age residing in our Maro Manyatta can afford and attend school. Children attending school pay approx. 25,000 Ksh per term / 75,000 Ksh per year, equivalent to almost $100 annually, not including uniform and other costs. This cost is steep, especially when bearing in mind our Mothers earn no more than $1 day and have almost always more than one school age chld. It is not uncommon for children of these less fortunate families kids to work in the fields on weekends to raise funds for tuition.

 

The fortunate few that finish high school do not typically attend university. In addition to lack of funds, there is no counseling and virtually no understanding on how to apply for educational grants or scholarships. There is no electricity at our Manyatta and no local access to computers, internet, libraries or any local educational resource centers.