50 Families Have Cows and Goats

The recent drought in Kenya, the worst in 40 years, devastated families across the region. Over the last several months, there’s been enough rain to pool areas of water and encourage grass growth, both of which are needed so cultivated livestock can survive.

While we waited for conditions to become sustainable, we trained three new and six reactivated LAB groups. Previous participants welcomed back the LAB program, which has taught livestock management and disease prevention since 2011. New participants also received training over the summer as a way to prepare them for their cows and goats.

In December, we purchased the livestock from the market. Our donor community helped us buy a total of 25 cows and 50 goats. A person received either two goats or one cow, which means that 50 families benefitted from the Restock & Restore Campaign. One woman even walked five miles to the meet-up spot—without shoes on. When our team asked if she needed to borrow a pair to walk back, she said, “I have a cow now—I don’t need shoes.”

Lives Have Changed Already

Cows and goats change everything for families in need. Especially after the long drought, livestock gives hope to people who lost animals and income. Those who own cows are given more respect by their peers—and have more confidence in themselves. Cows are a long-term investment for Maasai livestock farmers. They equal currency and can either be used as payment or sold for money. They’re also an important, inherent part of Maasai culture, both in ceremonial and practical use.

As an organization that relies on donor funds, we at Water is Life Kenya want to use our hard-won resources in the right way to get the desired results. We understand that the first step is to help people develop as individuals before transformation can happen at the family and community levels. Part of our mission is to equip Maasai with tools that develop income through improved resource management. Getting high-impact results in human development provides the evidence our generous donors need to know that their money is being used well.

We support Maasai livestock farmers, both in and beyond the LAB program, so that they can continue this long-practiced tradition. Livestock is life for Maasai and, through sharing what they learned, LAB graduates are spreading prosperity throughout their communities.

Entering the New Year with Cows

This first distribution inspired great hope in the communities we work in. People who hear about the distribution have approached our team, asking to be on the list for the next distribution.

Well, earlier this month we celebrated the 90th birthday of our Board President, Francis X. Tannian. Instead of gifts, family and friends donated cows in his honor. 22 recently purchased cows will be distributed on December 30th, right before the new year.

It’s shaping up a to be a bright 2024 for them and many other families as we continue this transformative work across Kajiado County, Kenya.

The post Cows and Goats: Gifts of Hope appeared first on Water is Life Kenya.

Training Highlight 1: Leadership & Ground Dynamics

The new LAB groups this year are from Kitirua, Esiteti, and Kelunyet. We train groups rather than individuals because by working together as a team they are more likely to be successful. Some of our first training sessions this summer taught participants about group dynamics and leadership roles. As you may remember from your time in school, perhaps the best way to learn–and remember–key lessons is through interactive demonstrations.

One example of a training activity is moving a full glass of water on a blanket as a group. Each person holds a corner of the blanket with the glass in the middle, then they have to move. The goal is to keep the glass upright, symbolically showing how members of the group need to work together—or else the water falls over.

We also teach using examples that Maasai are familiar with. This way, they can more easily connect the lessons with their businesses. In one training session, we use animal metaphors to identify group member personalities to decide what job each person should have, and which personalities to be cautious about. For example, someone who has the traits of a giraffe—with a vision for the future—would be a good leader. On the other hand, someone with the traits of a snake—quietly scheming for his or her own gain—needs to be watched closely.

Training Highlight 2: Livestock Disease Practical

Another key element of our LAB trainings is to identify previous business problems so that they can be corrected. Some participants have kept livestock before, while others are looking forward to owning their first animals. Either way, Maasai herders tend to manage livestock like their neighbors, even if those neighbors are practicing bad business techniques.

Our program teaches groups best-practice livestock management, disease prevention, control, and drought resilience. We instruct these farmers on livestock market surveys, timely buying and selling, budgeting and record-keeping, and grass conservation and management, all of which help increase profit margins. The goal of LAB is to help people have healthier herds, and more stable incomes, for the long run.

Recently, our new groups came together for the first time to participate in their Livestock Disease Practical. Participants learned valuable lessons as local veterinarians demonstrated how to care for, treat, and prevent illness in their livestock. Some members have used medicine before, but scarcely and often in ways not based in evidence.

This hands-on practical not only gave LAB members experience in administering medicine, but also empowered them with confidence to treat their animals from life-threatening diseases. By learning about common threats to their herds, farmers can be better prepared to identify warning signs of disease, prevent livestock casualties, and keep their animals vital. In turn, teaching LAB groups these skills offers the chance for better profit margins when it’s time to sell in the market.

Training Highlight 3: New Business Seminar

No matter where you are in the world, starting a small business is challenging. So, to cap off these critical training, we also hosted a three-day New Business Seminar in Oloitokitok. For many participants, this was their first traveling this far from home–and sleeping in a hotel!

Alongside local business experts, our team instructed LAB groups in keeping records, managing their herds, the best times to buy and sell, and navigating market days. Two of our LAB groups are women’s groups, and most of these women never attended the livestock market before. By practicing with a mock market, they got to practice bartering, speaking up for themselves, and having confident postures. All the lessons they learned these days will be practiced as they move forward with their groups.

After these training sessions, some people are already putting their lessons into practice. One woman named Nkameroi convinced her husband to sell two bulls in order to buy another breed. Likewise, Nailepu told her husband that her business was failing because of its location, so he’s building her a small shop. This direct application of their new skills shows how eager they are to learn as much as possible about making the most out of what they have.

Looking Ahead: Market Day for Old and New Groups

For LAB participants, these core trainings inform their decisions in the coming years. The LAB program lasts 4 years, with the bulk of new trainings occurring in year one. After that, it’s about practicing, learning from mistakes, and working as a group to turn a strong profit.

Currently, there are six LAB groups in years 2-4 of the program. There was a seventh group, but their area was hit especially hard by the drought, so they decided to opt out of the program this next year.

After trainings, the critical portion of the LAB program are the livestock loans we give to groups. With cash in hand, we send these groups into the livestock market to buy animals when the time is right. The ideal market day–right before the seasonal rains–is approaching soon. With their new knowledge, the groups make reliable profits after this initial purchase. The money made by each group is also saved or reinvested so that groups eventually will no longer need the loans. This, in turn, promotes further community development because overall more money is in circulation.

We’re excited to watch as old and new LAB groups come together on market day and put their loans to good use. Soon, they will join the over 650 LAB graduates who’ve already changed their farming practices with this model. We can’t wait to see what they can accomplish, both together and on their own.

The post Livestock as a Business: Fall 2023 Update appeared first on Water is Life Kenya.

To coincide with the Great Migration, officials from Kenya and Tanzania have created the first annual Maasai Culture Week in Narok, which is just outside of Maasai Mara. However, you can learn more about how Maasai pastoralists interact with local animals without having to leave your home.

It’s All About Cattle

We already know the Maasai have a close cultural connection with cows and livestock. Not only are they synonymous with currency and wealth, but they also are used ritualistically for various purposes (such as a dowry or a payment).

Water is Life Kenya (WILK) helps Maasai maintain their traditional culture while benefitting from social institutions (like schools and businesses) so that they can choose how to live. One way we accomplish this is through our Livestock as a Business (LAB) program. We offer microloans and training to groups in Kajiado County so they can learn better livestock management skills. These groups can save or reinvest their improved earnings into preventative treatments and better cattle selection. We, then, build on indigenous knowledge to set our groups up for greater success.

Even though LAB was on hiatus because of the 2.5-year-long drought in Kenya, previous LAB groups managed to keep at least some of their cows alive. We did, however, have a graduation ceremony last year for the groups that previously completed their training. Now that the drought is over in some areas, LAB has restarted its program for four new groups (about 60 men and women): Nasinya, Lelem, Naretoi Noonkishu, and Nasaru Kuku.

Goats and Sheep, Too

While some Maasai women do have cattle herds of their own, most prefer to have smaller animals, like goats or sheep, that are easier to care for and provide more immediate means of making a profit. In fact, the widows from our first Hope for Widows group will give baby goats to the new group at the next Goats & Grants ceremony later this month!

The LAB and Hope for Widows programs offer both training and choices for women. WILK teaches women in these programs skills to use to build their businesses. Maasai women already have experience working with animals, so this training gives them opportunities to make enough money to care for themselves and their families—even during extreme drought conditions.

Don’t Forget the Wildlife

There is an indigenous animal population to live with, too. Recently, some of our friends have dealt with a lion attacking livestock in several areas. There are also elephants that really like our borehole water. And then there’s the Great Migration, which is in Kenya during this season. Maasai and Kenya’s wildlife have learned to coexist, but there are times when sharing the same land can be difficult.

Learning new skills and building on existing knowledge can help Maasai overcome challenges that they face daily. We at WILK want to give our friends every opportunity to not only succeed but also thrive. We can’t wait to tell you more about our newest LAB and Hope for Widows groups and all the things they achieve!

The post How our Livestock as a Business Program Upholds Maasai Tradition appeared first on Water is Life Kenya.

Life for Maasai women has never been easy. Even now, many women will remain uneducated, marry young (without choosing who they will marry), bear an average of six children, have full responsibility of their household and family, and stay fixed in a cycle of poverty. Because Maasai value cattle more highly than women, this is not an easy cycle to break. That’s why we’ve developed several programs and services specifically for those who are most in need of help.

Specifically, WILK empowers women by teaching them skills to develop into business people and diversify their business opportunities. By switching away from a reliance on livestock—which, during a drought, causes tremendous challenges—our programs help women by giving them entrepreneurship skills and teaching them to work collaboratively. In this way, the cycle of poverty can be overcome and, one day at a time, women can be uplifted.

First Comes Water

The most direct way to help Maasai women is to bring the water to them. One of the daily duties for a woman is to collect enough water for the day. Water is used to clean bodies and clothes, prepare meals, make tea for guests, and feed the animals. But finding water is a problem in such an arid region. Often women must walk for hours just to find water, and then they have to turn around and carry it back to their settlement. Water is found in low-lying areas, so that journey home literally is an uphill climb.

Our WASH projects bring water to these women, saving them hours of time and labor. This gives women a chance to start their own businesses (more on that later) so that they can make and, more importantly, save money. Also, girls who used to accompany their mothers on these water-seeking trips have a better chance of going to school. The water collected from the boreholes is clean, which prevents water-borne diseases in people and their livestock and controls the spread of diseases through handwashing. Because “water is life” for the Maasai, we can help these women have a better quality of life by reducing their burdens.

Taking Ownership Through Building Businesses

Men in Maasai communities have been far from home with their cattle as they search for water during a three-year-long drought. Therefore, the onus of taking care of children falls on the women left behind. That includes paying both borehole and school fees. Widows have a more difficult time generating income since they’re at the bottom of the social totem pole. Fortunately, some women can build on Maasai cultural strengths, like livestock-keeping and beadwork. They also learn to think like business owners and generate more profit based on their location and circumstances.

We started our LAB (Livestock as a Business) program to help Maasai learn new strategies for raising livestock, including cows, goats, and sheep, and managing the drought cycle. We also provide loans and teach them to manage their money and create higher earnings. That money can be used to reinvest in more cattle as well as pay for education costs. We have trained more than 400 women in our LAB program, empowering many of them to own and manage their own livestock for the first time.

Maasai also have a tradition of making beaded handicrafts. Our artisans can make paper beads or glass-beaded jewelry, ornaments, and accessories. When we buy beads directly, artisans are paid upfront—they don’t need to wait for tourists to stop at their villages. When we sell beads on our website, the money goes back into future water projects and other programs we have to support women in Kenya.

We began the Hope for Widows Program specifically to help widows start businesses that help them pay for daily expenses they cannot afford. These businesses range from selling clothing and beads for tourists to preparing and selling food to people in their community. This provides widows with greater autonomy so that they aren’t begging for food and money like they used to do.

Special Cases

In spite of all the ways we try to help, we can’t overcome every obstacle. With a prolonged drought, Maasai women had more obstacles to overcome. Without water, people and animals can’t thrive. The search for water gets longer, which prevents women from generating income through business. Tourism stalls. Schools are empty. The cycle of poverty remains intact.

Until the seasonal rains come back, women still need our help. We’ve started the Special Faces, Special Cases sponsorship program to help as many women and children get through the drought. The best way out of poverty is through education, and donors can sponsor children by covering school expenses that Maasai women can’t afford. Eventually, those children will grow up with a renewed sense of self and purpose as well as knowledge they can use to rise out of poverty.

Women Helping Women

When we help women, we support each other. It doesn’t matter if those women live down the road or in Kajiado County. It’s important for us to empower each other in whatever ways we can. We at WILK will continue to think of new ideas that support Maasai women and encourage them to gain skills and gain confidence in order to improve their lives.

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