Building Maasai Culture project
The recent difficulties faced by the Maasai people have caused many to abandon their traditional life and move to urban areas. Cultural volunteers work with the Maasai people on ways to preserve and expand awareness of the culture. The Maasai people have a unique culture and love to share their traditions and history with visitors.
Building Maasai Culture
Maasai is the correct spelling of this noble tribe: it means people speaking maa. Masai was the incorrect spelling of the British settlers and has remained in current use.
The Maasai have always been special. Their bright red robes set them apart visually. Spear in hand; they are calm and courageous regardless of the danger. The armed British troops who drove the Maasai from their lands 19th century had great respect for these fearless tribesmen. Up until recently, the only way for a Maasai boy to achieve warrior status was to single handedly kill a lion with his spear.
When you see a Maasai for the first time, you will likely agree with what Karen Blixen (Isak Dinesen) wrote about her experience in East Africa in her book out of Africa.
Volunteer responsibilities
1-Volunteers will get involved with the local school Teaching, playing with maasai child ren’s and students, and exchanging cultural experience with maasai school staff.
2. volunteers help to document maasai current culture and traditions. Volunteers collaborate with the Maasai people on methods to preserve and document their traditions and language. Example few past volunteers in USA able to documents and moderate maasai clothing and to create a Maasai cultural group known as Molan maasai culture where they do buy cloth and ornament clothing in maasai style right while also involving in maasai wood curving now this group is shiping clothes to America and getting more sell to American Africa culutural shops.
3.Volunteer spent time in community in their host families , doing their cultural activities and sharing cultural values such milking cows (to keep you informed 7-maasai are the Good livestock keepers) so volunteer learn the cultural way of milking cows and milk goats .
4. Volunteer students learn and documents the wonderful way of preserving maasai foods products such as cultural way of preserving milk, preserving meat, drying preserving and processing hide skin to useful products. Fast way of changing milk to
5. Volunteers can choose an option to join in maasai hospitals and clinic to assist doctors and nurse in minor works such as measuring patients tamparatures, minor wound surgeries’ etc
6.Maasai women Micro-entrepreneurship training, most maasai women are non-economical productive to families. volunteer can join and train maasai women to become productive member of societies by training to have micro-entrepreneurship such as local tailoring, or to become productive artist of their culture.
7.Vet nary &agricultural professional can join to help Maasai to train them how to control livestock diseases and involving and handling livestock cases such as treating while assisting the livestock officer of the particular area
8.Volunteer can join in with Maasai celebrations! And experience way of dancing(a jumping dance while pronouncing Huh u huh u hu its very interesting ) And visiting some Maasai cultural tours area and even if you have nothing planned, each day the children will never be far aware trying to catch their house guest's attention!
Accommodation
EMF Volunteer Travel manages room/food for volunteers. Volunteers will live with a Maasai host family and will be provided with local meals three times a day. You will be living in the Maasai village and will become a part of the Maasai village life. Maasai homes (monduli) are generally very basic mud or metal huts with no running water or electricity. However, despite the basic living arrangements, volunteer workers are well catered for and extremely well looked after by their hosts. You will also get to try traditional Maasai food such as mandazi, ugali, chapatti, mboga and irio.
Volunteers will also have an access to our office in Arusha Tanzania and mobile number of our coordinators. Our staffs also visit volunteers in each 4 -7 days interval as a part of the program. Details covering living accommodations provided prior to arrival
Volunteers can organize several combinations of potential excursions during and after the project to visit places of interest. There is a tourist infrastructure already in place in Tanzania that the volunteers can use during weekends. Weekend excursions in Tanzania could include national parks, markets, museums, restaurants, nightclubs, tourist villages, mausoleums, art galleries, golf courses, crocodile farms, nature trails, hotels, s shoprite and many more
Why Volunteer in building Maasai culture?
Volunteering offers us an opportunity to see the world through new eyes and to understand it. When we experience different cultures and alternate ways of living, we not only develop an appreciation and compassion for others, but learn to better understand ourselves, and ultimately grow in that understanding.
The beauty of volunteering lies in the fact that when you give, you receive so much more in return.
You will:
- Gain self - confidence and self esteem
- Discover your strengths and talents
- Have compassion for others
- Raise your social awareness
- Interact with a diverse range of people
- Make life - long friends
- Create challenging and fulfilling experiences that will turn in to long - lasting memories
- Volunteering also enhances your working life
You will:
- Learn social and technical skills that are transferable to any business environment
- Develop interpersonal, team - building and problem - solving skills
- Gain international hands - on work experience
- Explore exciting career options that will take your all over the world
- Clarify your career path
By volunteering with EMF, you will change the lives of others by gibing them the hope to realize their dreams. In doing so, you will inspire others to give of themselves, after such an experience, you will undoubtedly glow, and those around you will bask in your light.
Qualification
There is no specific qualification needed to join the Maasai culture project other than fluency in the English language as well as a desire to help document and preserve the Maasai culture. Projects may vary and can be tailored to fit the skills of the volunteer. However, volunteers are expected to be flexible and patient. Volunteering in this program can be combined with other Maasai volunteering to round out your Maasai experience.
Accommodation
EMF Volunteer Travel manages room/food for volunteers. Volunteers will live with a Maasai host family and will be provided with local meals three times a day. You will be living in the Maasai village and will become a part of the Maasai village life. Maasai homes (monduli) are generally very basic mud or metal huts with no running water or electricity. However, despite the basic living arrangements, volunteer workers are well catered for and extremely well looked after by their hosts. You will also get to try traditional Maasai food such as mandazi, ugali, chapatti, mboga and irio.
Volunteers will also have an access to our office in Arusha Tanzania and mobile number of our coordinators. Our staffs also visit volunteers in each 2-4 week interval as a part of the program. Details covering living accommodations provided prior to arrival
Volunteers can organize several combinations of potential excursions during and after the project to visit places of interest. There is a tourist infrastructure already in place in Tanzania that the volunteers can use during weekends. Weekend excursions in Tanzania could include national parks, markets, museums, restaurants, nightclubs, tourist villages, mausoleums, art galleries, golf courses, crocodile farms, nature trails, hotels, s shoprite and many more
If your interested with the project program you can contact us at @enrichingmaasaifoundation.