Sunday, April 30, 2006
My Village Needs School
The photos above are of Arusha, where Lepapa is attending school, and the main road out of Arusha south to the Tarangire National Park area, and some of the wildlife found in the area.
The following is an excerpt from an email sent by Lepapa giving an introduction to his village.
My village is called Loiborsoit A. It is in a new region called Manyara near Tarangire National Park, about 100 km south of the Tanzania capital of Arusha. It is off the main paved road going to Ngorongoro Crater. At Meserani on the main road we take a dusty road then pass Lokisale, Terrat,Sukuro, Narakawo,Loiborsirit, Emboreet and others.
It is in a district called Simanjiro where the main economic activity is livestock keeping and farming but this year most of the livestock died due to lack of rain. The same thing with farming and there were almost no crops so things are very difficult now.
The main thing that can help my fellow Maasai is education but most Maasai cannot take their children to school because of the poverty-they can't pay school fees. There is also a shortage of schools-the nearest is 50 km. There is no nursery school and sometimes I used to try to teach English, Mathematics and Kiswahili. It would really help to have a school. I must go now because I have run out of time. I am at Internet in Arusha and have paid for one hour.
Lemorani Supai(Good Morning Warrior)
Here are a few Maasai words and phrases that Lepapa sends to us.
Lemorani supai: Good morning warrior
Yeyo takwenya: Good morning Mother
Papa supai: Good morning Father
Sere: Goodbye
Kule: Milk
Yeyo njaki kule: Mother can I have some milk?
Ngiri: Meat
Iltunga'nak: A crowd of people
Lepapa Ole Nengeliai
I am Lepapa. I will send email messages to Steve and he will post them after he returns from Peru on June 7. For now I have one photo of me in traditional Maasai clothing. If possible, my friend will post some excerpts from our communications that might interest people who wish to know more about Masai people.
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Introduction
My name is Steve Short. I am a Canadian Photographer who went to Africa in 2005. While camping in the Serengeti I shared a campfire with a 20-year-old Maasai warrior who was being employed as what he called, "a security man". That meant that he had to stay up all night to keep the fire going and to protect me from lions and the many other dangerous things that prowl the darkness of the Serengeti Plain. And he did it with a spear.
One night we discussed Lepapa's dream of one day being more than a security man. He knew that education was the key but the wages of a security man are very low, even by African standards and there was little chance that he would be able to make enough to pay for safari guide school. He was committed to getting educated and had already proved himself as he was the first of his district (pop. 5,000) to finish high school. If he could go to safari guide school then he might be able to get a better job then save enough to go to college.
Ultimately he wanted to help his people adapt to rapidly changing times. He talked about the problem of the women having to spend so much time travelling 20 km for water daily, even when they had baby at the breast. He talked about trying to educate the children of his village under the shade of a tree near his village but that the wind and duststorms would blow their meagre school swupplies away. If he could just get educated then he could help his people.
THat night I told him I would try to find ways to help him further his education.
When I returned to Canada I showed slideshows of my Africa trip and managed to raise enough from my small Rocky Mountain community to pay for Lepapa's tuition, room, and board at Safari Guide school. Since then he has been able to get a government sponsorship to attend community development classes at a school in Arusha, Tanzania. THanks to the people of Fernie, British Columbia, relativces and friends from Ottawa and the United Kingdom, he has been able to continue his studies. Expenses such as food are not covered so when we can we send some money to him by Western Union. He needs about $50.00 a month to maintain himself. THis blog is intended to help raise funds for Lepapa's education and to establish stronger conn3ections and understanding between his Maasai culture and those of us in the first world who take so much for granted. Lepapa has been corresponding with me over the past year occasionally by email. He must walk 10 kilometres and pay to use the email. It's not like here in Canada. Everything is much tougher. Not to mention the fact that there is a lack of clean available water, infrastructure is poor and opportunities for a life beyond mere survival are dreams.
Lepapa has already shown he is a man of courage and vision so I have set up this blog as a voice from Africa that is pursuing a dream that will benefit the Maasai.
He will email me his stories from time to time and I will post them on this blog. I hope you enjoy them and find it in your heart to help.
We already have strengthened the connection between Fernie, B.C. and the Maasai. Teacher Fred Geitz and his son Eric travelled to Africa recently and delivered clothing donated by Fernieites to porters on Kilimanjaro. They also met Lepapa and aranged to bring back some Maasai spears that will be auctioned here at a slideshow in the late spring. The proceeds will go to Lepapa's education. Thanks to Fred, Eric and the many people who have donated cash and other goods, we have made a difference in the life of someone who was once a stranger, is now a friend, and will surely be a leader of his people someday.
One night we discussed Lepapa's dream of one day being more than a security man. He knew that education was the key but the wages of a security man are very low, even by African standards and there was little chance that he would be able to make enough to pay for safari guide school. He was committed to getting educated and had already proved himself as he was the first of his district (pop. 5,000) to finish high school. If he could go to safari guide school then he might be able to get a better job then save enough to go to college.
Ultimately he wanted to help his people adapt to rapidly changing times. He talked about the problem of the women having to spend so much time travelling 20 km for water daily, even when they had baby at the breast. He talked about trying to educate the children of his village under the shade of a tree near his village but that the wind and duststorms would blow their meagre school swupplies away. If he could just get educated then he could help his people.
THat night I told him I would try to find ways to help him further his education.
When I returned to Canada I showed slideshows of my Africa trip and managed to raise enough from my small Rocky Mountain community to pay for Lepapa's tuition, room, and board at Safari Guide school. Since then he has been able to get a government sponsorship to attend community development classes at a school in Arusha, Tanzania. THanks to the people of Fernie, British Columbia, relativces and friends from Ottawa and the United Kingdom, he has been able to continue his studies. Expenses such as food are not covered so when we can we send some money to him by Western Union. He needs about $50.00 a month to maintain himself. THis blog is intended to help raise funds for Lepapa's education and to establish stronger conn3ections and understanding between his Maasai culture and those of us in the first world who take so much for granted. Lepapa has been corresponding with me over the past year occasionally by email. He must walk 10 kilometres and pay to use the email. It's not like here in Canada. Everything is much tougher. Not to mention the fact that there is a lack of clean available water, infrastructure is poor and opportunities for a life beyond mere survival are dreams.
Lepapa has already shown he is a man of courage and vision so I have set up this blog as a voice from Africa that is pursuing a dream that will benefit the Maasai.
He will email me his stories from time to time and I will post them on this blog. I hope you enjoy them and find it in your heart to help.
We already have strengthened the connection between Fernie, B.C. and the Maasai. Teacher Fred Geitz and his son Eric travelled to Africa recently and delivered clothing donated by Fernieites to porters on Kilimanjaro. They also met Lepapa and aranged to bring back some Maasai spears that will be auctioned here at a slideshow in the late spring. The proceeds will go to Lepapa's education. Thanks to Fred, Eric and the many people who have donated cash and other goods, we have made a difference in the life of someone who was once a stranger, is now a friend, and will surely be a leader of his people someday.
