Maasai Warrior

I'm very happy to write to you I would like to take this opportunity to introduce my self My name is Lepapa Putari Ole Nengeliai. I am a Maasai boy and I was born in a village called Loiborsoit A in Simanjiro District of Tanzania. It is 100km from Arusha Town, the capital city of my country. I'm very lucky among the Maasai children because I'm educated and I thank God for that. In my distict and village I'm the first boy to attend high school and college so this is a very big thing to me and the Maasai society.



In the year 2004 I completed A-level studies in Kilimanjaro region there after I have been working in a Tourist company here in Arusha as a security man. My responsibilities was to protect the clients who were on safari from the wild animals. I worked in Serengeti National Park where I met my Lovely friends from Canada- Mr Steve Short and his wife Mrs Bernie. I was protecting them the whole night and I had my Maasai spear and bush knife which are the weapons I used to take care of the clients at the bush.

I shared a fire place at night with Steve and Bernie and I'm very happy to meet them there. We became very good friends to me and asked me many things about the Maasi culture and also I asked them if they can be able to help me to go for a tourguide school.

I have attended a tour guideschool because of there support then later I got luck to attend a college which is providing bachelor degree in community development were I'm studing recently. I have got a lot of support from Fernie friends in Canada and other friends who steve has found for helping me.

My parent lives at the village and I stayed one year without attending the college because my parent are not able to support me and this is a big problem which is facing most of the children at the village [maasai land] Some time when a child finish primary school if it is a boy his parent take him to look after livestock and if it is a girl her parents find some one to marriage her in order for them to get a price or cows. It pains me a lot because I have investigated since I went to school that nothing compares with education. Education is the key of life for example if you get education when you complete it the government or Non-governmental organization employs you and you will be in a good position of life and also to help the community and the nation at large.

The aim of me to attend the college is I wanted to provide the knowlegde and skill which I got from school to eradicate ignorance at Maasai land and try to teach them how the world is going today. There is a lot of things which the Maasai do'nt know like diseases- most of them know nothing about all of this.

My school name is called Community Development Training Institute -Tengeru [CDTI] in Arusha. I'm happy and I'm enjoying my studies very much. I'm in the second semester for first year and October I will be the third semister for 2yr and the duration of this college is three years so I will complete October 2008.

In Maasai land we have a shortage of schools this including nursary school and here is primary school but is far to some of the student also we have lack of clean water, hospital or health center. I have an idea of finding ways of doing some development in my village and the district too.

I used to teach kids near the tree which is inside our home village. It is a big scheudle tree but I use to have a lot of problem like winds e.t.c so I'm praying to my God to help me and care till I finish my studies and try to find ways and means of helping this Maasai Generation.

Also I'm happy to tell every body that last week the college did election for the student leaders but I was very happy that I'm elected to be the Minister of discipline and relations at my college and I do hope that I will be the leader of the Maasai community in a very few years to come.

Thanks all and my God bless you all.