Masaai and the challenges of women empowerment

Training can transform Masaai women's lives.jpg

ALOYCE NDELEIO
Dar es Salaam

WHEREAS women the world over have embraced the principles of women’s empowerment, Masaai women seem to lag behind as they continue to remain inferior to men and have little opportunity for advancement without help.

This situation has forced some philanthropists and people of goodwill to champion and put their effort in rescuing these women from such unacceptable environment bearing in mind that salvation of women from gender suppressions issues lies the hands of fellow women, specifically the educated ones.

Among them is Leila Ansell, the founder of the Karatu Masaai Women Group who says: “After having gained education in western countries I returned back to my home country Tanzania ...Here my mum has established a safari business. This indeed has meant decades of hard struggle for acceptance in the male dominated African business world.”

“At the beginning I experienced the role which gender still plays in my country. However, nowadays I’m running a very successful hotel business and have several women employed here, who I strongly encourage to climb the ladder and expand the role of women in society.

“Nevertheless, I also explored that women still do not equally gain from these changes. Those resing in remote areas are in particular still victims of suppression. The worst example for this can be found in the Masaai tribe,” she contends.

Paradoxically, whereas the Masaai men nowadays enjoy the gains from modernization, their women are still being suppressed far away from civilization just as they were hundreds of years ago.

Focusing the life of Masaai women Leila noted: “You might wonder why especially the Masaai have caught my attention. Indeed, I believe that these people are one of the smartest people in this country. No wonder I have employed several of their educated men in my business”.

The population of Masaai is about 1 million and are dispersed throughout Tanzania and Kenya. They typically live in more rural and isolated communities. As such, they are generally poorly educated (if at all) and lack access to health care.

The women are burdened by the strong traditional gender roles that give women an inferior status in Masaai culture. Women are left as the sole providers of childcare without any sort of medical care during pregnancy, birth (with the exception of a midwife), or post pregnancy care or advising.

Leila says she strongly considers the Masaai women to have capacity to become Tanzania’s leading figures of the future adding: “Nevertheless, to become our women of the future these women first have to be empowered with the help of other women, to eventually also breach the obstacle of a male dominated society”.

Thus, the Masaai women are suffering from a traditional gender comprehension which is probably incredible for all women enjoying the freedom of western countries. “Hence, it became my key concern to make a change to the Masaai women in Tanzania, by empowering them through education,” she adds..

She however points out that due to the fact that this is an enormous project she will not be able to make it up on her own only with donations from her clients. So far standing behind her is a non-governmental organization, Zara Charity which has been established by her mother that includes the project under their patronage.

Masaai Women's Group

Masaai women receive even less education than men and have little opportunity for advancement. Moreover the women are poorly lagging behind, due to their burden of a traditional inferior role within their community.

In order to rescue them from such appalling traditions, under the auspicious of Leila, Masaai Women Group was formed which focuses specifically on the plight of Masaai women in Ngorongoro area.

Nevertheless the specific goals of this group are to help women obtain education, health care, and skills they need to realize their full potential and empower them to pursue their own dreams and ideals.

Training Centre for Masaai women

In order to rescue women from such a predicament, Leila is determined to build a training centre that will be used to make change to the lives of Masaai women within their societies.

She says education represents the key to their empowerment adding: “Only if these women could contribute to the income of the villages they would be increasingly respected by men. Hence, the women strongly need some simple skills for example in accounting, health education and languages to improve their lives”.

Leila says her aim is to purchase land outside the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in order to build a Masaai Women’s Vocational Training Educational Centre in the highlands of Karatu. “We have already contacted an architect, who has made a budget for the project of about $ 555,000,” she further explains.

“We take this amount as a goal. This might sound a lot for African construction in the beginning. However, not only a class room but also accommodation for students and teachers as well as washing and dining houses have to be built,” she points out adding: “Moreover, running costs have to be added such as food, materials and salaries for the teachers”.

According to Leila, it is important to build the education center in that way because it is only by granting women a total living that they could concentrate away from their daily tasks solely on their education for a certain period.

Indeed, for their future the skills learned at the center shall help these women to rise above their restricted positions in society and to grant their family a better living by establishing their own businesses or getting employed. Eventually, they can realize their full potential and be empowered to pursue their own dreams and ideals..

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