WHERE TRADITION MEETS TECHNOLOGY
Maasai women are instrumental in developing sustainable livelihoods
Maasai culture is organized in age groups, each with its own obligations and responsibilities
The Kitengela plains lie right on the edge of Nairobi city. The Maasai community is threatened by encroaching development and slums.
Maasai women are instrumental in developing sustainable livelihoods
ACACIA MOYO IS
CULTIVATING WISDOM AND GROWING
SELF - RELIANCE
With its familiar umbrella shape, the acacia tree that dots the plains of Kenya provides food, shade and a welcoming arena for both wildlife and human beings. A hardy species, it survives drought, flooding and often fire.
The Kisuaheli word “moyo” literally means “heart” and “spirit” - in keeping with our ACACIA MOYO program, which we believe will provide a safe, welcoming and inspiring learning environment where the skills and concepts that students learn will outlast the many obstacles they will face during their lifetimes.
Acacia Moyo
ah-kay-sha moi-yoh
Acacia Moyo works with the Maasai community in Kitengela, Kenya. The map below shows the Kitengela area, just south of the Nairobi National Park (NNP) - territory that has been populated by Maasai for decades. They inhabit this land along with their livestock and the abundant wildlife that roams freely from the game park into the Kitengela dispersal area.
Nairobi National Park lies just south of the city. Kitengela comprises the area directly south of the park, indicated by the green line of the Mbagathi River. The town of Kitengela is located on the main road from Nairobi.
From Kitengela, one can see the ragged Nairobi city skyline, which seems to come closer every day as the city spreads relentlessly over the plains.
To get quick cash, Maasai sometimes have to sell off their land. Every time some land is sold off, the new owner fences it in. The result? Less grazing for livestock and wildlife, and disrupted animal migration routes. A Maasai without land is
no one. He cannot marry without livestock, he has no wealth. He usually
disappears into the slums, and loses the support of his community which is diluted by his loss. if Maasai youth leave the community for ragged edges of the city, the community cannot survive. And if too much land is lost to development, it will cause havoc to the seasonal migration routes of some species, and it will dramatically reduce grazing areas for livestock and wildlife. In effect, the Maasai are the unrecognized custodians of the wildlife. And the wildlife is at the heart of Kenya's tourist industry. The Maasai, their land and the livestock and wildlife form an intricate and delicate ecosystem. If one part fails, the rest will collapse.
OUR GOAL IS SIMPLE
to prevent the sale of land by working with the community to jointly introduce and develop various sustainable,
income-producing activities
ACACIA MOYO programs include enterprise creation as a measure of human dignity rather than strictly as a measure of GDP. As people learn alternative ways to grow food for themselves, build and install their own models of energy creation and explore new approaches to self-sufficiency, a shift occurs - away from the burdens of poverty and despair towards what may be, for many, the first-time sense of self as a contributor empowered to support the well-being of family and community.
ACACIA MOYO - WHERE TRADITION MEETS TECHNOLOGY is fiscally sponsored by Creative Visions Foundation (CVF). CVF is a publically supported 501c3, which supports Creative Activists who use the power of media and the arts to affect positive change in the world.
I'2021 By Acacia Moyo