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 always belonged to the Maasai, who 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 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.

     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.