During the heat of the day people did not travel by foot so much but we would give a lift to people who were going in out direction and in the confines of the small cab, the body odor mixed with wood smoke was something that took a little getting used to.
The Primary school was small compared to the rest we worked with and some students walked in excess of 8km to get there. Some quite old students attended and this came about when a younger member of the family was able to take over duties to chunga ng'ombe - herd the cattle (or sheep/goats.
Some Maasai saw more value in herding duties than they did in educating their children - but in their way, they were still educating them and preparing them for life.
Our environmental project was a success at the school and as with most schools
all the kids took part - it was somewhat exciting for them to have a mzungu call and talk to them, so we were totally unable to work with just the older kids. Joshia read 'Ndoto ya Grace' (see blog) and I had a flip chart with drawing to illustrate the story. Joshia would then ask question and always highlight part where Grace had asked her father about the prospects for future generations if all the trees were cut down in their village.
The tree planting was successful, and the kids stole water (that was supposed to be exclusively for livestock) at night to ensure the survival of their trees. Well there was a competition and they all wanted to win a prize! The best species in the area was Schinus molle - mpilipili which has no use other than to provide shade/shelter, but that's better than no trees!
Well grown Mpilipili tree
Planting Demo
Planting Day!
Prizewinner - all but one, boys!
Through the Assistance to Primary Schools project we were able to supply some 100 desks, 5 teachers' tables and chairs, slates and chalk, text books - there were no new curriculum text books at the school at this time - teachers' copies and paint to renew the blackboards.
The parents were very grateful for this assistance and promised to ensure the survival of the trees.
The Primary school was small compared to the rest we worked with and some students walked in excess of 8km to get there. Some quite old students attended and this came about when a younger member of the family was able to take over duties to chunga ng'ombe - herd the cattle (or sheep/goats.
Some Maasai saw more value in herding duties than they did in educating their children - but in their way, they were still educating them and preparing them for life.
Our environmental project was a success at the school and as with most schools
all the kids took part - it was somewhat exciting for them to have a mzungu call and talk to them, so we were totally unable to work with just the older kids. Joshia read 'Ndoto ya Grace' (see blog) and I had a flip chart with drawing to illustrate the story. Joshia would then ask question and always highlight part where Grace had asked her father about the prospects for future generations if all the trees were cut down in their village.The tree planting was successful, and the kids stole water (that was supposed to be exclusively for livestock) at night to ensure the survival of their trees. Well there was a competition and they all wanted to win a prize! The best species in the area was Schinus molle - mpilipili which has no use other than to provide shade/shelter, but that's better than no trees!
Well grown Mpilipili tree
Planting Demo
Planting Day!
Prizewinner - all but one, boys!
Through the Assistance to Primary Schools project we were able to supply some 100 desks, 5 teachers' tables and chairs, slates and chalk, text books - there were no new curriculum text books at the school at this time - teachers' copies and paint to renew the blackboards.
The parents were very grateful for this assistance and promised to ensure the survival of the trees.
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