The Drying Maasai Lands

The Maasai are one of the oldest and most culturally rich communities. Formerly nomadic, they are now a pastoralist society, settled in parts of Kenya and Tanzania.

Since 2019, we have been collaborating with the Maasai, residing in the Losimingori village of Arusha, Tanzania, to build a community centre cum museum that serves the tribe as a place for conducting business, and getting digital skills, and catering the tourists.

In December 2021, during our on-ground research in the village, we observed the effects of climate change on the land and its people.

The residents of the village share that deforestation and climate change are two major factors for this problem.

Lengima Tayai has been a resident of this village for almost 40 years. He shared that earlier, the village had a river flowing through and the area was full of green grass.

The land is now barren. “We would use the long-dried grass to build roofs on our homes, but now there is no grass for it.”

“We have to protect our soil, as it holds all the water that is needed for plants to grow”, Lengima shared. Since there is no grass, the people have to walk long distances with their cattle to find grass and water. 

“The biggest solution that we need is to harvest rainwater. People need tanks for their homes. Every village needs a tank to accumulate rainwater. The water stored in the tank will help the people, villages and forests.”

Ester, another resident, shared, “I feel free when it rains. The water is readily available.”

The community received good news in December 2021, when the US-based DML Group started a fundraising campaign to build a water tank near the community centre.

The construction of the tank was completed in July 2022 and will now serve water to nearby communities.