Modern Jobs for the Traditional Maasai

Here are some young Maasai and their dreams and aspirations for themselves and their community.

Kaai Ndoika Lengima is a 33 years old computer teacher at the Maasai community centre in the Losimingori village of Arusha, Tanzania. When he was young, his family had a large number of cattle, and he didn’t get in any trouble while caring for them, so his parents enrolled him in a school. He then completed a diploma course in a college in Arusha and became a teacher.

He believes that it is very important for a community to be educated. It is significant in earning good employment, and income and securing a good future for the younger generation. “There is a large number of people in the community who are not educated, and I want to change this balance. I want to educate more of them. People see me as a teacher who can share with them the values or perceptions which can shape their thinking capacity.”, Kaai shared.

Mbayani Tayai is another young Maasai, who is working for the upliftment of youth in the community. He was the first in his family to attend school as conventionally the tribe did not consider it imperative for children to be sent to school. His mother convinced my father to let me pursue an education. He completed his schooling and graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Public Administration.

He now runs a social impact organization called Vijana Inspiring Foundation. They work towards empowering youth and women in Tanzania and East Africa by enhancing their creative capacity. “My dream for young boys and girls is to get a world-class education and for that, we have to move away from the former mode of education and start teaching them digital skills. My goal is to empower the youth of my country. And I am working hard every day to achieve that goal.”, he shared.

Suzie is a 35-year-old Maasai woman, who has been coming to the Nanja market for the past 10 years, to sell fresh fruits and vegetables. She lives near the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, which is around 20kms away from the market. The income she gets from selling at the market is able to sustain her children’s education. She could not continue her own education when she was young but always wished to have pursued it further. “If I could study more, I would set up a bigger business and go to other countries as well.

She has a similar dream for her daughter. “I want my daughter to learn about the business so that she can have a secure future, and travel to other places.”

Christina is a school teacher. She is happy and proud that she was able to obtain a good education. Her dream is to educate the Maasai community, especially young girls on the importance of education.

“You have to struggle in order to get success and realise your dreams”, Christina advised.

Jackson Tayai Laizer is a graduate of Science and Technology and has been running an organization called Afya Yako Muhimu Organization (Your Health is Important). It is a non-governmental women-led organization that empowers women through access to education and health facilities. He started this work to address the challenges of health, hygiene and sanitation in the community. The organization is working in the areas of Menstrual health, Maternal and child health, Mobile clinic, Food security, and Water and sanitation.

“Most of the women use dirty clothes when menstruating”, Jackson shared. “We are trying to educate them on safe practices.” “We also encourage women to go to clinics during their pregnancy and not give birth at their homes, as there is a risk involved. 6 women have delivered babies in my car!”