Merry Christmas and Happy and Prosperous 2014

Dear Friend

We send you greetings, and wishing you a Merry Christmas and Prosperous New Year.

We hope this email finds you well.  We are delighted to report all of
us in Rombo village In Kajiado County Kenya are doing well.  we have hard some rains in this month


In the end of November, Our school closed for December holidays and classes will resume in January, the second week.  We had a total of 120 students in the last term of 2013. There were a number of challenges in the school-mostly of teachers salaries and stationary. With s little support from friends, we were able to but few books at the beginning of the year. This went a long way to support students academics performance. That was even better that schools around. With teachers support and with more learning materials, our school can even do better.

The women empowerment project is on. This brings together programs on health, and economic empowerment programs. there are about 50 Maasai women in the project. A lot of progress has been made on cultural preservation, jewelry and training in nutrition and health.



2014 and Beyond


Our wish for 2014 is to see that we construct more schoolrooms to accommodate the rise in school enrollment, to purchase more books for the students and teachers and also to hold a annual festival in the month of June.


We would be grateful for any assistance you or anyone you know can provide to support our promising school and enable them to become agents of change for the Maasai.

Thank you for your continued support


Pillar for Maasai Development

PMD 2012 and Project Plans 2013

Pillar for Maasai Development (PMD) has seen growth in its projects and programmes for the last four years.

we have seen Esukuta Boma School growing and today, they are at the 5th grade. A number of challenges were experienced, graver one in 2012 of school destruction by strong winds. We thank our friends and supporters who enable PMD to reconstruct the four school rooms at Esukuta. See the photos.



In 2007, we had only one women group that we supported, with our patner organization ADEA. In 2012, there are 5 women groups that we support them in capacity bulding and economic empowerment and environmental protection projects.

We have been able to provide filters for domestic use and schools in Rombo Division.

We have been able to provide piped water to on community project of Women group at Enduet and Enderkesi villages.

PROJECT PLANS FOR 2013

As we usher in 2013, a number of projects lay before PMD for women, children(education) and the youth in Rombo.

Esukuta Boma School still needs 5 classrooms urgently. This will cost about Ksh. 5 million (furniture inclusive). The school needs an office and teachers quarters as well (to house atleast 3 teachers).

Women groups need entrepreneurship training and simple business records keeping.

Various youth projects that include; peace building, enterprise development, environment/solid waste management and health(HIV/AIDS).

In 2014, PMD will seek for funds to build a community learning centre that will be a one-stop shop providing library services, information on livestock keeping, agriculture, nutrition, environmental protection and some business information. Youth will be tasked in running it. It is an ambitious project that will help turn aound the life of the community in Rombo and beyond. PMD is still consulting on this great idea. More information will be provided on a latter day.

                            Tipape Loomu: Giving a presentation on the work of PMD at the Louis Leaky  Auditorium                  in Nairobi, December 22, 2012





Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Dear friends

We come to the end of 2012, a year that has seen Pillar for Maasai Development(PMD) work through women and chidlren projects in Rombo maasai villages. We have all the reasons to sincerely thank our freinds and supporters.

Its also a year that had challenges, and the gravest was destruction of classrooms by strong winds. we managed to put back the schoolrooms and have the much needed space for children education. We want to thank those who stood by our side this tough moments.

A total pf 147 children (girls and boys) did thier end year examinations that saw them promoted to the next level. The highest being from grade four to five (Grade 4 to Grade 5) in 2013. We are going to admitt 30 in preschool in 2013. The need is great but we take few students in order to ensure quality education, coupled with also lack of space to take more.

There are also four women groups that PMD continue to support and capacity build them. More recent was bringing of 11 women from the four groups to a function on tracoma prevention and control and Louis Leakey Hall at the Musuem of Kenya. This was done with our partner organization SEETO Kenya.

Provision of clean and accessible water was also another project done by PMD at Enduet Village in Rombo location.

In the next blog post in in two weeks I will post photos and 2013 plan and projects.

Again, thank you for your various support and prayers

Tipape Loomu
(Programme Officer)

Devastating winds struck Esukuta Boma School

Dear Friends,

Greetings from Kenya and indeed from PMD project of Maasai Boma Schools. Its our hope that you are doing well with in you homes and places of work.

We at PMD began the year well with our different programs including the Maasai Boma Schools that has just admitted students in the 4th grade and in also in the preschool. The school has now close to 200 students (girls and boys). It was indeed one our important project for the future of the Maasai community of Rombo, Kenya. A community prepared to face the current and future challenges of our global community needs to have a dependable education system. For our case, schools in the rural Maasai villages is the only strategy that just gives the community that ability.


On the fateful Saturday of February 27th, 2012, there were short rains and very strong winds in Rombo Division of Loitokitok District. It swept through villages towards the west of the district. Some houses at Rombo centre were destroyed.

Esukuta Boma School (an education project under PMD education projec) was struck by a strong wind. Three schools were completely made unusable for learning in the school. Teachers were forced to teach under trees. School books and some desks were destroyed. Children and parents need the school and its the reason why children continue to come to school and take their classes under trees. However, being the rainny season, lessons may happen though transient or just never.



This problem has been going on for the two and half weeks. Pillar for Maasai Development(PMD), teachers and parents are taking some measures to alleviate the problem and put the children back to school. Iron sheets(tin), wood, cement floor, desks(furniture), and books were damaged. Some cannot be used again. Having gone through the cost of the damage (with some local capenters), replacing the materials damaged and puting cement floor for the three school/classrooms, including labour, will cost between Ksh 180,000 and Ksh 220,000 or about $2750 or 2100 Euros.

Community of parents and PMD have started speciall collection towards need need. We have raised to this date Ksh 15,000 from parents. With the poverty level in the community, we dont see the collection going beyond Ksh 20,000.

Its due to this that we kindly request your assistance of help to enable normal learning at Esukuta Boma Schools.

Your generous contribution and prayers are welcome.

For those of you who would like to support us please send you donation to the bank information below. You can directly send the money to the account.

Bank Details

Account name: Pillar for Maasai Development
Account number: 1103721976
Swift code ID: KCBLKENX
Bank name: Kenya Commercial Bank
Branch: Loitokitok
Country: Kenya

For those who will find Westen Union easy, please send your help to

Daniel Tipape Loomu

ID No. 22445845

Mobile No. +254 721 468 497

Gob bless you and we shall appreciate your helps towards this education emergency.



Tumaina Ole Ipite
Pillar for Maasai Development Programs Cordinator/Chairperson

Maasai Boma Schools 2012

Esukuta Boma School, which is a project under Maasai Boma School program continues to give the one of the highest in quality of education to young Maasai girls and boys of Esukuta village.

 

The year 2011, was full of reviews and progress made possible through our friends, partners, parents, teachers and the children in school. There were 140 students in 2011 , right from the preschool to the third grade. Exams done at the end of the year, and children performed well despite the challenges of lack of enough learning space. There were two schoolrooms, shared by three different classes. Some had to be conducted in the nearby church.

The year 2012 comes with much hope and plans, of both satisfying the needs of Maasai children ready to learn with more classrooms and books. At the same time to continue supporting the teachers throughout the year.

OUR MAJOR NEEDS ARE CLASSROOMS AND DESKS.

Esukuta Boma School building

Ksh 350,000 (US$ 4,120) will put a simple wooden structure with cement floor.


Educational Program Needs:
Ksh 60,000 (US$ 710) will help partially pay salaries one teacher for one year
Ksh. 300,000 (US $ 3,530) will provide a shared teachers house.

 

Five Pillars of Maasai Boma Schools Education Program

The Maasai Boma School education program is aimed at giving culturally Maasai, affordable, accessible, flexible and outstanding education to the Maasai girls and boys in the communities in Rombo Division in Loitokitok District.

SCHOOL ROOMS AND EMERGENCY FEEDING PROGRAM

We are coming to the close of Tern II again for Esukuta Boma School. Classes have been good despite the challenges experinced during the last two terms.

we want to thank all our donors and partners for their unreserved efforts and assistance towards this great and noble task.

Five Pillars of Maasai Boma Schools Education Program

The Maasai Boma School education program is aimed at giving culturally Maasai, affordable, accessible, flexible and outstanding education to the Maasai girls and boys in the communities in Rombo Division in Loitokitok District.

There are two main needs of the school. These needs are mainly, buildings and teachers. We are struggling through parents, individual and corporate donors to provide books.


Esukuta Boma School building

Ksh 350,000 (US$ 4,120) will put a simple wooden structure with cement floor.


Educational Program Needs:
Ksh 60,000 (US$ 710) will help partially pay salaries one teacher for one year
Ksh. 300,000 (US $ 3,530) will provide a shared teachers house.


Emergency Feeding Program

There will be a need to feed 150 children in school between the month of September and December.

•    Ksh 60,000 (US $ 710) will feed 150 children (girls and boys) for one month
•    Ksh 180,000 (US $ 2130) will feed 150 children (girls and boys) for three months.
•    Parents will cook the food in shifts (This arrangement will be made by teachers and school committee), So, the above cost is only for food majorly, cereals maize and beans.

About Pillar for Maasai Development

ABOUT

Pillar for Maasai Development-PMD, is a Community-Based Organization (CBO No. KJD/CDO2/08652) registered under the Social Services department in Loitokitok District. We work amongst rural Maasai of Rombo Division in areas of; education and health, cultural preservation and economic empowerment.

Since its inception in 2006, PMD has successfully initiated two community-based schools in efforts to create a network of accessible, affordable and quality education in our villages. PMD also initiated a women jewelry project that is enabling families have an alternative dependable source of income. The program has also ensured sustainability of the education program (Maasai Boma Schools). Through local partnership with community members as well as the government, PMD has successfully managed to put in place a traditional Maasai artifacts collection museum located in Rombo center.A. Education programMAASAI BOMA SCHOOLS: Maasai Boma Schools, abbreviated as MBS, is a community-based project under Pillar for Maasai Development. MBS aims and creating Maasai community based schools around the Maasai neighbourhoods in Rombo division of Loitokitok district.

We have now 142 children (girls and boys) in our two schools in Lemong’o and Esukuta villages. MBS aims at working with the local population to build schools that are culturally Maasai, accessible, affordable, outstanding education and flexible. Corporation with parents is highly emphasized and that for MBS is the most important aspect of alleviating poverty and fighting illiteracy. This will then ensure sustainability of the schools and also ownership of the schools by the community.

 

The long term dream of Boma Schools is to create a network of schools in neighboring Maasai communities with no access to education.

Our main challenge is getting funds to buy books, partially pay teachers, build schools-rooms and also feeding to increase the retention rates of children in schools. Among the very poor families-to provide uniforms for the children.Schools costs for 2012 (12 months)    Books for one child Ksh 1800 or US $ 24
    Feeding for one child Ksh 5400 or US $ 72 (9moths)
    Buildings two schoolrooms Ksh. 1.9million or US $ 23,800B. Cultural Maasai preservation
The MaasaiThe Maasai is one of the nilotic tribes inhabiting southern parts of Kenya and northern parts of Tanzania. They are pastoralists who practice nomadic way of life; they have unique governance with age groups and transition initiation ceremonies.
The Maasai clans are ilkisonko, irkaputiei, irkangere, irmatapato, ildamat,iloodokilani, ilkeekonyokie, irpurko, isiria, irwuasin-nkishu, irmoitanik,ilchamus, . PMD works among the ilkisonko Maasai of Loitokitok on the eastern side of mount Kilimanjaro

Due to greater access to mass-produced household items and clothes, and with gradual end of their nomadic lifestyle many of the Maasai traditional items are gradually becoming extinct. For purposes of education and cultural preservation PMD is working with the community to acquire many of these items before being extinct. This purposed to pass through to the children their rich heritage. Maasai elders would often visit the school and share history of these items among other traditional stories.
 
Dances, Songs and Schools weekly cultural lessons: the third year now, Maasai Boma Schools through the support of ADEA has successfully held Maasai Cultural Festivals in the months of February, October and January. January 02, 2010 was the latest held in Lemong’o Boma School. More than 300 people attended.Cultural exchange programThe Maasai community is still very rich in culture and is to share and learn what the rest of the world have. Maasai cultural educators will be available to travel different parts of the world to educate people on our rich Maasai culture. C. Economic empowermentTo ensure sustainability of projects and more so the education project, PMD with other partner organization such as ADEA, has initiated projects for alternative income. These include the jewelry project with over 60 Maasai women in two villages where our schools are currently located. In a long-term goal, we are planning to include more four villages around Rombo Division.
Canal lining to enhance food security, leatherwork and horn work with the youth in jobless corners in the market centers of Rombo Division. D. Environmental conservationPlanting of trees
Gabions
Fencing of the water catchments areas
Educational forum on conservation

E. Health program

We may not be a fully flagged health organization, never the less our contribution towards 'health for all', in our Maasai community is still substantial. Guided in the philosophy “healthy community is a wealthy community” we engage, through the PMD's health department, in provision of both preventive and curative care, the later being on facilitative basis.

Preventive care:

PMD through its health department engages in provision primary health care to its members whom majority constitutes the Maasai community this we Attained through provision of primary health care, we engage, through aid of professionals, in health educations on proper hygiene and good maternal practices, nutritional health through school feeding programs, de-worming campaigns and trainings on proper diets. Malaria controls through distribution of Mosquito nets done in conjunction with other organizations such as Amref. We also organized clean-up campaigns in our town aimed at educating the public on hygienic leaving.

Curative Medicine: with health costs rapidly escalating, our health department embarks on contributive measures, which involves organization of periodic medical camps. We also out-source medical professionals who are not locally available and who may offer to volunteer for a period of time convenient to them. These may include doctors, physiotherapists, sonographers amongst others. They utilize equipments available at Rombo health Centre whom we partner in health service delivery.

We also link referred patient to large institutions located in major towns providing relevant information on where required quality services cheaply provided besides informing them of centers/ organizations where such services may be offered free of service.

Special projects: schools building construction, women jewelry projects

Achievements: Esukuta and Lemong’o Boma School with more than 140 children in preschool and primary school, traditional artifacts museum, women jewelry project group, Enduet springs conservation program and computer training program for teachers.

F: Volunteer programPMD believes in expanded and shared knowledge as a way to improve the living standards of our rural Maasai. In this view therefore, we invite individuals from all parts of the world (local and international) from different professions to volunteer in our various programs. They could either be students, people in their work-brake or retired professionals.
PMD supports community based volunteering initiatives in the in the fields of; education, health, leadership and governance, environment, cultural studies among others.
All persons are encouraged with the University research students being highly encouraged. We believe that through volunteering we will be able to bring enormous resources of knowledge and experience that our children and the entire community genuinely need for now and for the future generations. Accommodations in the Maasai Manyatta (homes)
Most of the volunteering programs run all year round.DonateTo donate to our various programs please write a cheque to or direct transfer to. Quote the program you want to support or contact the chairman/secretary for more information at info@maasaipillars.org or call  +254 721 468 497

Bank Details
Account name:      Pillar for Maasai Development
Account number:  1103721976
Swift code ID:       KCBLKENX
Bank name:          Kenya Commercial Bank
Branch:                Loitokitok
Country:              Kenya
Contact us

Staff
Tipape Loomu-Education promotion programs  and secretary-PMD
Tumaina Ole Ipite-Chairperson and Economic program director
Ann Toiran-Treasurer (women projects guide)
Eric Ng’eno- Health education and Youth Programs
Osman Abdilahi-Environment Conservation programs

P.O. Box 142
Loitokitok 00209
Kenya, East Africa
Tel +254 721 468 497 or +254 729 056 493
info@maasaipillars.org
http://www.maasaipillars.org/







GOALReduce poverty levels, illiteracy level; enhance economic and social stability for community development. To have an enlightened and empowered community.

 


KEY OBJECTIVES1) Promoting education
2) Health education and nutrition.
3) Environmental conservation.
4) Community Resources and livelihood
5) Cultural preservation

STRATEGY TO REALIZE OUR VISION· To be a known, effective and efficient organization in supporting community economic and cultural stability and empowerment.
· Peer learning and exchanges
· Dialogues/local-to-local dialogues
· Capacity building through participation in workshops, seminars and training.
· Teamwork in management MISSIONTo create an avenue of a promising future for the children and making the present dependable for the youth and adultVISSIONHaving a stable community economically, socially and yet traditionalHome Pillar for Maasai Development is a Community Base Organization (CBO) formed with the aim of fostering development in our rural Maasai community. Due to drastic weather pattern changes, the Maasai have lost their dear animals. With no other alternative, Pillar for Maasai Development is trying to look for other avenues of ensuring continuity of life in the community. This is by providing capacity building, support, help, grants in aid and also donation from stakeholders and well-wishers.

One person does not manage PMD; it’s teamwork. PMD is an umbrella for the programs we have with different people heading different programs.