Let’s help Maasai Esupath change her life via education

Hello All,

as many of you know I travelled to Tanzania earlier this year. Apart from a great experience and beautiful images of wildlife and nature, this trip became a self-discovery journey and introduced me to the wonderful people of Maasai.

I am putting together this fundraising with the aim to help a young Maasai girl, Esupath Kuya of 18 years old currently living in the Maasai village Loiborsoit in Manyara region, get to college and find a way to change her life and the life of the ones around her (family of ten) via education.

A few words on the cause
I came to know Esupath through her father, Thomas Kuya, who manages the camp we stayed in Serengeti, and got to understand her strong will to continue school and education, as well as the tremendous difficulties the Maasai population is faced with in financial and social terms with further integrating in the local economy. I also witnessed same difficulties throughout our travel in Tanzania and our visit to the Maasai village. Education and professional training is one of the main ways for young Maasai people to get access to basic infrastructure, support themselves financially and further integrate.

Esupath has been admitted in the college of Mweka and the college's program of tour guiding operations. The tour guide programs in Tanzania are equivalent of bachelor's degrees and highly effective as they provide graduates most chances for integrating in labour market and further development. In addition, Maasai people are considered highly adequate for such career opportunities given their life experience and sense of belonging with the African nature and wildlife.

To be able to attend this program and get closer to her dream for further education, self-development and supporting her family, Esupath would need the amount of 3000 USD for college fees and accommodation (as the college is located in Arusha more than 100 km away from her home). This amount is not only impossible to get for Maasai population, but in most cases for all Tanzanians, making access to professional education forbidden for the vast majority of the local population.

How can we help
Via this fundraising each one of us can contribute to Esupath's getting to study and finish her program in the next year and therefore getting the chance she is looking for to improve her and her family's living conditions.

Please note that the amount gathered will be submitted directly to the college in the name of Esupath Kuya (not to a personal account of the family) and that I am in direct contact with the college administration.

For more details
- See here for the college program https://www.mwekawildlife.ac.tz/program_tcwt.php)

- I can also share with anyone interested Esupath's admission letter to the college as well as the college's information note to prospective students for academic year 2023/2024 where the list of fees are included.

- For anyone interested in getting to further know Esupath and her cause please let me know.

- In case of further interest in the history, culture and living conditions of Maasai people I share the following links:

https://unitedrepublicoftanzania.com/the-people-of-tanzania/daily-life-in-tanzania-and-social-customs/major-tanzania-ethnic-groups/how-many-tanzania-tribes-biggest/everything-to-know-about-maasai-people-masai-tribe/

http://maasaiwilderness.org/maasai/

https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/06/1120442