Greetings!
Happy New Year!
At the ICSEE, we are committed to looking for ways to open doors for the people to earn a better income.
Read the initial results of the 2018 Annual Appeal. Special thanks go to you for making it the best one ever.
We're proud to begin the new year with so much good news. We couldn't do it without you.
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With great appreciation,
Twende!
January 2019
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We continually seek ways for people to earn a better income.
This
applies to all,
especially to rural women whose opportunities are particularly limited.
Right from the onset, the Project focused on ways for women to improve their earning opportunities.
Women became chimney builders and stove and solar installers when we embarked on the stove and solar work. They developed construction, electrical, and management skills.
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Member of Maasai Women's Installation Team at work
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This is an important foundation, and we are proud to report on the women's continuing achievements and those of our partnering collaborators.
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Monduli Pastoralist Women's Organization
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From the first, the MPWO aimed at improving women's earning opportunities. To facilitate decision-making about resources and initiatives, the MPWO elected officers and leadership committees.
The group started a cattle fattening business that continues to be successful to this day. This winter, the ICSEE gave them a grant to support their growth. They immediately bought 13 additional head of cattle for their herd.
Recently, women of the MPWO took over the leadership of an
ICSEE corn flour mill.
Using a portion of the profits from selling 20 of the 42 initial bulls, they moved the mill to the village of
Selela.
The women of the MPWO now own and run the mill. We are thrilled to see these businesses pass from ICSEE ownership to the women themselves.
These are wonderful developments for the Maasai women of
Monduli
and
Longido
districts. We are thrilled to be taking part in them.
Congratulations to the entire MPWO.
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Update on the Global Fund for Widows
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Currently in full swing, widows in each of three villages are in the process of purchasing 75 goats for their herds. This is funded through a newly-created village banking system.
Through stories we've been sharing since the MPWO began, it may seem routine for Maasai to invest in livestock, but, in fact, for women it is very special. It has been a man's business up until now--including cattle and goats.
While Maasai women might own a few goats, to be actively entering the goat business, investing and managing, and then selling and re-investing is something very new.
This groundbreaking work is one of the most exciting aspects of our collaboration with the Global Fund for Widows.
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Widows selecting the goats for their new herds
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We've developed a program that gives women in remote Maasai villages ways to earn money, not only for immediate needs, but for investment for the future.
What started out as an idea, developed in cooperation with GFW Executive Director Heather Ibrahim-Leathers, is now taking off in goat businesses. These are owned by groups of 25 widows in each of three villages.
The GFW provided a grant to the ICSEE and we assigned some of our strongest, most experienced, staff people to the effort. Mesha Singolyo, and Kone Meshuko went to the villages of
Nanja
and
Mtimoja
and to the town of
Longido
and helped widows there set up “Village Cooperative Banks. ”
All invest, and then make loans to members. The grant money from the GFW covered a portion of the costs to organize, build goat corrals, and bring the bank balances to the level where each of the groups could start a goat business large enough to make a real impact on their lives. When the goats are sold in six months, each group should have a significant profit.
The women are already experiencing wonderful new social and business interactions. They are working together in new ways, enjoying getting organized, and looking forward to profits that will benefit themselves and their families, while supporting future investment.
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Your generosity allows us to address polluted water sources, like this one
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We thank you and all for making the 2018 Annual Appeal a resounding success. The response was the greatest we ever had.
We make your contribution really count. ICSEE maximizes efficiency with low overhead, and with intense participation of the Maasai people.
As promised, a portion of the contributions go to our new work with water access and safety. Not only does the water itself need to be sanitized but the surface ponds and small lakes need stabilization. It's important to end the practice of allowing livestock to wade in. Instead, the Project is looking to build water troughs near each water source.
The Appeal money is also helping to fund the installation of more stoves and solar systems in the villages, by the Women's Installation Teams. Grants from the Adventists and Lutherans of Tanzania may add to that, and we anticipate a strong expansion.
We are in the planning phase for the Weekend Children's Center at
Cypress Hill,
including a sports field and playground. Experienced teachers will soon be helping us provide local kids with wonderful weekend opportunities.
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Support our award-winning work.
January donations will continue to support Annual Appeal initiatives
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For a better life for rural Africans, and a cleaner environment for all
Office of Programs and Development
International Collaborative, Maasai Stoves & Solar Project
705 Americana Drive, Unit 5A
Annapolis, MD 21403 USA
1-508-735-9176
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