Award for Civil Society – 2011

Tanzania

Comprehensive approach for the development of Emboreet Village

Tags: poverty, access to water and to micro-loans, settling, education, Masai.

«I wanted to put an end to our nomadic habits and to make the Masai be a sedentary person who preserves the local cultural values at the same time.»

«For many years, the government tried to encourage the Masai people to adopt a more sedentary way of life without success. Now the impulse is coming from the grassroots.»

Toima Kiroya, taboo-breaker: Living in Tanzania in the Arusha region, Toima Kiroya, fifties, and is responsible for the project Masai Comprehensive Approach for the Development of the Emboreet Village (CADEV) launched in 2008.

Problem: The Masai of Emboreet suffer from a variety of chronic problems related to the reduction of their territory and their nomadic way of life: poverty, poor access to water, reduction in livestock and in poor condition due to lack of water, scarcity of food, poor access to education, finance, issue of recognition of this semi-nomadic people ...

Action: This is from his personal difficulties that Toima Kiroya starts changing look at its traditions and way of life. Means he chooses to meet its challenges is settling. With his wife, he moved into a permanent house. Gradually, others take an example and follow suit. His community is gradually changing lifestyle. Meanwhile, Toima Kiroya combines the forces of his village to meet the immediate challenges and creates the project CADEV. The first response implementation is widespread access to drinking water which finally allows the Maasai to maintain their livestock. Followed the creation of a school, then a bank which funds projects in the village. What follows is a political recognition of its action which quickly inspired other communities.

Harubuntu Dimension: Propose a settlement that does not deny its cultural roots. In seeking to respond to acute problems by way of settlement, it is a huge taboo Toima Kiroya breeze in her community. It opens up a broad debate because the issue is complex: if one abandons nomadism he holds dear, is so to perpetuate the occupation of farmer by ensuring access to water and finance.

[VIDEO]