Masai Cultural Conservation Project in Masailand, Kenya

 
  PROJECT OVERVIEW
Location: Mombasa
Duration: 2-12 weeks
Hours: 30-40 hours per week
Accommodation: Host family or hostel
Meal: Local food (3 times a day)
Date: Second and Fourth Monday of each month
 

Masai cultural conservation project is multifaceted. Work includes providing education, learning English and entrepreneurial skills, as well as formulating programs to attract tourists and building infrastructures for the development of Masai tribe. The tribe has faced hunger, disease and migration of youths to urban areas because of failed rain, not enough cattle to survive on and no other skills to rely on. But their culture is a big draw to tourists arriving in Kenya, and some of their products are exported. Through programs that will give them skills, education, confidence and infrastructures, the Masai can stick to their land and their culture and pride can survive.

Skills/Qualifications

You do not need any qualifications to volunteer in the project. If you are a good organizer, you’ll do well to support the different ongoing programs. If you are fresh out of school or university, you can learn as well as contribute greatly.

Volunteer’s Responsibilities

Maasai Cultural Conservation project aims to conserve the main features of Maasai culture by running different kind of programs

  • If you are artist or professional with skills pertaining to crafts, beads, ornaments, and handicrafts, you can teach them the recent techniques/designs trends which will ensure improved products resulting in the successful selling of their products in various markets.
  • If you are non-professional simply wanting to work and support these Maasai women, you can work with them learning how to make Maasai crafts, beads, ornaments. It would indeed be quite a wonderful experience to work with one of the native tribes which respect foreigners.
  • The Masai women's group also need volunteers to assist in learn/teaching English which will give these women the advantage of speaking with tourists and selling their products directly. Volunteers can also run an informal English language class for the Maasai women.
  • If you have knowledge and skills about marketing, these skills can help the Maasai women to develop marketing strategies, helping them to sell their products in both national and international market.
  • Besides the women's group, you can run English language classes for Maasai children and local youth (with little English knowledge, the Maasai youth can work as tourist guides making additional income contributions to the family).

Kindly remind there are no fixed work responsibilities in this project so we expect flexibility.

Accommodation/Meals and Supervision

Volunteers will stay with a warm and welcoming Masai family during their entire volunteer program. Their houses are mostly constructed with materials that are available locally and made with indigenous technology. Living conditions are very basic. The meals the Masai consume are very basic but they’ll be given money to provide a more varied diet for volunteers. The family will gladly ensure that volunteers enjoy the meals. Volunteers will have breakfast around 8 am before leaving for project; lunch will be served around 12 to 1 pm, and dinner around 7 pm. For breakfast, volunteers will enjoy tea with cereal, fruits and toasts. Lunch usually consists of rice with vegetables, or sandwiches. At dinner, volunteers will enjoy traditional meals like irio, mboga, chapatti and ugali. Volunteers purchase their own bottled drinking water. Our coordinator will also regularly contact you to make sure you are happy. You’ll also have access to the coordinator’s mobile phone number; you can contact him any time you want to discuss something.

Volunteer Projects in Kenya (Masai)