Education

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."- Nelson Mandela

Housing

Africans living in modern housing while still maintaining their culture”

Culture

The Maasai are a semi-nomadic pastoralist community indigenous to Kenya and Tanzania. Known for their distinctive customs, attire, and way of life, preserving Maasai culture is essential to maintaining their unique identity amidst modern changes and challenges.

Livestock

For pastoralist communities, livestock are not just animals; they are central to their way of life. Livestock play a crucial role in the social, economic, and cultural aspects of pastoralist societies. This way of life, practiced by groups such as the Maasai, Samburu, Ilchamus, Somali, and Borana in Kenya and neighboring regions, is characterized by mobility, close relationships with the environment, and traditional knowledge.

Cycling

The centerpiece of the festival, featuring a challenging and scenic off-road cycling race. Participants navigate through diverse terrains, showcasing both their endurance and the natural beauty of the region.

Festival

The Amboseli Safari Festival is an initiative organized by Friends of Pastoralists (FOP) to support its projects and raise funds while promoting tourism and community engagement in the Amboseli region. The festival aims to blend adventure, community involvement, and fundraising to further FOP’s mission of improving the lives of pastoralist communities in Kenya.

EDUCATION

. These young men wanted to join school; but they were already 16 years old. We enrolled them in adult education classes. They then proceeded to vocational training. A few years on, they have finally graduated. They have skills that will enable them lead a dignified life, and become productive members of the community.

ECO MANYATTA HOUSING PROJECT

It all starts at home, and this is why Friends of Pastoralists initiated the Eco-Manyatta Project as a way of underscoring the importance of having a decent home for the family unit that makes up the core of the community.

Friends of Pastoralists is based in a largely pastoralist community and recognizes the poverty related challenges currently faced in a sparsely populated  community such as Maasai, Samburu, Somali, Ilchamus. Being a organisation born out of the realities of limiting cultural beliefs suffered by mainly women, the organisation has set its sights on the betterment of life in the Maasai homestead as an avenue towards enriching the lives of the Maasai and bringing to the fore the need to empower women through education and protecting the needs of the vulnerable in their society such as orphans, the elderly and children.

Traditionally the manyattas are built by the Maasai women and FOP carefully considers this tradition, while at the same time integrating the entire community into this incentive-based approach to constructing modern manyattas. This provides the much needed resources for families to send their girls to school and care for their elderly.

It is estimated that Kenya has an annual housing demand of 250,000 units annually with an estimated supply of 50,000 p.a. (80% deficit) targeting the high-end market.

Only 2% of formally constructed houses are targeted to the lower income segments of the market, which account for the largest share of demand.

The modern Manyatta is a culturally accepted solution and it is a contribution to Kenya’s Big 4 housing agenda targeting 500,000 new affordable homes. Traditionally it has been the responsibility of the woman to build manyattas.

The modern manyatta’s has generated a large amount of interest for both genders and it is slowly becoming acceptable for both men and women to contribute to the building of their homes.

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