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101 Reasons to Hope

Submitted by on June 16, 2010 – 12:28 amNo Comment

There aren’t really 101 reasons why you should have hope for the future of the Maasai – there are more. And they’re not reasons – they’re children.

In Simanjiro, only a handful of kids have ever been able to get an education. Some families perhaps sent their eldest boy to school. Perhaps two could study. Parents have always had to answer the question, “Which of my children will get an education?” Education. It’s so important. Without it, how can the Maasai ever hope to be able to combat disease among their own people? Without it, how will they protect their property rights from unscrupulous outsiders seeking to take advantage of them? How will they choose an appropriate path for the Maasai to create sustainable development for a better future?

But it’s not all doom and gloom, as we sometimes hear. In Maasailand, there’s more than just a spark of hope. An amazing group of Maasai have gathered together and they believe that they can build a school, combat HIV/AIDS among the Maasai, promote the rights of women, get clean drinking water for their people, teach hygiene, and bring hope to their people. They’re using every tool at their disposal: they sing songs of change with their powerful choir. They teach seminars. They demonstrate healthy changes in their own lives. They build water filters for families. And now, they’re selling a book to bring change. The “En-kata, A Time For Singing” photobook is an incredible view into the lives of MAPED (as their organization is called) and their incredible choir. With beautiful photography from Jeremy Stephenson of African Lightscape and deep words from Nadine Feser, Artistic Director of Pamoja Ministries, En-kata is a wonderful good news story. It’s catching attention. Recently, these very same Maasai were featured as part of The Hope Chronicles project. You can see them talk about their hopes for their families here and you can read of their hopes in singing here.

Over 1000 copies have already been sold, and that’s a reason to hope. 60% of the profits from the book are being used by the Maasai to build schools for their children. By buying a copy today, you can share their joys and struggles, and help them to build a better tomorrow. A tomorrow where no parent ever has to decide which of their children will go to school. For the first time, thanks to you and others like you, these children will have access to quality education at home. It’s a big step forward, and it’s not being imposed from the outside – the school is being built and run by the Maasai themselves.

You are invited to share in their hope and participate in their dream. Thank you for helping out!

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