Maasai Women Development Organisation

The Maasai

The Maasai are a semi-nomadic ethnic group that lives along the Great Rift Valley in southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. Several centuries ago, the Maasai inhabited vast amounts of territory in the region. Now, due to large-scale agriculture, business developments, and expansion of wildlife reserves and national parks, they have slowly been pushed into more arid regions, endangering their traditional nomadic and subsistence farming way of life. The Maasai that have resisted now live in extremely remote areas where economic opportunity, education, and public services are scarce. 

Maasai Beadwork

The Maasai are well known for their incredibly elaborate and vibrantly colorful beaded jewelry and ornaments. Beadwork is an age-old craft among the Maasai. Beads are traditionally made from natural materials like skins, bone, seeds, wood, and gourds. Different colors often symbolize different life elements in their culture and society; for instance, red signifies the bravery, strength, and unity of the community. MWEDO artisans now obtain their materials from modern sources, but they still maintain the traditional symbolism of the beadwork art form. 

Region: Eastern Africa

Capital: Dar es Salaam

Population: 41,048,532 (2010)

Size: Slightly larger than twice the size of California

Languages: Swahili (official), Kiunguja, English (official), Arabic, many local languages

Major religions: Mainland—Christian 30%, Muslim 35%, indigenous beliefs 35%; Zanzibar—more than 99% Muslim

Life expectancy at birth: 52.01 years

HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate: 6.2%

Population below poverty line: 36%

Maternal mortality rate: Lifetime risk of death in childbirth 1 in 24

Did You Know: The Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania is referred to as “The Cradle of Mankind.” It has been the site of some of the most important paleoanthropological discoveries ever made, including the influential findings of Louis and Mary Leakey with regards to human evolution; between 1930 and 1970, the Leakeys found multiple hominid skeletons dating back about 2 million years, at the time the oldest hominids on record.

All statistics from CIA World Factbook 2010 and UNICEF

Tanzania is one of the most politically stable countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, with leadership determined by free and fair multi-party elections since the mid-1990s. Its government has shown a strong commitment to improving governance both nationally and regionally. However, widespread poverty and environmental degradation have prevented it from successful development.

Unification

Tanzania is the product of a 1964 union between Tanganyika and the island of Zanzibar. Shortly after independence, Tanzania’s first president Julius Nyerere, issued the Arusha Declaration, intending to create a self-reliant and somewhat socialist economy of cooperative farming. Achieving Nyerere’s vision, however, required the forcible resettlement of 85% of Tanzania’s rural population. This mass resettlement transformed Tanzania into a nation of starving subsistence farmers and created significant resentment throughout the country, eventually resulting in the decline of the industrial sector. Despite its relative political stability and a strong sense of national identity, there has recently been much conflict over the autonomy of Zanzibar both within Tanzania and in the international community.

Economy

Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world. In 2006, it ranked 162nd out of 177 countries in the UNDP Human Development Index. Around 80% of the population is dependent on subsistence agriculture and commodity exports. Unlike many other African nations, Tanzania is not rich in exportable natural resources, however much of its economic growth in recent years has occurred in the mining industry. Despite this growth and a steady influx of foreign investment (motivated by increasing economic liberalization), Tanzania remains behind on the Millennium Development Goals; while poverty reduction is readily visible in urban areas, in rural agricultural regions, poverty seems to be worsening. Although there is a relatively high level of workforce participation among Tanzanian women, access to health services and education remains inadequate.

Environmental Degradation

In 1990, 46% of Tanzania's land area was covered by forests; fifteen years later, forested land was reduced to 37.5%. Deforestation rates have increased significantly in order to provide fuel for the growing population and as a result of agricultural expansion. This is despite the fact that over 40% of the country is being preserved in parks such as the Serengeti National Park. It is thus necessary for development initiatives in Tanzania to take environmental sustainability into consideration.