Publication Book & Water Project
Donation protected
Hello Friends y Familia,
Last Summer 2016, I went to Kenya for almost 3 months to learn about the culture of the Maasai and the history of Maasailand. While there I became interested in water issues that Maasai people face. I had the opportunity to stay with some women in a Maasai village. I was amazed by the daily routine of the women, especially one a particular woman and her girls. Their main duty was collecting the water. They would collect water in order to satisfy what their family required. They carried water bins with 20-25L (a girl of 5 or 6 years old carries a 5L of water) attached to their heads at least three times everyday. Once I did it, I realized it was one of the hardest things I had done in my life. Apart from the back-breaking work, the water they collected was so polluted that they often get sick from Typhoid and Malaria. This water issue is so vital and important to the health and wellbeing of the community that I promised this community I will help them succeed with a community water project. This effort is also a part of my undergraduate senior project at Prescott College. If I accomplish these goals, I will graduate in May 2017.
I will be working with two senior projects in the spring of 2017. I am double majoring with a BS in Environmental Studies and a BA in Social Justice and Sustainability from the Cultural and Regional Studies department degree. For my Social Justice and Sustainable major, I wrote an illustrated a children book (see the examples below) on Maasai culture and I am planning to publish it to raise money to support the water project. I want other people to understand this amazing and beautiful culture and to support the Maasai community. Most importantly, I made a promise to the Maasai people and I refuse to let them down. I am asking for funds to publish the book. Proceeds from the book will support the Ndoinyo Oloip Water Project, a project of Rotary International, which is a collaboration between Prescott College and the Maasai Education, Research, and Conservation Institute (MERC).
I am also working on a second senior project which require going back to Kenya soon for 3 weeks (February 24-March 17). The reason I am doing this is because there has never been water tested and yet people get sick. They don’t know the specific cause. I will be doing water quality testing, such as analyzing water samples for eight different water quality variables: pH, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, temperature, turbidity, nitrate, phosphate and coliform bacteria. These will be performed using a least 5 Water Monitoring kits which is also I need funds for this. I shall implement my methodology on the Talek River and a local spring source water, by collecting water samples and recording the various results at point source pollution or non-point source pollution areas. This will help me find what area of the river is the most contaminated, which will allow us to determine the effects on the community in Maasailand. I will create a map with a handheld GPS system for the water project, which I need either to rent or buy a GPS in order to record the locations and able to create a map back at Prescott College using GIS technology lab.
I am working to raise at least $3000.00 for my entire two projects. This will fill the gaps of what I need for these two projects: water kits, transportations, GPS technology, and publication. Any help would make a HUGE difference! I really need your help and this means so much to me because WATER is LIFE and these beautiful Maasai people deserve a healthier one. Thank you so much for your understanding and collaboration!
Last Summer 2016, I went to Kenya for almost 3 months to learn about the culture of the Maasai and the history of Maasailand. While there I became interested in water issues that Maasai people face. I had the opportunity to stay with some women in a Maasai village. I was amazed by the daily routine of the women, especially one a particular woman and her girls. Their main duty was collecting the water. They would collect water in order to satisfy what their family required. They carried water bins with 20-25L (a girl of 5 or 6 years old carries a 5L of water) attached to their heads at least three times everyday. Once I did it, I realized it was one of the hardest things I had done in my life. Apart from the back-breaking work, the water they collected was so polluted that they often get sick from Typhoid and Malaria. This water issue is so vital and important to the health and wellbeing of the community that I promised this community I will help them succeed with a community water project. This effort is also a part of my undergraduate senior project at Prescott College. If I accomplish these goals, I will graduate in May 2017.
I will be working with two senior projects in the spring of 2017. I am double majoring with a BS in Environmental Studies and a BA in Social Justice and Sustainability from the Cultural and Regional Studies department degree. For my Social Justice and Sustainable major, I wrote an illustrated a children book (see the examples below) on Maasai culture and I am planning to publish it to raise money to support the water project. I want other people to understand this amazing and beautiful culture and to support the Maasai community. Most importantly, I made a promise to the Maasai people and I refuse to let them down. I am asking for funds to publish the book. Proceeds from the book will support the Ndoinyo Oloip Water Project, a project of Rotary International, which is a collaboration between Prescott College and the Maasai Education, Research, and Conservation Institute (MERC).
I am also working on a second senior project which require going back to Kenya soon for 3 weeks (February 24-March 17). The reason I am doing this is because there has never been water tested and yet people get sick. They don’t know the specific cause. I will be doing water quality testing, such as analyzing water samples for eight different water quality variables: pH, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, temperature, turbidity, nitrate, phosphate and coliform bacteria. These will be performed using a least 5 Water Monitoring kits which is also I need funds for this. I shall implement my methodology on the Talek River and a local spring source water, by collecting water samples and recording the various results at point source pollution or non-point source pollution areas. This will help me find what area of the river is the most contaminated, which will allow us to determine the effects on the community in Maasailand. I will create a map with a handheld GPS system for the water project, which I need either to rent or buy a GPS in order to record the locations and able to create a map back at Prescott College using GIS technology lab.
I am working to raise at least $3000.00 for my entire two projects. This will fill the gaps of what I need for these two projects: water kits, transportations, GPS technology, and publication. Any help would make a HUGE difference! I really need your help and this means so much to me because WATER is LIFE and these beautiful Maasai people deserve a healthier one. Thank you so much for your understanding and collaboration!
Organizer
Alejandra Gaytan
Organizer
Albuquerque, NM