In times of crisis, war or diseases, the most vulnerable communities are almost always hit hardest. Some of you might know that Africa has a special place in my heart, and the Maasai Mara- region in Kenya especially ❤ The landscapes, the animals and the pure, authentic people…are just mind-blowing and amazing. Those extraordinary places become rare on our planet and should be protected.
For those that have never heard about Maasai, here below a brief description. The Maasai or Masai are a semi-nomadic group in East-Africa. Maasai live by herding cattle and goats/sheep. Those animals are their primary source of food. They drink the milk and eat the meat. Maasai usually wear red clothes: red is the color of blood and life. Unfortunately, their traditional way of life is put under pressure a lot by the disappearance of their grounds used by their cattle to graze on as it is taken away to use as national reserves or for large scale cultivation purposes.
I have a long term friendship (10 years!) with Kenyan Maasai Warrior, Dennis Shinka Parmuat, an extraordinary boy, one of the most gentle, sweet and purest souls I have ever met. He guides tourists in Maasai Mara and explains them about their traditional way of living. Next to their animals, tourism has become a major source of income for them. But because of the corona-virus, Kenya has closed its borders since March. So they don’t have visitors any longer, and this means also no revenues. At the moment, many of the Maasai-families are struggling with hunger as they are unable to buy food. As if this isn’t already difficult enough, in spring earlier this year, their sheep were affected by the deadly Blue Tongue-virus. As a result, more than 50% of their herd have died.
Over the years, I have helped Dennis and his community with advice. But in these extraordinary times, I feel that I need to do more. Therefore, I set up this fundraising page to help Dennis and his community to overcome this difficult period. Our goal is to distribute food in the community until they can safely host travelers again. A few French friends have taken already the same initiative. This enabled Dennis to buy corn meal for his community and it has helped them a lot. Every contribution, even the smallest, can make a difference! No child should go to bed with an empty stomach. In behalf of the Maasai-community, Dennis and myself, we would like to thank everyone that wants to make a donation !! ❤
For those that have never heard about Maasai, here below a brief description. The Maasai or Masai are a semi-nomadic group in East-Africa. Maasai live by herding cattle and goats/sheep. Those animals are their primary source of food. They drink the milk and eat the meat. Maasai usually wear red clothes: red is the color of blood and life. Unfortunately, their traditional way of life is put under pressure a lot by the disappearance of their grounds used by their cattle to graze on as it is taken away to use as national reserves or for large scale cultivation purposes.
I have a long term friendship (10 years!) with Kenyan Maasai Warrior, Dennis Shinka Parmuat, an extraordinary boy, one of the most gentle, sweet and purest souls I have ever met. He guides tourists in Maasai Mara and explains them about their traditional way of living. Next to their animals, tourism has become a major source of income for them. But because of the corona-virus, Kenya has closed its borders since March. So they don’t have visitors any longer, and this means also no revenues. At the moment, many of the Maasai-families are struggling with hunger as they are unable to buy food. As if this isn’t already difficult enough, in spring earlier this year, their sheep were affected by the deadly Blue Tongue-virus. As a result, more than 50% of their herd have died.
Over the years, I have helped Dennis and his community with advice. But in these extraordinary times, I feel that I need to do more. Therefore, I set up this fundraising page to help Dennis and his community to overcome this difficult period. Our goal is to distribute food in the community until they can safely host travelers again. A few French friends have taken already the same initiative. This enabled Dennis to buy corn meal for his community and it has helped them a lot. Every contribution, even the smallest, can make a difference! No child should go to bed with an empty stomach. In behalf of the Maasai-community, Dennis and myself, we would like to thank everyone that wants to make a donation !! ❤