Yorkshire Three Peaks for Monduli Juu Community Fund

I’m walking the Yorkshire Three Peaks to raise money for the Monduli Juu Community Fund - a fund established by myself and a group of Maasai women in the Monduli Juu village of Northern Tanzania. The aim of the group is to support the community through micro-financing and is headed by my friend Namayan.

My walk will take around 11 hours and is 24 miles long. It will take me up Pen-y-Ghent, Ingleborough and Whernside. I will be walking on 20th July and invite any friends, colleagues or family to join me! No fundraising is required but equally if you are up for raising money with me that would be great!

What does the women’s group do?

The women’s group is founded on the principle of holistic support. It operates by meeting once a week to offer not only financial support through loans, but also comradeship and community. Every week, the women put in a little money to save. This can be up to $6 - which is a large portion of the income they earn from selling corn, beans and sometimes handmade jewellery. They then share their issues and come to an agreement on who needs the pooled money the most. One woman is then granted a portion of this money and has to pay this back with a little interest. They are only allowed to borrow 50% on top of what they have individually saved (as recorded in personal booklets). At the end of the year, the women take out their savings again and decide whether to reinvest it into the next year. Common reasons to borrow are: hospital expenses; to start or boost business; to pay for family members' funerals; provide financial support in the case of a husband dying (as due to cultural norms the husband is the provider and one in control of finances); energy security by buying gas stove canisters instead of the laborious task of fetching firewood daily; to send their children to school.

How I got involved

I met Namayan in 2022 whilst on a research placement in Tanzania. She invited me to come and stay with her and over the three days she hosted me, I learned a lot about the community and the women who live there. She explained that she was a trained teacher who spent time in the US on a semester abroad whilst at University. She was raised Maasai, speaks three languages and completed her higher education degree. Like many Maasai women, she does many jobs, both to help others in the community, and make enough money to support herself. She has four children and a husband who works away in the tourist industry. The Monduli Juu Community Fund grew from my desire to raise awareness of Namyan’s community in Monduli Juu, Arusha and support them materially from the UK.

Recent developments

Issy and I, who are heading fundraising for the project, visited Monduli Juu this year to learn more about the women’s group and were able to visit nearly all of the women in their homes. We were welcomed with open arms, spending time with each family and learning about their customs and lives. We discussed at length with individuals how further financial support could help address challenges within the community. We also participated in a cultural exchange ceremony and were introduced to other prominent members of the community, including headteachers, pastors and local business owners.

Future Outlook - initiatives the women’s group would like to see are funding, grants and loans for:

What is unique about our fundraising