Programmes & Activities
work
The project set up five (5) programs strategies in order to achieve the above stated objectives. They include the following:-
1. Girl Child Education
The main purpose of this project is to encourage education of the maasai girl child and make community members especially women gain confidence that they are the prime movers of their own destiny and they are the major fo
rces in dealing with the issues that confront them. Currently, 80% of Maasai girls are circumcised and married off before they reach the age of 12 years. Circumcision of both boys and girls is considered a rite of passage. It is however more serious for girls as they are considered ready for marriage once circumcised. At the end of it all, young Maasai girls are often sentenced to wifehood at an early age at the expense of education. MACCOP is fully committed towards the promotion of education for Maasai children more especially girls who are more affected by negative cultural practices such as Female Ge***al Mutilation as it is the greatest challenge towards enhancing girl child education and we aim to sensitize the community against this practice in the following ways:
• hold various workshops on various on the importance of educating the girl child, the dangers of Female Ge***al Mutilation, the importance of women in resource ownership and management and HIV/AIDS workshops.
2.Women Empowerment
Maasai Bead Work and Ornaments: The project will seek to help Maasai women to make and market traditional beaded jewelry and use the proceeds of the jewelry sales for sending their children to school as well as feed other dependants. The women make variety of ornaments and artifacts though the market is limited. Maccop will seek the market both locally and abroad.
3.Provision of Clean water
Not only clean water is a prerequisite for the community’s health but generally water. The project aims to develop sustainable sources of clean water. The absence of adequate water supply imposes an enormous threat to the entire community. The project will seek donors to help in drilling of wells where necessary and distribute the spring water to the people around it. MACCOP will also organize the community to plant drought tolerant plants, build gabions and trees and around the water holes and dams. These plants will serve as a natural and effective means of preventing future soil erosion.
4.Community Based Healthcare
Community based health care is a set of approaches which inform, involve and empower the Maasai community to make their own decisions about improving their health status. The objectives of community-based health care are to give individuals, families and community more ownership and control of their health care to enable them to accept effective and health services. The project will focus on community capacity building through development of a community health structure, and community own resource persons as well as establishing community pharmacies. The program also requires strengthening and supporting existing health systems. MACCOP will work the volunteers and community to strengthen the provision and utilization of health services. The project will seek the support of donors and well-wishers to construct a community clinic as there are inadequate health facilities in the area. HIV/AIDS Awareness Creation: The Maasai community is yet been fully sensitized and educated about HIV/AIDS. As a result of upcoming urban centres, there has been a proliferation of bars and nightclubs in nearby region and this has attracted influences that can easily cause a spread of AIDS. Furthermore, the Maasai themselves still practice outdated cultural practices such as polygamy, circumcising the youths sometimes using the same knife to cut several initiates and general lax sexual behaviors. They need to be educated about AIDS otherwise; it will be a big crisis in future.
5.Environment and Wildlife Preservation
The Maasai have always co-existed well with wildlife and preserved their environment. However due to population growth, the project will initiate measures in liaison with the community that will culminate in better environmental conservation for the benefit of the community, wildlife and livestock.
