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Maasai scholarships

Education: The key to survival of the Maasai

The Maasai culture in East Africa has existed for millennia. Today, it is facing big challenges because of the globalization. We support young Maasai through scholarships in animal health and law to help them secure the survival of their people for future generations.

: The young, ambitious Lucas Moreto studies law to become the first advocate of the Parakuyo Maasai | © Veterinarians without Borders

The first advocate of the Parakuyo-Maasai

Only one out of 100,000 Maasai has access to university education. The young and ambitious Lucas Moreto studies law at the University of Dar es Salaam and is among the best of his class. In the future, he will professionally assist his people as advocate in issues of land property rights.

VSF trains young Maasai as vets

The Maasai are semi-nomads who live with and from their cattle herds. Livestock production is vital for the tribe, and milk from the animals is an important staple and valuable commodity at the same time. With the construction of a dairy, VSF has already provided an additional economic mainstay for the Maasai.

However, only healthy animals provide useful milk. Thus the provision of veterinary care for cattle is a prerequisite to Maasai survival. If people are able to look after their herds medically themselves, their food supply improves. Therefore, the project Maasai Veterinarians has two aims:

: Mnyandoe Laban competently supports his people in animal health issues. We supported him with two scholarships. | © Veterinarians without Borders

Mnyandoe – An expert in animal health

The herds of the Maasai are threatened by diseases. There is a lack in veterinarians.

The young, ambitious Maasai Mnyandoe Laban finished his advanced course "Diploma of Animal Health and Production" at Dodoma, Tanzania in the summer of 2017. Before, he studied at the Livestock Training Agency in Morogoro, Tanzania. Both trainings have been fully funded by grants from VSF.

Today, Mnyandoe provides valuable veterinary help on-site in Tanzania.

: Tumaini Laban Moreto is the first vet from her tribe.

Tumaini - The first vet from her people

Tumaini Laban Moreto from the Parakuyo-Maasai tribe successfully completed her Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine at Kilimanjaro Training College in June 2014.

With a grant from VSF she was trained as the first vet from her tribe. Tumaini will combine traditional medicine with modern veterinary expertise and thus provide valuable help!

Training in basic veterinary skills

The widely dispersed Maasai and Sandawe people are to receive basic veterinary training to permit them to attend to their own cattle herds. In remote areas first aid skills and knowledge about causes and treatment of diseases or plagues can be decisive over the life and death of a herd, and thus the survival of a whole village.

The project "Maasai vets" can save lives: By helping the Maasai to keep their herds healthy, we are helping them to preserve their traditional way of life and culture!