ICCO COOPERATION PARTNERS IN EAST AFRICA REACH THE UNREACHABLE " LOITA MAASAI"

In the Holy Book we read, "Where there is a way there is a will" and ICCO Cooperation Partners from Uganda, Ethiopia and Kenya ( Host) paid a visit to the Loita Maasia Community in the Rift Valley Province of Kenya. The host organisation was Ilikrin Loita Integral Development Program ( ILIDP) that has her roots in the Loita Maasia home land.

The visiting team was impressed by the work ILIDP had done by reaching the " UNREACHABLE" in their own words. Let us take the journey to the Loita Maasia

Ilkerin Boarding Primary School pupils share a light moment with the visiting team, L-R - Jimmy, Head teacher (in Coat) and Fr. John ( in T-Shirt) are taking off time to interact with the children.

Ilekrine Boarding Primary school is supported by ILIDP and is one of the best performing primary schools in Narok County, Kudos to ILIDP

Jimmy joined pupils in tree planting during the visit on 25th March, 2015

Different colors but one people, the visiting team is ushered in into the Maasai cultural dress as they prepared to hit to the community.

The visiting team don in a Maasai cultural attire

Light moments with the Loita Maasia community in Ilekrine. Children and the visiting team interact but remember the communication was almost with sign language and laughing as always when two people fail to community they often laugh!!!!

Blessed are those who take care of the young ones!!!!

The group was also ushered into the Maasia homestead and women and children jubilation on meeting with their other friends from East Africa and beyond

Maasai home stead

Now let us talk cattle keeping, but dont ask me if i own any cattle.. as part of the Maasai community, i was shown the crawl and possibly next time, i will be shown a cattle for keeps

Cattle crawl in Maasai land

 Now let us go wild life and tourism!!! Our team leader assured that, domestic animals and wild life live together in the Loita Maasai land!

A proud Maasai Giraffe

What we had read in books was what we saw after a hectic day in the community. Loita Maasai communities are proud of their cultural heritage and interaction with the nature. ILIDP has gone ahead to introduce eco-tourism and climate change mitigation measure as demonstrated on the farm field schools we visited.

EAST AFRICA is the home of the Rift Valley, Jimmy and Connie at the Eastern Side of the Rift Valley.

Time to get home and tell a story and lessons learned:

Go and become fishers of men!!!

The ICCO-Cooperation partners mooted an idea of continuing the cooperation even when ICCO Cooperation had indicated that the project had ended, it was yet the beginning of another journey to keep the achievements registered during the project period.

Asante sana

Jimmy B. Odyek
RWECO-UGANDA