Empowering Maasai Women Through Education: Building Stronger Communities from Within
Education
Our Programme
PWC’s education interventions aim to break the cycle of disempowerment and poverty within Maasai society by providing children, especially girls, with education access and support.
Lack of education in Maasai communities is an issue that severely impacts their wellbeing and development in many ways. For example, in most remote communities in northern Tanzania there aren’t any Maasai nurses who can speak the Maasai language. Consequently, Maasai patients are unable to communicate their needs and access healthcare.
We believe that when girls are educated they are better able to diminish negative and harmful practices towards women within Maasai society – such as female genital mutilation, early and forced marriage and gender based violence – and seek to retain and promote the positive aspects of their culture. Furthermore, providing girls with secondary and tertiary education breaks negative cycles as educated women later return to aid and develop their communities as qualified professionals.
Our Approach
Through education, Maasai women are breaking negative cycles of disempowerment within their communities.
Explore PWC’s Initiatives Empowering Maasai Students, with a Focus on Girls’ Education Access and Success.
PWC has been managing Emanyata in Ngorongoro District since community leaders handed its control in 2006 when the school was considered at risk of collapse.
As a community-owned, non-state run school, Emanyata has the freedom to admit more typically disadvantaged students, particularly girls who would not be able to access an education otherwise. Emanyata is a boarding school, thus girls are away from home and better able to resist family pressure to drop out of school to marry.
In 2022, we achieved a 98% retention rate from Form 1 to Form 4. This reduced dropout rate is attributed to increased parental engagement helping drive a drop in early pregnancy and marriage during school holidays. In October of 2022, 128 students (47 boys and 81 girls) from Ngorongoro, Sale and Loliondo Districts were admitted to our pre-form one course with 50 of the female students being sponsored by PWC. In January of 2023, we admitted 79 form one students, 54 girls and 25 boys, with 8 girls sponsored by PWC.
Impact Stories
Witness the Power of Education: Transforming Communities One Story at a Time.
Hear from Pastoralist Girls as They Share Inspiring Tales of Change.
All Girls Have Dreams
Watch this video about four PWC sponsor students with big educational dreams.
In the past I lacked confidence and hope for the future. Now I really enjoy being at school and my studies. Without PWC’s support I would probably be married to an old man and have many children. After completing my studies, I would like to be a teacher at Emanyata School as I believe education is the key to success and empowerment for girls and for my community.