Steering Her Own Life

Nolebonok, the second oldest in a family of five children, comes from a traditional Maasai family in Alchaniomelock village. In January of 2016, she became one of Maasai Partner’s newest sponsorship students. At 23 years old and with a 4-year-old daughter, she is what would be considered a non-traditional student in the US. She completed secondary … Continue reading Steering Her Own Life

Becoming a Senior Elder (Part II)

In Tanzania in general and especially in Alailelai, where daily life is spread out on foot across miles, every car ride counts. Forget seat belts, capacity limits or anything even close to personal space—every body that can fit is squeezed in, plus a few extras for good measure. So it was that we made our … Continue reading Becoming a Senior Elder (Part II)

Becoming a Senior Elder (Part 1)

We hopped out of the Land Rover and followed our guides, running as fast as we could wrapped in shukas across uneven fields sprinkled with stinging nettle. “Come Judy, come Kim, come Jim—have your camera ready!” Mbekure urged us on. We were late to the start of the evening’s event—the first night of the Oring’eheri, … Continue reading Becoming a Senior Elder (Part 1)

Health is the Way to Make Life Good

This guest blog was written by Mbekure Metemi, director of AMSO, one of our partner organizations.  After many months of planning and coordination, AMSO and several other organizations conducted an eye clinic in December. The clinic relied on the supervision and connection of a number of NGOs within Ngorongoro division—including AMSO, NDI, Kiretono Resource Organization and … Continue reading Health is the Way to Make Life Good

Adding Chips to the Menu

Alongside a small shop and sitting on a main road, Sweetness Enoke’s restaurant offers simple, local fare. Wooden walls, a roof and cement floors set her apart from similar businesses, as she serves chai to neighbors and passersby. Finding money to expand an operation can be difficult anywhere, especially in rural Tanzania. But it’s often … Continue reading Adding Chips to the Menu

A party in Tloma

When our Karatu loan hub began several years ago, local ladies unanimously elected Josephine Silo as the perfect powerhouse to head the program. At nearly 70 years old and still running a small farm, keeping a beading business and until recently serving as GWOCO chairwoman, Josephine has more than earned her retirement. So it was … Continue reading A party in Tloma

What’s in a name?

For Maasai and for any Tanzanians, for that matter, Ngorongoro is a name that simply rolls off the tongue. For those who aren’t familiar with the Ngorongoro Crater or Ngorongoro Conservation Area, however, it’s not so simple to pronounce or remember. As NCN continues to grow as an organization and expand its outreach to Maasai … Continue reading What’s in a name?