Buy a gift for a Maasai Mama

It takes a village to raise a child, and our Maasai mamas at Sidai Designs know this all too well.  

In a Maasai boma (village), the task of raising the children falls onto the women, which they approach as a team and with great pride - being a mother is one of the most precious gifts to a Maasai woman, as it is mothers around the world. 

If one woman is struggling, the others pick up the extra jobs around the boma or help a little more with money. As the women get older and their co-wives start to pass away, they are often left as the sole providers of up to 15 dependants or more. One might say that instead of a village raising the children, one woman is sometimes raising the village alone. 

In light of the COVID-19 crisis, many of the women we work with still struggle to support their villages or provide for their children. This can be due to various reasons. Tourism is still slow to pick up after the pandemic, meaning there are less opportunities for making an income. The women’s main sources of income (additional to Sidai) usually require them to be in town, and many left for the isolation of their villages and are yet to move back. Some women are not able to bead with Sidai right now because of the lack of work as we slowly pick up after the pandemic, as our customers around the world are still feeling the after effects.

We decided that it was important to mobilise our online community to offer support to our Maasai mamas and their villages in the form of food packs and sanitation kits. 

We discussed with the women what their needs were, what food items they use on a weekly basis, and the costs of those items so that we could work out the costs of a family per head. Based off those conversations, these are the items that each gift can provide:  

 

  • FOOD FOR A WEEK - This provides items like cooking oil, rice, maize flour, beans, sugar, salt, as well as fresh items like tomatoes, carrots and onions.  
  •  SANITATION PACK - This provides a bucket and soap. It is costly for a Maasai person to have an allocated washing bucket and soap, therefore it is not accessible for most families.  

 

In return, you will receive a certificate in your inbox after your purchase to show that you have supported Maasai mamas.

 

100% OF THE PROCEEDS GO DIRECTLY TO THE MAASAI MAMAS. 

 

ASHE :: A big ‘thank you’ in Maa for your support, from the mamas and the whole team at Sidai Designs. 

 

 

THE MAMAS 

 

NAARKISHUMU 

Naarkishumu works with us on a per piece basis. Beading with Sidai Designs is the only source of income she has, and she has no savings to depend on. She has 8 people depending on her as the sole income provider for the family. Due to some health issues, she is considered more vulnerable.

Buy food for Naarkishumu’s family (or a family with similar needs) for a month or a week, or gift them a sanitation pack. 
 

 

ANNA 

Beading with Sidai Designs was a supplementary income for Anna, who was staying in town doing petty trade as a honey seller. She is now back in Arusha, but she has 13 dependants and elderly husband to care for. As work flow slowly picks up, Anna still needs additional support.
 
Buy food for Anna’s family (or a family with similar needs) for a month or a week, or gift them a sanitation pack. 

 

 

LUCY 

Lucy is a beader at Sidai Designs, who works with us on a per piece basis. Beading with Sidai Designs is the only source of income Lucy has. She has no livestock, which is a common method of saving for the Maasai, and she has no other savings. She has 5 people depending on her as the sole income provider for the family.


Buy food for Lucy’s family (or a family with similar needs) for a month or a week, or gift them a sanitation pack. 

 

 

KOKO SION 

Koko Sion is a beader at Sidai Designs, who works with us on a per piece basis. She has been with us for many years, since the very start. Beading with Sidai Designs is the only source of income Koko Sion has. She has no livestock, which is a common method of saving for the Maasai, and she has no other savings as she has a serious health situation that she has used her savings on. She has 10 people depending on her.


Buy food for Koko Sion’s family (or a family with similar needs) for a month or a week, or gift them a sanitation pack. 

 

 

NARAPARAKWO 

Naraparakwo is a beader at Sidai Designs, who works with us on a per piece basis. Naraparakwo is widowed, and has no savings to depend on due to having 13 dependants. Due to some health issues, she is considered more vulnerable. 


Buy food for Naraparakwo’s family (or a family with similar needs) for a month or a week, or gift them a sanitation pack. 

 

MARIA 

Maria is a beader at Sidai Designs, who works with us on a per piece basis. Beading with Sidai Designs is the only source of income Maria has. She has no livestock, which is a common method of saving for the Maasai, and she has no other savings. Due to some health issues, she is considered quite vulnerable. She has 5 people depending on her.

Buy food for Maria’s family (or a family with similar needs) for a month or a week, or gift them a sanitation pack. 

 

Your purchase will go to one of the above women, or a woman with similar needs. Money raised will be distributed where possible across the women most in need on our priority list. The more money we raise, the further we move through the list and the more Maasai mamas we can financially support.

 

‘Ashe Naleng’! A big ‘thank you’ in advance in Maa for your support, from the mamas and the whole team at Sidai Designs. 

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