In the barren and remote Naiborgosso, the local population is faced with new fundamental challenges almost every day. With our women's empowerment project, we are opening up new prospects for the community in order to achieve a sustainable livelihood. On the other hand, we are strengthening the position of women in particular within the patriarchal family structures.

The Maasai are a pastoral people who live from their livestock. Until a few decades ago, financial resources were of no importance to them. However, the steady population growth has drastically changed these circumstances. Because the barren land can no longer feed enough cattle, the number of livestock per head is falling. As a result, the Maasai can no longer live solely from their livestock. They are forced to pursue other activities to ensure their survival. Earning opportunities are few and far between, which means that the local population repeatedly finds it difficult to provide food and healthcare for their families and to pay for their children's school fees. Women in particular have few opportunities to realise themselves professionally, as they have only been able to attend school for a short time or not at all and are traditionally responsible for the house and the children.

Due to the challenges described above, we launched the women's empowerment project in Naiborgosso. The project offers the participants a secure and fairly remunerated job. The women's group is led by the three project participants in management positions (Nema, Nasumbat, Nalamala) and the coordinator Kasino. The wages are based on the number and type of products made. We make sure that the salary paid per product is in proportion to the skills required and the production time. After each completed order, the women receive their wages in cash.

Due to their cultural traditions, almost every Maasai woman has a basic set of craft skills. Through our wide range of products, the diverse designs and our high quality standards, the women expand their knowledge and skills during the accompanied, everyday work.

Since the beginning of our women's project in 2019, the participants have usually been working under a tree or in the shade of a hut sitting on the sandy soil. Wind, dust and rain always affected our work and the tight space in the coordinator's family house made it difficult to cleanly and safely store our materials.

Thanks to the generous support of various people and foundations, we were able to build our long-awaited project house in the summer and autumn of 2021.

With great joy we can now give free rein to our creativity at the new workplace! Many thanks!

What does our work achieve? Where do the wages go? And what has changed in the lives of the project participants?

To get to the bottom of these questions, the project management conducts regular monitoring (2019, 2021, 2024). The results are both touching and impressive.

In 2012, the president of the association, Ueli Schälchli, together with our partner organisation PWC and the Swiss SDC, implemented a project to supply water to the vast and arid region of Naiborgosso. Before the water supply was installed, the women walked two hours every day with donkeys to the Engaresero River to fetch water. This cost people and animals a lot of energy, especially during the dry season, and caused diseases as the water was contaminated by animal faeces. Collecting spring water, piping it to the reservoir in Naiborgosso and then distributing it to a water point with a bath, washbasin and cattle trough improved the quality of life for the whole village.

The association is thus committed to preserving the basic right to clean drinking water!

The emotions that connect us with our joint project Engoitoi Epuan are also reflected in the unique handcrafted artworks. The playful yet elegant beadwork is created entirely by hand and with a great deal of patience.

Find out more about our range here.