Context & Partners

Sauti Moja’s primary partner in Tanzania is Sauti Moja – Tanzania (SM-TZ), a national NGO. It is based in Longido District, which is an arid region populated predominantly by the pastoral Maasai.

Context
We work in Northern Tanzania, specifically in the District of Longido, which stretches from the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro in the east to Lake Natron in the west and Kenya to the north. It’s a beautiful savannah area comprising many of the stereotypical images of Africa, including the striking, colourfully-dressed Maasai and a diversity of wildlife. Our operations are based in Longido Village, where we have an office, and where Sauti Moja’s Africa Program Manager is based.

The environment of Longido District varies from arid to semi-arid, with low, seasonal precipitation. However, droughts are increasing in frequency and severity.  With only a few exceptions, the environment is not conducive to production of food crops.  Pastoralism – a livelihood that almost completely depends on livestock – is the dominant way of life in Longido.

Longido District is predominantly populated by the pastoral Maasai, who depend on herding cattle, sheep, and goats. Their lives are semi-nomadic; members of the households (mainly male youth) travel with the livestock throughout much of the year in search of grazing areas and water sources. Mobility and access to vast areas of land are integral to community survival due to the devastating dry periods.

The Maasai are an indigenous group in Tanzania facing immense challenges (See the Highlight.), and are desperately trying to preserve their distinct culture. While cultural distinctions between ethnic groups have largely dissolved throughout other parts of Tanzania, the Maasai have defied this trend. Relatively-speaking, they have resisted the pressures of globalization, Western influences, and accompanying values.  Nevertheless, their culture remains dynamic, as they delicately manage preservation of their identity and social change.

The Maasai maintain many different values and customs, which often provoke prejudice from Westerners and the dominant groups in Tanzania.  This prejudice characterizes the “development” existing in their communities and the services being provided by state and/or non-government agencies (e.g. hospital, school institutions, etc.).  This compounds their vulnerability, exacerbating the challenges they already face.

 
HIGHLIGHT:

The pastoral Maasai of Tanzania are an internationally-recognized Indigenous Peoples group.  However, many people, including fellow Tanzanians, hold many misconceptions about the Maasai community. Most are ignorant about their livelihood, the environment they live in, and the immense challenges they face.  Some of the major challenges are:

  • Displacement from their historic grazing areas due to competition with farming, hunting, wildlife initiatives, conservation groups, and foreign investors.
  • Escalating droughts, devastated grazing lands, and shrinking water resources due to global warming.
  • Poor social, health, and education services stemming from geographic isolation and political discrimination.
  • Increasing rates of morbidity and mortality related to HIV/AIDS.
Shrinking livestock herds and increasing poverty as a result of the factors above.
 

Partners
Sauti Moja’s approach to development is empowerment of grassroots community organizations and collaborating with them to achieve positive change in their communities. The organization that we partner with in Tanzania is made up of individuals we’ve known and worked with for many years. They are inspiring leaders and visionaries, committed to their communities. We count ourselves privileged to partner with them, providing them the financial and technical support that they need to further champion their cause.
In 2010, Sauti Moja collaborated with Maasai leaders to establish an effective partner agency called SautiMoja – Tanzania (SM-TZ) SM-TZ is registered as a national non-government organization (NGO) based in Longido, Tanzania. The agency comprises key Maasai leaders (men and women) from the Longido community, who have long histories of advocacy and community work. It also has a strong board, with professionals from the fields of community development, law, and livestock management. The SM-TZ staff is an inspiration to us and their community. We take great pride in continuing as part of SM-TZ’s growth and contribution to the Longido community.

Did you know?


Corey Wright, Sauti Moja’s co-founder and Program Manager, conducted his Master’s research in Longido in 2003. The connections he made and close relationships he built there provided Sauti Moja with a strong foundation to start from, and was the impetus to collaboration with local leaders to implement programs and eventually establish a national NGO, Sauti Moja – Tanzania that is governed and managed by local leaders.