For the Maasai women of Northern Tanzania, there are not very many opportunities for them to challenge the status quo and influence any community decisions which affect them. They are amongst the poorest and most marginalised groups in Tanzania. They are second-class citizens here.

But things are changing. Women are rising up. They are getting their daughters educated. They are seeking knowledge and trying to gain control over their own fate…and The Pastoral Women’s Council is helping them to change this fate and the fate of their daughters and future generations of Maasai girls.

The Pastoral Women’s Council has many projects going on that help to empower these marginalised women from Girl’s Education and Sponsorship to Women’s Economic Programs such as Microcredit Groups and Livestock Projects. Read more here.

The Maasai Society is very patriarchal and women do not usually own cattle outright, but owning cattle can help women generate income and can mean improved quality of life for themselves and their children. These Livestock projects promote property ownership, generate opportunities for income, and help women gain community respect by demonstrating their abilities.

Just one goat can make all the difference.

Yesterday I visited a Maasai village where each woman of the Village had been given a goat by PWC. I was there to document them and create images of them and their livestock, the livestock which have changed their lives for the better. They were so grateful and their happiness was immediately apparent. This one goat had made all the difference. Their lives were changed they told me, and their children’s lives were as well.

Just one goat.

If you are looking for ways to help, donating money for a goat can make a significant difference for a woman.

A goat is roughly the equivalent of $40 USD.

$40 USD can mean a changed life… an empowered woman… and everyone knows an empowered woman is an empowered family and an empowered community. Multiply this by thousands of goats donated and entire populations have progressed.

Just one goat.

Give if you can at the bottom of the page here, and please share!

-Annie