Frog Pond Productions

Dear Friends,

I send greetings to you all during this year 2009 .The year 2008 was a year where Maasai had a very hard time due to our way of life as livestock keepers. As you may know, Kenya faced election violence in 2007. This made the life of common people very difficult as food stuff became scarce. The limited supplies were very expensive. The Maasai were not spared by these effects which were made worse by the persistent drought. In many Maasai regions rain has not fallen for the last three years. Many Maasai have lost their cattle. Donkeys used by the women for fetching water also died. The loss of donkeys meant a lot to the life and health of Maasai women. Women walk for several kilometers every day in search of water.

The year 2009 has been a year that has given the Maasai the hardest way of living in recent decades. Many livestock died between January and May in many parts of the Maasailand. Some little rain fell in some parts near Nairobi and the Ngong Hills. This is the region near Karen and the Ngong forest. However, rain did not fall in other parts of Maasailand. In a period of a few months the Maasai livestock that flocked this area overgrazing it. Hundreds of thousands of cows concentrated in a small ecological zone and this created a lot of imbalance in the natural order. Many charity organizations and the government have tried to help the communities with relief food. SIMOO benefitted from various donors to help save peoples lives. Among them include Lindsey Knewven and her friends, MCEP, CKPC, Hussey Foundation, Megan (Australia), Gayl Naisula and other friends who prayed for the Maasai and Kenya. Thank you all so much for your help.

This year seems to give the Nomads the hardest challenge in their mode of life. Many cows have started to starve to death due to lack of pasture. This means that the Maasai source of livelihood is endangered. Many children will drop out of school. Many families may break because of the challenges of poverty. Hard times are ahead for Maasai and other communities that keep cows and rely on rain for survival. Our challenge is to drill more wells, use well water for irrigation as well as use the best economical methods for food production. Thank you all and may God bless you.

Your Maasai Friend,

Francis ole Sakuda

Executive Director - SIMOO

Dear Friends,

Our Maasai friends are back in Kenya and their US tour with MCEP was a successful and enjoyable six weeks from April 5-May 18, 2009. We visited 33 schools, 11 churches and many local businesses and events. It was a pleasure hosting Susan and Christine and having Maasai children Mildred, Ezekiel and Amos visit the USA for the first time providing our American school kids with an unforgettable and unique cultural exchange.

A local dentist kindly and generously offered his services to provide dental care for the Maasai children. We met with Congressman Patrick Murphy and gave gifts from the Maasai to President Obama and family. On Good Friday the Maasai joined area church youth groups carrying a wooden cross for a mile up Route 611 and attended an Easter sunrise service at Lake Galena, and formal service at Second Baptist.

Susan and Christine travelling with Mildred, Ezekiel and Amos had a wonderful experience at Buckingham Friends Earth Summit with children from five nations. They travelled to Washington DC, New York City and Philadelphia, and were hosted by Buckingham Friends families as part of the JEM program before returning to Kenya on May 2nd.

Francis arrived on April 14th and worked endlessly dividing his efforts between America and home because of the severe drought affecting people and livestock in Kenya. While here, he made presentations in Seattle, WA and New Caanan, CT. He made numerous presentations with MCEP in PA including a speaking engagement on global warming and climate change at Lehigh University, Doylestown and Paoli Rotaries and numerous private and public schools.

Gloria Turere, representing SIMOO, joined MCEP a few days before Francis departed for home and we completed the final two weeks of presentations at schools, churches and fund raising events. Gloria did an outstanding job and her beauty, sense of humor and knowledge of Maasai traditions were great assets to the program. While Francis and Gloria were here, a valuable contact was made with a couple experienced in eco tourism, crop irrigation, green house gardening and development of sustainable food sources for people and animals. The couple visited the Maasai village in July to study the conditions and advise the tribe.

Along with donations for school fees, editing the Maasai documentary, funds for pipelines and water related projects, the Maasai have been promised funds to drill another well and will work with the International Rotary Foundation to complete this project. MCEP has sent $1,500 for the geological survey so that the project may begin.

There is no doubt that without your support and community donations, the Maasai would be struggling to survive. We thank you for your generosity and interest in global awareness and concern.

Sincerely, Phyllis Eckelmeyer, co-founder MCEP

Dear Friends,

I am happy to report that all of the 100 primary students that you have been supporting since 2006 are currently still being supported through generous donations for education to MCEP. In November a few of them will graduate from primary school. Fortunately two of these students have been sponsored to go to high school; one through the generosity of a local church and the other through the ambitious undertaking as a senior project by a student from Central Bucks West High School. Both of these students are girls who would otherwise have been eligible for marriage.

The economic conditions in the United States have caused some of our earlier sponsors to be unable to continue sponsorship of their student, but we have been fortunate in finding other new donors to pick up these students and keep them in school.  We have many students that will be needing renewal for the school year starting January, 2010, and are optimistic that with your help they can remain in school.

Because of the seriousness of the drought causing a severe food shortage, the government of Kenya has decided to keep schools open for the month of August, 2009, (usually a school break) and will try to feed these students a small meal in school to keep the children from starving. The children who are not able to attend due to lack of school fees or family situations, will not receive even this small amount of food.

The Maasai are so grateful for all you have done to help the neediest children of their villages. You have truly made a difference in the lives of these children. "Ashe oleng," (Thank you very much) from them to you.

Alice Sparks, MCEP Education Coordinator

Dear Friends,

With the support MCEP SIMOO implemented various projects aimed at alleviating poverty among the Maasai nomadic people in Kenya. SIMOO is a nonprofit organization aimed at improving the living standards of poor community members among the Maasai. Among the activities that were implemented and achievements made include:

Enrolling more children in school and supporting them with school fees and other very necessary supplies. 80 elementary school kids are being sponsored. This year’s enrollment was 34 children. We also enrolled two high school kids and sponsor two college students at Moi University in Kenya.

MCEP sponsorship helped Susan Naserian to attend the Permanent United Nation's Forum on Indigenous Affairs in May and June 2007. It is very important to note that this year the UN General Assembly voted unanimously to adopt the declaration on indigenous people's human rights which include a right to live, a right to access education, water and other basic human rights. Also, Daniel Rogei attended the UN Forum on Climate Change held at the UN headquarters in NYC in September 2007. Daniel was able to make a contribution on the impact of climate on indigenous peoples basing them on livelihood, culture, mitigation drought and famine.

This year, a village situated in west of the Rift Valley was affected by a fire tragedy. We are happy to announce that MCEP sent some funds which we used to buy household supplies such as plates, water fetching containers, spoons, cups and milking jugs. This was a very good project that positively affected the lives of the victims. They did not have items to use for milking and serving food.

SIMOO is also very much trying to empower women economically. In Maasai traditions, women have no property. They depend on men for food clothing and other needs. With the help of MCEP, we were able to market the Maasai art skill of bead work. Currently the women are exporting HairZings to a company in USA. Women are now earning a living through this project.

Your Maasai Friend,

Francis ole Sakuda

Dear Friends,

We are very fine and our work is going on smoothly. We have received some rains but we hope to get more. Regarding our projects the following has been accomplished.

1. The St Peters well is doing very well. We have a water cistern and pipeline at the well. Many families are now getting very clean and a reliable water source provided by this well. We can’t forget thanking the Anonymous Donor for this gift of water. Water is life and life can be very very challenging without water.

2. The Rotary water well is also doing very well. This water source is situated at a more remote community of Maasai land in our region. It is supplying water to many herds of livestock as well as for domestic uses. This community has also started to plant tree seedlings so that the well environment can provide shade for the water cistern and the people who will be fetching water at the well, saving them from the scorching sun.

3. Development of water ponds. SIMOO has made 13 water ponds in different communities last year and early this year in an effort to eradicate poverty and water shortage. This water is collected from rainwater runoff and used for livestock watering. Many Maasai cows die due to long treks in search of water. This will help reduce a lot of walking by cattle.

4. Fences. SIMOO has also provided 50 wire fences to 50 families. One acre is fenced in each homestead and help train the Maasai to harvest hay. A lot of hay has been collected which will save many families that have few cattle from buying hay. It will also help many cows from dying of starvation in the dry season.

5. Education. We have received more funds for the education projects. All these children have been able to attend schooling without any stumbling block. Previously, most of these children could not attend school due to lack of shoes, uniform or school fees. SIMOO is able to cater for all their needs and they are now enjoying learning like any other kids from able families. Their lives are no longer the same.

We hope to achieve more this year with the help of our partners and friends. We can all change the world for the better. The Maasai have received only a helping hand from MCEP.

Francis ole Sakuda

Executive Director - SIMOO

Dear Friend,

Receive warm greetings full of love from the Maasai of the Rift Valley in Kenya. I am happy to inform you that, though you live far in a place feel that you are living very close to me as a good neighbor and a friend. The Rift valley is a dry semi-arid and arid land, which has hardship due to natural land formations with salty lakes and elevations below sea level. This makes our life very challenging. However with a friend like you, our lives have been improved and your continuous help is assuring our existence.

In the most recent past, we were able to drill another two wells, which ranged from 150 meters and 230 meters under the ground. These wells are in addition to the one we drilled in December 2005.Our people and livestock have clean water because of what you have done for us. Through your contribution, you helped to sustain the lives of the most marginalized people in this region of the world. You can read about the Maasai hardships in the most recent National Geographic magazine. We are now experiencing the dry season which may last up to eight months until April next year. By March of every year most livestock die due to dehydration and starvation. This affects families who entirely depend on livestock for food and shelter. We therefore thank you for your support.

Our Organization SIMOO (Simba Maasai Outreach Organization) intends to drill more wells in five villages of Olosho-oibor, Saikeri, Kimuka, Ilngarooj, and Ewuaso. Clean water has improved women’s health that walk several miles daily to bring home 40 to 60 liters of water. The journey has been reduced by 45% for the villages affected. Other villages need help too. Your help and moral support will help us reduce the effects of marginalization of our tribe.

In education, only 20% of school age children go to schools. Schools, like water points, are few and far. Our children walk several miles daily in search of knowledge through formal education. I am happy to inform you that through your contributions we are currently supporting 23 elementary school children to go to school. One high school student is also being sponsored through the funds from MCEP (Maasai Cultural Exchange Project).

I am writing to thank you all for your support for education and water. Our women are so grateful. They can now do extra activities such as beadwork because of the time they have in a day. Thank you once again and we hope to continue our partnership for the benefit of the world’s people.

You Maasai Friend,

Francis ole Sakuda

Director SIMOO

Dated: December 23, 2005

Receive much geetings from me, my family and the community. It was great and much fun hosting the MCEP group who have changed the lives of many people in our community. The experiences shared were so enriching and it was a whole learning process to all of us. We  feel previledged as we celebrate Christmas with clean and sustainable source of water. It is by all means the best Christmas gift! The water is so timely and shall reduce the adverse effects of the severe drought we are currently experiencing. We shall be equally generous enough to share with other community members from far who are migrating closer to the water point.

I wish you all a merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Ashe oleng' oleng' oleng'.......

Daniel

Kenya - December 2005

John-Michael Trojan - Director and Producer of "Quench" documentary film project

Jennifer Ellsworth - Executive Producer

(Chief Daniel and Phil Bradshaw in group shot taken at well site before drilling began)