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| Masai women of Engikaret beading with a friend who helps them to sell their goods. |
You really wouldn't believe how hard these women work. That is until you took a glace down at their hands. Instantly you become aware of the intense labor these women face daily. They cook, they clean, they gather, they build. They do almost EVERYTHING in order for their families to survive. The women are the ones who gather the materials, prepare and build their manure/mud huts (Boma's). They are incredibly amazing.
Whenever our family is in Maasailand we always jump at the opportunity to walk out into the great expanse of what appears to be nothing but desert. It never fails - I will be walking for what seems like quite some distance along a barely evident trail in the dirt when all of a sudden we stumble into a village of boma's.
It is amazing to me how the huts blend, by design, right into the surrounding land. These villages are built & maintained by the women but ruled by the men. Many of the Mama's of this land are still what we would consider to be children,12-14 years old. As much as this may seem heartbreaking in our culture it is very common in theirs. The girls are chosen by the husbands at a young age. Many are still in their Mama's bellies when they are picked for marriage. It is quite common for them to be one of 10-12 wives to their husband. Their lives and activities are chosen for them pretty much from beginning to end.
Take a moment and think about what it might be like to have no voice. No matter how hard you tried to speak, write or communicate nothing would come out. Or if you could manage to finally blurt something out you would be beaten, knocked down and wounded. I imagine this is what life holds for them.
I can tell you LOVE can bring change.
I have seen it with my own eyes - I have touched it with my own hands.
Love brings hope. Hope springs forward into a new way of life where you can see possibilities that you were once blind to. These women are learning that they are loved. They are being cared for. These precious women are learning that God loves them and has a plan for them. They are also being educated about health, as well as being taught skills. There is opportunity for them, hope and most of all LOVE! This is life changing.
Making jewelry is one opportunity these women have been given to help change their futures. Culturally beading is woven throughout the history of the Masai. However creating a product that the world wants to purchase and wear is one of the areas that our friends have been helping them with. I do believe they have done a splendid job with the final product though!
These are just a few of their beautiful designs. There are many more in my etsy store listed at the top right. Won't you help me in the journey to help make a difference in someone's life. Bringing hope to the hopeless is the BEST thing you will ever do.
