In Tanzania, we are supporting the Pastoral Women’s Council (PWC) to create a Maasai Women’s social enterprise. The PWC is responding to COVID-19 across all its projects.
The PWC has trained over 178 local volunteers on how this disease spreads. Staff have attended the training sessions organised by the national government. They have also prepared an educational home package for 350 students and trained them to start a door-to-door handwashing campaign which is going extremely well. Currently, most staff are working from home.
The PWC has printed and disseminated copies of government guidelines containing all important information relevant to stopping the spread of the disease. All are in Kiswahili language and are given to local volunteers, dispensaries, individuals and staff members. They organized two local residents who can speak the Maasai language fluently to broadcast over the radio, creating awareness of the pandemic and providing essential information in the Maasai language in their community.
Hand washing is very difficult in Maasai communities since in many places there is no tap water. Women are responsible for fetching water for their homes, normally each woman carries at least 20 litres of water per day. Washing hands is a slow-growing concept. A frequently asked question is ‘how do we get enough water to wash hands when the rain stops?’ Currently, there is adequate rainfall in East Africa and there are no water shortage problems. Most people do not have soap, so PWC is mobilising community members to purchase soap since it is not expensive.
Social distancing is a very new concept for the Maasai. Singing is a big component of Maasai culture and learning, which poses a threat to social distancing. Social interaction is also very high in Maasai culture and this will take time to change. Most communities have stopped ceremonies which is a source of many people coming together.
While Maasai people are reasonably able to live apart from the rest of Tanzanian society for a period of time, their ability to maintain financial independence is hampered by the closure of the Kenyan border, as they would usually sell their livestock in Kenya. Other Maasai are involved in the tourist industry and have been affected by the complete hiatus of tourism. Many Maasai youths were employed in hotels across the country as either waiters or security staff. So the young men are returning home and this is posing a threat to women as domestic violence is increasing rapidly and HIV is also likely to significantly increase.
The PWC continues to provide support to Maasai communities and encourage them to use good hygiene and to avoid spending time in town if possible. The remoteness of many communities means that the spread of COVID-19 may be avoidable. But if it isn’t then the disease and the lack of medical facilities will have a disastrous impact.