Four Cups of Tea

Before I begin to discuss tea, I want to share some very exciting news: I GOT INTO GRAD SCHOOL!!!! As most of you probably know, for a while I have been thinking about going back to school to get a Masters Degree in Public Health. This winter, I applied, and I got in! Starting in August, I will officially be enrolled in the Masters in International Public Health program at Boston University. I am thrilled, and really excited to be going back to school to study public health. I am also really excited to know what I will be doing when I return to the states!

Now for the tea...

As part of my work with MOWAT, I spent the day yesterday walking around the village of Arkatan which is located in the Monduli district. Rose, The woman I live with is the head teacher at the Arkatan primary school, and the majority of the students there are Maasai. I spent the day walking around visiting different Maasai Bomas and interviewing the women there about development, their needs and access to education. I couldn't help but have flashbacks to the stakeholder interviews we did in Tanzania as part of the study abroad program I did here, only this time my guide and interpreter was helping me to translate into KiMaasai, not English.

Regarding education, I have hit a challenge that I am not exactly sure what to do with. When asking women about the positives and negatives of education girls, the answer seems to be, there really aren't.... in the pastoralist lifestyle, education beyond basic mathmatics so that one knows if they are getting the right change, and basic literacy so that one can read a sign or sign one's name, is virtually meaningless... of course it opens up opportunities for careers and lifestyles outside of traditional Maasai culture, but in terms of tradition, it has so meaning - for girls or for boys. So, while money to help with education fees would be appreciated, throwing money in that direction would likely not make any difference in how many children attend school, and for how long they attend.

So, what's the answer? I don't know. Is there a benefit to girls and boys staying in school in order to learn history and geography, english and science when they plan to spend the rest of their lives herding cattle and goats and carrying firewood and cooking? If there is a benefit, such as having other career options, how do you convince a society to change their views when those decisions are made primarily by the old men?