PROJECT-SUPPORT TANZANIA

Association Engoitoi Epuan, Zürich, Switzerland

Country / Place

Tanzania, Naiborgosso, Lake Natron in the Maasai area

Tanzania is a country in East Africa. It is located on the Indian Ocean and borders Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi and the DR Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique to the south. The country is Africa's fifth largest country by population, with just under 56 million inhabitants. The capital of the state is Dodoma, but the largest city is the coastal city of Dar es Salaam.

General

The 'Engoitoi Epuan' project was launched in February 2019. The project area is located in the north of Tanzania and came about through long-standing friendships with the Maasai in the Lake Natron area. Engoitoi Epuan' means 'the path to self-determination' in the Maasai language.

The work aims to improve the local living conditions of the Maasai population on three levels. These are 'community', 'equality' and 'individual self-esteem'.

Beneficiaries

The Engoitoi Epuan women's empowerment project was established in Naiborgosso in 2019. The project offers participants a secure and fairly paid job. Due to their cultural traditions, almost every Maasai woman brings with her a basic set of handicraft skills. Due to the wide range of products, the manifold designs and the high-quality standards, the women expand their knowledge and skills during the accompanied daily work.

The project currently employs 22 women. Their task is to design the products together with the project coordinator and the project manager, and then to produce them. To ensure that as many households as possible can benefit from the project, care is taken to ensure that the participants come from different families and regions. An estimated total of 150 people are supported as a result.

Project-support

Women's empowerment - building a project houseThrough traditional handicraft, the women produce trendy jewellery and colourful accessories from various materials. The women use their wages to provide for the basic needs of their families. To ensure that the handicrafts are not only done outside in the future (rainy season, winds with sand and dust), the women need a project house. This was completed in autumn 2021.