NNAASSI ORGANIZATION PROFILE

We focus on increasing opportunities for young boys and girls to access education by financing fees and expenses along their pathway through school, vocational training, and academic endeavors. We give guidance to our young generation for them to realize their dreams.

We also aim at improving craftsmanship, technical skills and knowledge within the community through vocational schools and training, exposure visits, demonstration models, and coaching sessions.

In order to reduce household poverty and improve the economic situation of youth and women, we foster the creation of independent small-scale businesses through tailor-made entrepreneurship trainings, exposure visits, and coaching sessions.

Our organization has microfinance and self-help groups as members, as we give them guidance and support in knowledge and skill development as a basis to improve the impact of the microfinance loans.

The core business of the Maasai is cattle herding, with some limited horticulture close to the Boma. However, political framework conditions, lack of financial literacy and environmental pressures hamper the success of these activities, especially for women and youth.

NNAASSI trains community members in environmentally sustainable approaches to landuse, including agroecology and sustainable pastoral practices. Entrepreneurial skills and a broader understanding of nature conservation, both traditional and scientific, are key elements in improving livelihoods based on farming and pastoralism.

We are living in a harsh but beautiful environment, with very limited rainfall, poor soils, and limited forests. Pastoralism has for many centuries been an extensive manner to live off this dryland area, while the respect for nature and wildlife were the basis of the pastoralist culture. Modern life though has brought many conservation challenges, and thus we need to proactively protect our environment. It is our goal to preserve the grassland and fertile soils, increase tree-coverage, and protect water resources, and wildlife.

Environmental conservation activities shall be promoted at homes and schools through tree planting and routine environmental cleaning. Environmental sessions will develop our communities’ sensitivity towards the environment and the need to protect it.

Facilitating environmental conservation trainings and awareness campaigns and community sensitization sessions through neighborhoods come together, radio on-air sessions and social networking.

Facilitate the audio-visual documentation of intangible cultural heritage and preservation of cultural industries of our community for current and future generations.

Facilitate the development of a cultural museum for the storage of collected ICH and CI of the cultures within Ngorongoro District.