Background
The pastoralist communities by nature have largely lived their lives by rotating around pastures and water for their livestock which is their main source of livelihoods. The Maasai community who occupy over160,000 square kilometers of land within the East African region, has a population of approximately two million people (1.2m in Kenya and 800,000 in Tanzania) moving across the region in search of water and pastures for their livestock. However, this movement has been curtailed by the laws and regulation of different nations and defined international boundaries.
Pastoralism which is mainstay of masaai people livelihood is under great threats from various factors such as climate change, natural and man-made environments, feelings of successive marginalization and exclusion, lack of appropriate legal frames and strategies for conflict resolution among others. These aforesaid factors have further complicated pastoralism as a strong economic activity, a way of life and a culture of Maasai community. The Maasai people while they are themselves marginalized, their cultural beliefs and practices have marginalized further women and children especially girls and youth from enjoying their full rights as human beings.
The trend of marginalization is further deepened by historical and structural factors of very poor education infrastructure thus leading to poor enrolment, retention performance and transition from one level of education to another.
In response to some of the above challenges, Emayian Integrated Development Organization (EIDO) was created. EIDO is a Non- Profit Organization (NGO), registered on 27 September 2012 by the National Council of NON-Governmental Organizations, Registration number OP. 218/051/12-0613/8339. Emayian Integrated Development Organization (EIDO) is working with the Maasai people in Kajiado and Narok Counties in Kenya. EIDO is a homegrown entity, has now widened its scope of operation from one village as a self-help group to cover the two counties namely Kajiado and Narok Counties. Previously Emayian was founded in the year 2009 as a self-help group with the social services as Emayian Development Programme (EDP). It acquired the name EIDO when its status changed from a self-help group to a Non-Governmental Organization. Previously EDP focused in Kipeto village within Keekonyokie south with small scale initiatives targeting women and children.
Emayian Organization is a service delivery organization which addresses the needs of the poor and vulnerable groups. As an organization we promote land and human rights-based approaches where we build the capacity of the poor and vulnerable members of the society to demand for their basic rights, resources and service-based rights.