The Makao Community Center is going ahead and we need your help to make it happen! The Village of Makao, together with Mwiba Wildlife Reserve is going to change the lives of many people of Makao village. Through the construction and implementation of a community center which will support early childhood development, through a nursery/play group program, health through HIV awareness courses and other medical support, and environmental education through films, presentations and hands on activities, people in Makao will have access to basic necessities, which they will have helped bring to their own community. The construction of the center will employ many people from Makao village, as will the daily running of the center. However, this project will not be able to move forward without external support! Get into the Christmas Spirit….instead of giving a material gift to someone you love, donate to the Makao Community Center in their name and be a part of the improvement of multiple peoples’ lives!
Grant and I have been living in Mwiba Wildlife Reserve, which is adjacent to Makao, for almost a year now (Grant for almost 2 years). Having spent a lot of time in the village and working with the people who Mwiba employs from Makao, we have learned and seen how much a project like this could uplift the community. The children of Makao have no early educational stimulation and many sit on the side of the road in the dirt playing with plastic or razors or are out working strenuous hours planting or harvesting crops. Many of the people of Makao are not fully educated on HIV/AIDs, how to combat it and what they can do to prevent it, and if you are sick, you have to travel long distances to a doctor who has the proper tests and a full cabinet of medicine to be treated. From the Maasai and Mang’ati to the Wasukuma, most of the village has lost touched with their relationship with nature, which has led to habitat destruction and encroachment on wildlife. The environmental education that they would receive would be hugely beneficial and help to explain the various benefits of nature and protecting their natural resources. One of the most exciting aspects of the project will be that it will not just be Mwiba building and giving the center to the community, but a project which both the village and Mwiba will be responsible for, from a funding as well as management perspective.
Please email me if you're interested in learning more or donating to the Makao Community Center!
