Meitamei has been involved with MERC for the last 6 years. The organization was founded in 1987 to promote the indigenous lifestyle in Maasailand and the conservation and management of the ecosystem within living communities in East Africa. Operations in the Washington offices include UN conventions and ecotourism. Tanzania headquarters focus on cultural preservation, education, political issues and economic development. Thanks to MERC's efforts, the Maasai are organized into 11 grassroots groups, representing various Maasai communities.
Every district has a representative who acts as a coordinator at a grassroots level.
We want to raise consciousness at all levels, educational, economic, social, environmental, political, cultural. We are developing and implementing community-based programs. Education is vital in transmitting culture. Fundraising and employment and training of Maasai are other important organizational aspects. I asked him how all of this is possible from within the bounds of a nomadic lifestyle.