Celebrating the lives of long-dead African explorers has rather gone out of fashion these days, as our view of imperialism is not one of pride anymore. But there is one who does seem to stand out and is even lauded by those living in one particular part of that vast continent today. So much so in fact that children in the villages are taught about him, with respect at school. Joseph Thomson (1858 - 1895) from Dumfriesshire in Scotland does buck the trend.
A dynamic partnership has been formed between local social enterprise, Across Maasai Land Initiative in the rural Kajiado area south of Nairobi, with the Joseph Thomson Maasai Trust charity here in Scotland. This collaboration has focused on the Maasai Girls Education Project which aims to enable girls and young women to embark on the journey through secondary and higher education.
Joseph Thomson could never have imagined that a hundred and thirty years after his death, his major humanitarian legacy would live on, be vibrant, and embrace the critical need for girls’ education back in Kenya. But when the Trust was formed after the inspirational Ezekiel Katato, a Maasai Elder, made an impassioned speech to a packed audience ten years ago, about how it is young people that are the future, he lit a spark. Initially, this was with a few descendants of Joseph Thomson, but then others gladly joined in. And when Ezekiel was asked, in true ethical style, how can we help, without hesitation, he made his plea for the funding of girls' education.
Eight years down the road, Joseph Thomson Maasai Trust, which is the embodiment of a living heritage, getting things done, is year-on-year somehow providing funding for a small but highly motivated cohort of girls and young women from the rural villages, to embark on secondary school education, and then university or college in the cities. They all talk eagerly about wanting to be good role models, so they will take their enthusiasm for girls’ education back into their communities. Joseph Thomson would be proud.
When he returned from the Maasai Land expedition of 1885, Joseph struck a chord among Victorian-age audiences with his highly popular book Through Maasai Land. Fast-forward a hundred and forty years, and what the girls have written in their annual testimonials, to be found on www.maasaigirlseducationproject.com will stop you in your tracks. If we could bottle their motivation for education, their determination, and their passion to share the benefits, we`d make a fortune. But the riches are in the life-transforming educational outcomes being achieved. This is priceless.
Comments