This year, the charity African Initiatives will be celebrating their 20th Anniversary, supporting projects in Africa. These projects range from girls’ education and women’s health rights through to sustainable livelihoods and land rights, with expertise in working with the Maasai. To coincide with International Women’s Day (8th March), your help is needed to collect images that tell the stories of ordinary women whose lives have been changed forever.
Between 2-11 March 2017, African Initiatives will be sending their Communications Officer, Ellie Richold to Tanzania to document the impact they have had on the lives of Maasai women and girls in northern Tanzania. In addition, they are hoping to send Bath based photographer Philip Field out to capture the trip.
Upon landing in Arusha, the pair will travel to the remote village of Loliondo situated in Ngorongoro District of Northern Tanzania. Their aim is to illustrate through interviews and photography the story of Simoine, a Maasai women who escaped forced marriage at a young age and was offered a scholarship by African Initiatives’ partner organisation, the Pastoral Women’s Council (PWC).
Simoine, like many young girls, was promised to a much older man because her family could not afford to send her to secondary school, believing it was better to exchange her for cattle before she became pregnant. She was expected to give up on any dreams of an education and to become a mother, wife and property of her husband. However, when PWC stepped in, her life took a different route. She was provided a secondary education, she excelled and went on to become a teacher herself. Simoine is now the Deputy Head of Emanyatta, the top performing school in Ngorongoro - and unique in that over 65% of its students are girls. She has become a role model to many young girls and women and is a glowing example of how girls’ education can contribute to a virtuous circle.
Philip and Ellie’s aim is to document the struggle many girls in Northern Tanzania undergo just to receive an education. Meeting with Simoine, they will observe and capture both the work she does today as well as revisiting her past and her struggle.
African Initiatives pride themselves on sending 94 pence from every pound they fundraise direct to overseas projects. It’s an impressive statistic, but such a tight budget means they do not have the funds to fly a professional photographer to the field and back. Not even on their 20th anniversary. Philip has generously offered to donate his time and expertise free of charge, but is now seeking your support to help him raise the £1200 travel costs needed to document Simoine’s story and those of others whose lives have been changed by African Initiatives.
Pledge Your Support
Please pledge your support by selecting from one of the 5 rewards on this page. You will only be charged if Philip reaches his £1200 goal by the end of the campaign (13 March 2017). If Philip does not reach this goal, your card will not be charged.
A Massai woman in traditional dress
Background Information
African Initiatives (AI)
AI support projects identified and implemented by Africans. They have been working with the PWC since 1998 and have supported hundreds of Maasai girls to go to school. AI was set up to defend rights through a partnership model - the communities are the ones who know best. Partnership is about long term commitment and listening to the grass-roots. They may not have the means but they have the answers. Though small, African Initiatives has a huge embrace; from women who have been denied control over their bodies, to girls excluded from education because of their gender, or tribes whose lands are being taken away. AI is 20 years old this year and is celebrating with a programme of events, including an exhibition showcasing some of their successes. Budgets are kept as low as possible (94p from every pound goes straight to overseas projects). www.african-initiatives.org.uk/
Ellie Richold - Communications Officer for African Initiatives
Ellie has a background in written and radio journalism, having worked for the BBC since 2006 (initially as a Broadcast Assistant with the World Service's Focus on Africa and BBC Mundo programmes). She has made documentaries about and/or written on subjects as varied as scallops, cults, job seeking, ketamine, fish stocks, gardening and ecotourism in Mexico.
Philip Field – Photographer
Philip is a professional freelance photographer. As a finalist 3 years running (2014-2016) in Travel Photographer of the Year and Associate of The Royal Photographic Society, Philip dedicates much of his time to travel photography and photojournalism and has been published in numerous publications including National Geographic and BBC Wildlife Magazine. www.philipfield.com
A Maasai woman attending to her cattle
