To help empower women in the Maasai plains of Terat, Tanzania, a dairy was established in 2009 as a social enterprise, buying milk from local women and processing it into marketable products (yoghurt, cheese, ghee etc). The dairy fell into disrepair and disuse, but we have recently helped renovate and upgrade the facility. This project seeks to restart operations, putting money and power directly back into hands of Maasai women, transforming their lives and status in their communities.
In Maasai culture women have the responsibility to raise children and run the home. It is often difficult for them to have their own income and be independent as the men typically control the finances. Cows have very high cultural value so they are seen as men's property. However, because of the heat, their milk is seen as low value and belongs to the women. Therefore a dairy was created to purchase the milk from the women, and process it, putting money directly into their hands & creating jobs.
The dairy faces ongoing challenges to sustain its operations and continue supporting local women. We have installed solar power to reduce operating costs, but the factory equipment is now extremely old and unreliable and precious funds are wasted every year on repairs. Through this project, we will help them upgrade their existing equipment to be more energy efficient and reliable, and add more milk collection points in remote areas to empower more women, as well as supporting general operations
The dairy runs as a social enterprise, focused on financial sustainability and capacity building for women in the Maasai community. Our business model for it is fully sustainable, once essential equipment upgrades and repairs are addressed. The long term impact for 5000 Maasai women who could supply the milk is that they become the family members with cash in their pockets, and therefore command more respect in their families, communities, and can become economically independent.
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