Female Literacy and Empowerment
Maasai women have some of the lowest literacy rates in the world. Geographic, political and cultural isolation, combined with social structures that marginalize, cause Maasai women to miss the opportunity to get an education or leave school to get married at an early age. MCI believes that the best way to improve the lives of the Maasai people is to teach their girls to read and become vocationally capable of returning to serve their community. Numerous studies have identified female literacy as the single most important factor in attaining social and economic progress in the developing world. Girls who can read are more likely to stay in school, delay marriage and pursue opportunities that improve their economic well-being as well as that of their community. By focusing on female education, therefore, MCI seeks to improve the social, economic and political strength of the entire Maasai community.