We firmly believe that for the pastoral communities to confront the realities of the modern world, they must have education. Education is a gateway that can lead to the fulfillment of other human rights, as well as a powerful weapon to fight poverty, social injustice, land loss, and other social ills in society.
We have established the ORETETI FOUNDATION to promote access to quality education for girls from the pastoral communities, and provide financial support to female students who are academically able but lack financial resources to join secondary schools and colleges.
The Board is concerned that:
a) the pastoral community in Tanzania is facing existential threats from the impacts of climate change, fluctuating market prices, livestock diseases, and unfavourable policies.
b) the pastoralists are some of the least educated in Tanzania, and that girls are more disadvantaged from prebirth through adulthood when compared to boys.
The Foundation shall operate in Mainland Tanzania in the Arusha Region specifically within the Monduli in Ngorongoro, and Longido in Arusha districts.
MEET OUR FOUNDING BOARD MEMBERS
Dr. Kokel Melubo, Tanzania – Director
Kokel is a passionate and dedicated advocate for education for all, with a particular focus on marginalized communities. He emphasizes the importance of girls’ education, having noted the limited number of girls who have access to schooling due to harmful cultural practices that hinder their progress. Kokel believes that the most effective way for the Maasai community to escape the constraints of poverty and injustice is to educate, value, and respect girls and young women, allowing them to realize their full potential alongside their male counterparts.
Kokel was raised in the highlands of Ngorongoro and earned his doctorate in tourism from the University of Otago in New Zealand. When he is off the clock, you will most likely find Kokel tending to his livestock at Nadosoitok, Monduli, and Mokilal in Ngorongoro, spending time with his family, or writing stories about Maasai heritage. Regarding heritage, Kokel resonates with the adage that to stop glorifying the misinterpretation of our histories, we must create our own history.
Teika J. Simango, Tanzania – Accountant
Teika is an advocate of the High Court of Tanzania with 10 years of experience in the domestic aspects of child and family law. She is also passionate about advocating for the rights of young women and social justice, particularly for those from under-resourced backgrounds. Growing up in the rural village of Moita Bwanani in Monduli, Teika realized she was among the fortunate few to complete university degrees, while many of her peers got married after seventh grade or never attended school at all. Nevertheless, she believes that education is a pathway to a better future. While working at the Emusoi Center, Teika has dedicated herself to supporting girls and young women. She brings extensive experience in empowering them as agents of change through education.
Teete Ole Kotoi, Tanzania – Programme Manager Community Engagement
Teete is a community development expert dedicated to supporting residents of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in actively engaging with issues that affect their livelihoods. He holds an undergraduate degree in community development with a special interest in the social inclusion of vulnerable communities and development challenges. For Teete, the most rewarding part of his work is seeing his fellow community members, especially girls, understand educational issues and witnessing those in need receive support.
Moinga Ikayo, Tanzania – Education Programme Manager
Moinga serves as the head teacher at a school in Endulen, Ngorongoro. He witnesses firsthand the outcry of many girls seeking education and the harsh reality that their parents are unable to support them due to poverty. Moinga was inspired to pursue a career in teaching because of his passion to impact the lives of young people positively.
Shar Carlini, New Zealand – Board Member
Shar lives in New Zealand where education is compulsory until the age of 16. Continuing schooling beyond that age is encouraged and is available to everyone in her country. Seeing how challenging it is in Tanzania for some children to get to school, and how valuable education is to communities, and especially girls, is the motivation for Shar to be involved in the Oreteti Foundation. She has been supporting girls, and some boys, in the Ngorongoro Crater for several years, and is keen to see the Oreteti Foundation thrive, and the number of girls receiving education increase, with more support from a global community.
Tanner Knorr, USA – Board Chair
Tanner has been a long-term collaborator with non-Western and Indigenous communities through both for-profit and non-profit organizations and is passionate about education. One consistent and recognized factor in his work is that education is key to community development. While education is continually under-appreciated and under-funded in many places in the world, evidence shows that it brings dramatic improvements to entire communities when women and girls obtain an education. Through our work at the Oreteti Foundation, we prioritize female education to enable communities to move towards poverty alleviation, economic development, and social mobility. Education is therefore important, not only to the individual person and their family, but also to the entire social fabric of their community.
