We recently received a wonderful letter from a local Maasai who explains how The Mud House Children's Foundation is making a real impact on the communities, along with providing future opportunities.
"Hello,
My name is Dr. Ayman David Nassei, MD. This was however not always the case and many people have worked tirelessly in helping me to build this name for myself.
I am a Maasai, born of two indigenous Maasai parents in a small hospital located in the Ngorongoro National Reserve in Arusha, Tanzania. Yes, my parents were sent to school and this is why I was birthed in a hospital instead of a Maasai boma, unlike most of my cousins.
My parents made it a point to give me the best education they could afford, I attended English medium school for my primary education. I excelled and swiftly made it all the way to high school. This was not without extreme sacrifice from my parents, they resorted to a wide range of small businesses which they had to endure loss after loss, but they never gave up, and neither did I.
My father retired from his government job in 2012 and my mum had been diagnosed with diabetes type II, this crippled my family financially so when I joined university in 2013 it seemed like the flame that lit up my dream was going to die.
I made it through the 1st and 2nd years; barely.
It was during this difficult time that my family met Nicky Jarman. Initially, my mum and Nicky traded in beadworks, but then as trust grew, my mum Salome was hired as a manager for The Mud House Children’s Foundation.
I was not sponsored by The Mud House Children’s Foundation, however, their presence in Tanzania and the employment of my mother by the foundation played a great part in enabling me to achieve my dreams.
The foundation has been life-changing for me.
Nicky and her team’s sincere efforts to help the Maasai community enabled me to achieve what many Maasai children are unable to achieve even in this age of fast-moving technological advancements.
I graduated from medical school and went on to do my internship, currently, I practice medicine at Good Samaritan Cancer Hospital. Above all else, I got married and together my wife and I are also giving back to society by paying school fees for some students that are struggling. I am also working closely with the sponsored children; such as Rovaldo who is being sponsored by Sylvia Goodall (Nicky’s mother) since 2006, with the aim of sharing my experience and expertise, as well as encouraging them to work harder with the hope that it will boost their academic excellence.
My wife and I intend to return to Loliondo to do volunteering work at Wasso Hospital.
I hope to show the young children in my community that they can make it in life and that life is much bigger than just taking care of livestock, early marriages, and teen pregnancies… it’s an age where a Maasai can rule a country, treat diseases, build mega-structures, prepare exquisite dishes for 5-star hotels, become artists of the fashion industry; as long as they have the determination to make it thus far!"
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