Meet the Board
Meet the Board
MARA CONSERVATION
encouraging empathy for other life
MLP Team in Morocco
Advisors in Morocco
For our wedding wish, we'd like to build positive pathways for women and kids, and a bridge of friendship across the world
~Colin & Natalie
Hi friends,
We are so happy you're celebrating with us!! We've thought about it and decided we don't need more things. But if you are so inclined, this is one idea. Would you instead consider giving a gift to people who need it more? As many of you know, Nat's mom, Barb, has a 501c(3) nonprofit expanding opportunities for women and kids, and we're so proud of how they're changing lives. We'd love to support their Women's Work Center in Maasai Mara, Kenya, in honor of our marriage. It means a lot to us, to our families, and to every person whose life is changed.
Among the impacts of this amazing Women's Center...
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Women are earning an income for the 1st time in their lives! Only 30% of women in the Maasai Mara had the chance to go to school when they were young, Now, these women are learning vocational skills, becoming entrepreneurs, and supporting their families. They've elevated their heritage beadwork and mastered sewing, and sell their work through safari camps. Imagine how they must feel, doing meaningful work and becoming contributors.
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Kids are going to school! Only 10% of children reach high school in this area. They drop out at various points along the way largely because families can't afford school fees. The women are able to keep the kids of their extended families in school. Combined with Oliveseed's scholarship and school library programs, this helps children make it through. And the idea is spreading.
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Teen girls stay in school! A majority of girls drop out of school when they reach puberty and then become vulnerable to early marriage, because they have no access to sanitary supplies. The women are making supplies to help 1000s of girls stay in school, a proven method.
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This helps conservation too. The Maasai have co-existed with wildlife for millennia and now are the guardians of it. Oliveseed was awarded in July for "preserving the Serengeti/Mara Ecosystem by supporting communities."
(They're in Benevity in case your company matches. It's also tax deductible, and you'll get a tax receipt.)
"The Women's Work Center has transformed my life and the lives of countless women. It is a testament to the power of community, resilience, and the unwavering spirit of women determined to uplift one another."
~ Hellen Nchoko, Manager of the Center
The Change We Can Help Make
$50 buys food for a week, to feed 20 women lunch while they work
$100 installs better lighting, which is much needed
$150 funds materials and fair-wage labor for sanitary to kits to keep 10 girls in school for 3 years, delivered at schools along with health and hygiene training
$250 funds a round of product development in beadwork arts and sewing, with materials and labor for the women, greatly needed now to build inventory at safari camp shops
$400 will buy and install a real stove, much needed vs. the unsanitary and dangerous kerosene cookpot they use now
$500 will purchase another sewing machine and table
Everyone there is inviting us to come visit. After the wedding, come out to meet the community, see how our gifts are transforming lives, and go on safari!
Thank you for considering something near and dear to our hearts.
~Nat & Colin
