Ugali is a maize porridge that is commonly eaten in East Africa. When my mother and I volunteer at Hekima Place, an all-girls orphanage on the bank of the Rift Valley in Kenya, we eat ugali everyday. We eat it for lunch and for dinner seven days a week. During holidays people mix beans or cabbage or meat to make it more special. I have learned how to harvest corn by hand, how to cook ugali and all the steps in between, none of which are easy.
Today most Maasai women live in extreme poverty, which means living from hand to mouth — when you earn money that is when you eat. But they are struggling now and often go days without food.
First Covid pandemic made it impossible for them to get to the markets to sell their beaded products, and now, as a result of their overall economic decline, they cannot afford to get to the markets.
I started ‘Beads for Ugali’ during confusing pandemic times, because I wanted to make sure that my Maasai family in Kona Baridi was able to sleep each night with a full stomach.
Skip your frappuccino today, buy an original beaded bracelet and put food in hungry tummies. Thank you!
Why I haven’t mentioned men, is because men and women live very separate lives in the Maasai community. Women are responsible for taking care of their huts and feeding their family.