Sunday, March 10
A multitude of camels shall cover you… –Isaiah 60:6a
The Maasai people of Tanzania, for thousands of years, have been nomadic cattle herders. Traditionally, they understood that their way of life came directly from their god,Engai, who gave cattle to their people.
About twenty years ago, the climate began to change and the dry season turned into perpetual drought. The cattle started to die.
The director of Heifer Tanzania, Peter Mwakabwale, sat down with elders from the community and talked with them about herding camels instead. At first, there was resistance: camels are huge and often unpredictable. Mwakabwale persisted, explaining that camels can survive for long periods of time without water. The elders agreed to try.
And so the camels came. Where cattle rely on grasses, camels can feed off native trees. Even in the dry season, a single camel can produce two or three gallons of milk a day. They also ease women’s burdens, helping to carry water and firewood.
This a new project, and there is much more to be done. Only one camel, so far, has been trained to kneel down to carry loads; soon, they hope to train the others. Eventually, the women hope to sell camel milk on the market; to do so they will need to overcome other people’s assumption about the taste!
Working together, Heifer Tanzania and the Maasai people have discovered that there can be a balance between tradition and change, and in that balance, they have found hope.
Teach us, O God, to honor gifts from the past and to be open to new sources of hope. Amen.