Visit to the Masai Mission, Simanjiro, Tanzania

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On Wednesday, December 17, 2014, members of the African Conference visited our new mission and school in Simanjiro where we minister among the Masai people.  Simanjiro is about four hours from the Notre Dame Center in Arusha.  We boarded four safari jeeps at 6:00 a.m. to begin our journey.  We left the main road at one point to travel through the forest in hopes of seeing some animals. We were lucky to see some ostrich, wildebeest, zebras, and giraffes.  We also saw herds of cows, goats, and sheep most of which were being herded by young Masai children.

The people from the village were lined up outside our school waiting to welcome us in song and dance. Men, women and children accompanied us to the school yard where the students, ages 4 to 7 years old, performed for us with songs and dances.  The mayor of the village, pastor of the parish and parents spoke to us of their deep appreciation for what the sisters are doing for their children and the village.  Sister Mary Kristin and Sister Mary Mukti expressed gratitude for the warm welcome and all the people are doing to support the education of their children and the work of our sisters. We were treated to a delicious dinner that the women from the village had prepared.

The school is the result of the hard work of the Dialogue Project – a group from Germany who has been coming to the village every year to construct the school, one building at a time.  Sister Mary Almuth from the Coesfeld Province has been accompanying the group yearly. It was a privilege to see Notre Dame at work among the Masai people.