A Festive Day at ERAMATARE

The journey was long, the journey was challenging...

Hooray! Since January 2025, our school is officially registered!

This is a major success and a true reason to pause and celebrate! More than 3.5 years of work lie behind us. If you have supported us organizationally and/or financially, then you are part of this celebration! Because it is only through the contribution of MANY heartfelt individuals that building and running a school becomes possible. Yes, the school — that’s all of us!

Celebrate with us!Celebrate with the children and parents!Be a part of ERAMATARE, whose name means "We take responsibility" — and that’s exactly what we do.

A photo story will follow the celebration.

Before the celebration, we buy large amounts of rice, vegetables, spices, and buckets for food distribution at the market in Arusha... plates, cups—and locally in Engaruka—four goats and drinks.

What fascinates me most is this pot! At 275 liters, it’s the size of a bathtub. And the ladles—so big they look like oars. It’s basically a multifunctional pot: pot, tub, and boat. :-)

The pot is inaugurated during the celebration and will serve the school from then on. The old pots have become too small for the growing number of students.

I’m so happy to finally be back at our ERAMATARE school. The children are soooo sweet. Curious and eager, they ask me questions—and I answer them. What a joy to be able to have a simple conversation with the older students now!

A few girls tell me in advance that they've rehearsed a song for Kaira and me. Their excitement melts my heart. ❤️

Today, I’m being adorned. But what really catches the children’s interest are the tiny seashells on my necklace. Of course—they don’t know the sea or its creatures.

To understand the world. To touch the soul.

Understanding = Touching

Today I am touched a lot.

The heat makes the veins on my hands stand out, and the children find them fascinating. Many are curious about my moles—especially the raised ones. Some children sniff my skin. Countless hands stroke my soft hair. I almost start purring—and it doesn’t take much more to fall asleep. ;-)

Everyone looks so fine today!

Here are a few boys practicing their high jumps, a key part of Maasai ceremonial tradition.

The children’s elegant appearance at the celebration is a powerful expression of appreciation by the mothers!

Normally, the children have no jewelry and wear whatever hand-me-down clothes they can get. What a gesture of respect!

Kaira hired a special cook. Robert normally prepares food for ERAMATARE TOURS guests on safari camping trips. Today, he’s cooking the four goats Kaira bought for the event, which are slaughtered locally. Braised with lots of onions and a big sack of vegetables, he creates a delicious pilau, served with rice. There are even fries—crispy ones! The teachers help with the preparations too.

Stirring such a large pot takes real strength! The fuller the pot, the harder it is. From now on, this pot will be used every day. Not for fitness training, of course—but for cooking stews! ;-)

The meat is cut. Since there’s usually no table, cutting “in the air” is normal. The Maasai also chop vegetables like this—most don’t have cutting boards. I’m always amazed by their skill.

The children wash the cups from their morning porridge. It’s normal here for children to help with simple tasks.

Teachers, children, parents, village elders, and local politicians gather in the shade of some acacia trees. The official part of the celebration begins.

Ten..nine...eight little monkeys jumping on the bed. One fell off and bumped its head. The mama called the doctor and the doctor said: no more monkeys jumping on the bed...

The children each sing a song for Kaira and me, blessing us and thanking us for the school. I pass this blessing on to everyone who supports us—because the school is all of us! ❤️❤️❤️

There are many speeches, including one by Chief Olepello.

Thanks are repeatedly given for the construction and operation of the school, and there is a strong plea for a boarding facility. Many children walk up to 12 kilometers each way to school! During rainy season, dry riverbeds turn into torrents that even buses can’t cross. The children are small and young—they come to us starting at preschool age. On top of the physical strain, many mothers worry about snakes or hyenas along the way.

This request is not new to me. But hearing it repeated and explained from various perspectives drives home the urgency.

Chief Olepello, by the way, speaks English and highly values education—while honoring traditional culture. I wholeheartedly agree with him.

Kaira with his father. His father learns alongside the children and can already say a few things in English.

It’s wonderful to see how proud he is of Kaira and how much he supports what he’s doing. It was, after all, this very father who once forbade Kaira from continuing his education—prompting Kaira to run away and remain missing for seven years. He returned with diplomas in hand... and since 2013, he’s been committed to improving opportunities for children. Since we started supporting him in 2021, a small world has begun to change!

Hope is the passion for what is possible.We can all learn a lot from Kaira.

At the end, Kaira and I are blessed by the elders. They honor Kaira’s tireless dedication by giving him a new name: Kissaru – the one who helps others.

I receive a Maasai shuka from the men—a symbol of my welcome into their community. The women adorn me with earrings and necklaces and gift me a gourd bottle. To this day, cow’s milk is milked directly into these gourds. Milk is central to Maasai life—it gives life and is also used for blessings.

I am joyful. Celebrate with me!

This honor belongs to everyone involved! ❤️❤️❤️

Time to eat! On my way past a classroom, Chief Olepello waves me over. We eat and chat. Much, much later I realize that men and women here traditionally eat and sit separately. Classic me!

In any case, today there is enough good food for EVERYONE, regardless of age or traditional hierarchy. Everyone gets their fill, and it tastes amazing! I then make my rounds—greeting both men and women.

With the women, I laugh a lot. Soon I’ll dance and jump with them, which leads to some wonderfully uninhibited laughter. It’s such a joy! One woman grabs my shoulders and pretends I’m a bouncing ball. She times the bounce perfectly, and I hop more fluidly with each jump—my necklace and earrings swinging in rhythm.

But to see that—you’ll just have to come along!

Wherever you live, it is our ACTIONS that shape reality.

Welcome to ERAMATARE!

Text: Sigrid Sadjak