Maasai marathon

Six Maasai warriors ran the London marathon in sandals made out of recycled tires.

A couple of years ago, I lived in Tanzania among the natural beauty and wildlife of Maasailand. Before my plane touched down in Dar Es Salaam, I must admit that I had no idea what to expect. I quickly learned, however, that there are 53 countries and more than 900 million people in Africa.

The Maasai, with whom I lived, were just one of these groups of people, but unfortunately they shared a struggle that is all too common in sub-Saharan Africa: the everyday struggle for clean water.

On the edge of the Serengeti, the Maasai live alongside lions and zebras but far away from basic medical services and properly treated water. The people of the village of Eluai must travel a long distance to take water from the only available source—a rapidly disappearing muddy reservoir, filled with animal waste.

An idea emerged during an English lesson I was teaching one day when the word “marathon” came up in class. The Maasai are a proud and strong people and they could not imagine a better way to support their village than by running in a marathon to raise money and awareness for their dire situation. With sandals made out of recycled tires, they claimed to be able to run for days at a time while hunting—and I didn’t dare doubt them!

With the money they raised through their participation in the marathon, the Maasai runners were able to fund a clean water system in the Eluai region of Tanzania.

On April 13, 2008, six Maasai warriors, equipped head to toe in traditional shields and swords, took to the streets of London and completed the marathon to a cheering crowd. The world response to this campaign was overwhelming—raising an unbelievable £115,000 toward the research and development of clean water sources in the Eluai region. This was almost £100,000 over the fundraising target!

Marathon day was a typically rainy one in London, but nobody was paying much attention to the weather. Instead, it was a day to celebrate the abilities of six individuals to enact real change and hope for a better tomorrow. You, too, can help give the powerful gift of water to those who need it the most. If you would like to get involved with Free The Children’s clean water programs, check out our website and hit the ground running!

Finbar Hefferon
Kenya Trips Facilitator

Free The Children is the largest network of children helping children through education in the world, with more than one million youth involved in our innovative education and development programs in 45 countries. Founded by international child rights activist Craig Kielburger, Free The Children has an established track-record of success, with three nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize and partnerships with the United Nations and Oprah’s Angel Network.