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Earning their own money is on top of the agenda of the Maasai women from the Mararianta village. Thirty-one of the women have formed a community group to support each other in their effort to start up a small business initiative. The challenge was to find a product to sell with a market living out on the savannah.
These charcoal briquettes are a type of fuel made by combining charcoal powder with other ingredients such as cow dung, twigs, small branches, soil, and water. Conventional charcoals are made from wood. Compared with traditional fuels, charcoal briquettes not only generate heat continuously but burning them doesn’t produce smoke or an odor during combustion. In addition, and more importantly, utilizing briquettes doesn’t require trees, to be felled for the carbonization to occur. This conventional charcoal production damages the forests of Kenya, destroying important ecosystems and reducing CO2 capture from the environment.
The income the women receive from the sale of the charcoal briquettes supplements the funds they receive from selling bead products. The women also harvest honey. This diversification of income enables the mamas to have a sustainable stream of revenue and reduces their over-reliability on one source of income. The varied sources of revenue enable the women to sustain their families throughout the year. The opportunity for the women to develop their own vocations will enable them to be more self-sufficient and expand their role in society.
