Our water comes from one of the many springs of the Ngorongoro escarpment. With help from the Selela Village Government and from young Maasai we have laid pipes from the spring high up the hills down to our camp and to a |  Maasai women at the water tap point near Ol Mesera |
 Maasai boys herding cattle instead of attending school | This first cooperation for fresh water has subsequently
led to the support of some village children, enabling them to attend secondary school
after their primary education. Although education is free for primary school, parents still have to pay for books and a uniform. For secondary school they have to pay ‘school fees’ as an additional expense. As a consequence the childrens' formal education usually stops after primary school. |
| With the strength of family ties, priority is
naturally given to the nourishment of every family member, before the price for
education. Due to the frequent occurrence of HIV/AIDS and other serious diseases
(malaria, tuberculosis, cholera), a lot of children are officially orphaned but
are automatically adopted by relatives. These families then expand and share the little they have, of course leaving little money for secondary schooling. |  Maasai family in their 'boma' |
 Children at school | To further support the education of local children
in their own environment, in the near future Ol Mesera would like to help
provide a primary school for the For this plan we first need the commitment of a Tanzanian NGO before we set up a small foundation, within which we can officially invest a part of our profits and guests' donation. |
| With the development of Ol Mesera Tented Camp since 2005,
we have created local job opportunities. Most staff members are from Selela,
some from Mto wa Mbu and our cook is from Arusha. |  Road between Ol Mesera and Selela |