Every Maasai girl deserves the freedom to learn, lead and choose her own future.
Ending child marriage. Advancing education. Building the next generation of Indigenous women leaders in Tanzania.
OUR STORY
Born from the community. Built for the community.
OMOM Maasai Community Foundation was not built in an office. It was built inside a Maasai community in Tanzania by a woman who grew up there and refused to accept that girls had no future beyond early marriage.
Naomi Koinase was the first person from her village to reach university. She did not celebrate. She went back. She started with three girls, no funding and an unshakeable belief that education could change everything. In 2023 she registered OMOM. In 2025 she graduated with a Chevening Scholarship MA in Gender and Development from the University of Sussex in the UK.
Today OMOM works across Maasai communities in Tanzania through four connected programmes designed to get girls into school, keep them safe, build them into leaders and change the communities around them.
Learn Our Full Story"When a Maasai girl is educated she does not just change her own life. She goes back and changes her community."
THE PROBLEM
The patriarchy is failing Maasai girls.
In Maasai communities patriarchy does not ask permission. It shows up at 12 years old when a girl finishes primary school and decides her future before she can. Behind every forced marriage is a girl who had a dream. Behind every dropout is a girl who had the grades.
The problem is not the girl. It has never been the girl. It is a system designed to limit and oppress her.
Education without safety and community change leaves girls exposed.
60%+
Maasai girls married before age 18
2 in 10
Maasai girls transition from primary to secondary school
47%
Prevalence of forced marriage in Manyara — highest in Tanzania
WHAT WE DO
Our Core Focus Areas
Education Sidai
- Vulnerable Girls Identification
- School Placement and Full Provision
- Monitoring and Progress Tracking
Nganashehood
- Life Skills and Mentorship
- Sexual and Rights Education
- Mental Health and Trauma Support
- Career Development
Serian Homes
- Life Skills and Personal Development
- Cultural Preservation
- Women Economic Empowerment
HOW WE DELIVER CHANGE
The Elimu Impact Model
A community-rooted system. No girl left behind.
Identify
We go into Maasai communities and find vulnerable girls who passed exams but were never enrolled due to forced and early marriage and poverty.
Educate
We secure school placement and provide tuition, uniforms, books and all learning materials so every girl starts with everything she needs.
Protect
We provide safe accommodation and engage parents, elders and government to eliminate harmful practices that pull girls out of school.
Empower
We build confidence, voice and leadership through mentorship, bootcamps, school clubs and rights education.
Advocate
We work with communities and government until every Maasai girl has the environment she needs to lead and thrive.
Community rooted from day one. The system is built inside Maasai communities by someone who grew up there, designed so that change is owned and sustained by the community itself.
OUR STORIES
Every story represents systems change.
These transformations aren't isolated successes — they're proof that when Maasai girls receive the right combination of education, safety and support, they don't just survive. They lead.
Nganashehood Bootcamp
Education Sidai
Serian Homes
Olosho Voices
Community Gathering
Girls in Training
Who We Are
Nganashehood Bootcamp
Education Sidai
Serian Homes
Olosho Voices
Community Gathering
Girls in Training
Who We Are
OUR PARTNERS
Trusted by leading organizations
Together with our partners, we are amplifying impact across the Maasai community of Tanzania.
