Maasai Warriors Run Marathon to Save Lives

A group of six Maasai warriors have left their African village for the first time to run the London Marathon, hoping to raise enough money to bring clean drinking water to their village.

By Kathryn Hawkins. Posted on April 09 2008

On April 13th, runners from all over the world will come together to test their endurance at the famous London Marathon, a challenging 26-mile trek through the city. There’ll be a diverse range of athletes making the journey: Everyone from 101-year-old Buster Martin to everyone’s favorite kitchen curmudgeon, Gordan Ramsey, and thousands of other fascinating people are joining the ranks this year.

But one group of runners, clothed in traditional African tribal gowns, and carrying shields and sticks, is sure to stand out among the crowd. These six young men are Maasai Warriors, who’ve left their tiny village in Africa for the first time in their lives to run the marathon. And for them, it’s not just about sport –it’s about saving lives.

In the Maasai village of Eluai, Northern Tanzania, it is impossible to find clean drinking water. Villagers are growing sick and dying from diseases brought on by drinking infected water. To help their community survive, the group of six young men are traveling to London and running in the marathon to raise money so that a team of engineers can drill bore holes underground to create a source for clean drinking water. They need a minimum of £20,000 (about $40,000) to bring clean water to their village, and are taking donations through a PayPal form on their website.

So why choose a marathon to raise money for their community? It just seemed like the easiest way –after all, they’re no strangers to running.

“Our elders told us that we can do it because we have been runing all over for killing a lion and herding cattle,” one of the Maasai men, Isaya, wrote on their blog. “We are training very hard because we want to do it to make life easier for the Maasai people.”

“The Maasai are proud people, and they see this as an innovative way to raise money and supply their village with clean water,” said Paul Martin, an expedition leader who is helping the young men make the voyage to London through the nonprofit group Greenforce. “This will help them protect their identity, traditions and way of life. If they achieve this, they will return to their village as heroes!”

Filed under: Health and Wellbeing, Heroes, Non-Profits,