Weeks passed, and my national exams were nigh; since Mr. Martin Saning’o had passed away from COVID-19, I had a dream. In the dream, Mr Martin told me, in Swahili, with a rough translation to English, “Dare to dream big, never give up and always have a spirit big enough to achieve your dreams. Never give up, my son and remember I love you!”. I woke up emotional that day, but I also had a thought. He has done great work that most people are unaware of. I wouldn’t want his works to go unnoticed – I would like people to learn of his work and the benefits he has brought to the Maasai community in Terrat, Simanjiro. This is his story.
Martin was born in the early 1960s in the Simanjiro district of northern Tanzania. This is in the Maasai heartland – the high, arid plains south of Arusha. Like many Maasai of his generation, Martin and his family cannot be sure exactly when he was born. But Martin believed it to be in 1960 or 1961.
Martin became an activist and made critical moves to ensure the Maasai weren’t displaced from their traditional lands. The government had been displacing the Maasai from areas it claimed were ‘National Park areas’. His moves were perceived as ‘too critical’ by some in high places, and as a result, the government initially refused to register for IOPA.
As impossible as it may seem, Martin sued the government for displacing the Maasai from their traditional lands. At the time, more than 6000 Maasai had already been displaced by the government from the National Parks. IOPA, led by Mr. Martin, filed several cases against the government, resulting in a landmark ruling by the High Court in IOPA’s favour.
Martin recognised that education was the key to enlightening the Maasai on several key issues: land rights, their health, their livestock, the ongoing changes in the outside world, and several other matters. He figured that a community radio would effectively serve this purpose. He established a community radio station, the first of its kind in Tanzania. He worked his fingers to the bone – many sleepless nights – and finally the ORS FM first broadcast news in 2002. The radio was, in fact, the first-ever community radio in Tanzania – or, in a larger perspective, East Africa. It broadcasts news in Kimaasai (the native language of Maasai) and plays Maasai music.
Martin had a broad and liberal outlook in his work, which touched nearly every age group and social class at that time. For children, IOPA helped establish more than 50 pre-primary and primary schools across the region.
Martin’s work didn’t go unnoticed – he was elected an Ashoka Fellow in 2003 and caught the attention of Dutch philanthropist Dini de Rijcke, with whom he began working through her foundation, Stichting Het Groene Woudt (SHGW). Through its collaboration with Ashoka and SHGW, IOPA successfully achieved many of its objectives. The Dutch foundation provided IOPA with five dairy plants and generators to power them across the region, and each dairy could process up to 2000 litres of milk into yoghurt, cheese, ghee and butter per day. These products were sold nationwide. In cooperation with these organisations, OPA also worked on several water supply projects, which bore fruit as people in the dry Maasai lands gained much easier access to water than before.
After the idea of the community radio, Martin also realised that there was a need for electricity, not only for the radio station but also for the receivers of the information they portrayed. He worked on several projects with different international organisations, bringing electricity to the Maasai people.
Martin also worked to help women facing different challenges, most especially those in the Maasai areas – they were more prone to treacherous practices, such as beatings from husbands, mutilation and harassment. IOPA created a haven where beaten women would go to and tell their stories. It also tried to prevent female genital mutilation, FGM, child marriage and women’s oppression. IOPA dedicated some of its resources to educating women and raising the status of women in the Maasai society. IOPA also sought to help women economically. IOPA established dairies in Simanjiro with a long-sighted view of enabling women to sell milk and earn money, which they used to meet their own needs and those of their families. In the Maasai culture, the only resource that belongs to women is milk.
The women’s refuge centre was also expanded to serve as a house, accommodating visitors. IOPA also added additional generators to build one of the first mini-grids in the country, supplying more than 1,000 people in Terrat village with electricity. The government had considered it too expensive to connect Terrat to the national electricity grid.
Martin was bestowed with various awards for his outstanding work, including the Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2014 by the Schwab Foundation and the World Economic Forum Africa, the Ford Global Community Leadership Award, and the Dubai Global Innovator Award.
Martin suggested that IOPA had to try to create viable micro businesses. Even after funders ended their collaborations, IOPA could still run its activities and thrive. Today, IOPA’s remaining running projects include ORS FM radio, a few dairy plants, the conference centre, the water business, the guest house, and the education and health support project in Terrat.
In 2019, IOPA was renamed Orkonerei Maasai Social Initiatives (OMASI) – an NGO – due to government laws and regulations. By the end of 2020, Mr. Martin had achieved most of his goals and dreams.
On March 1st, 2021, Martin passed away. I can say that he hasn’t genuinely died because his works still live on – he lives through his works. He has left a legacy and considerable shoes to fill. This story of Martin is intended to inspire anyone with big dreams, anyone who is fighting against all odds to achieve their goals. I hope I have done his story some justice.
