Two members ofthe Maasai tribe from Kenya - Joseph Koyei and Margaret Nabaala - recentlyshared their African experiences with several classes at Palm City Elementary.Margaret Morales, founder of The Majella Project, sponsored their trip. Themission of The Majella Project is to highlight the presence of women everywherevia a global Web site, www.majellaproject.com.

"Connecting withpeople from all over the world is one way of discovering first hand that we areall the same," Morales said.

Koyei first cameto the United States as part of a group lead by Desmond Tutu in 2000. Dressedin their traditional Maasai clothing and hand beaded regalia, Koyei and Nabaalashowed video clips to the students and spoke of their traditions and cultures.They also talked about how Christianity reached their villages in Kenya andtaught the children African dances and how to count to 10 in Swahili, the officiallanguage of four nations including East Africa.

The Maasai are anindigenous African ethnic group of semi-nomadic people located in Kenya and northern Tanzania.

"There is arecognizable light in the eyes of every Maasai Person you meet," Morales said. "Theyhave an unquestioning faith in God and trust in the teachings of Jesus. Mosthave taken Christian names and have chosen to learn the English language, asthat which is most universal."

A short time ago,Maasai fate was decided by a trade for their freedom from British occupation.They were told that they would be given their own land in exchange for theirfreedom.

The MajellaProject, www.majellaproject.com, is an online global community center for women and theirorganizations and highlights the presence of women worldwide. By acting ashost, The Majella Project promotes the presence and contributions of itsmembers on a local as well as a global scale. Morales plans to continuesponsoring trips and projects that bring diverse groups and cultures togetherfor educational and consciousness-raising purposes.

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