NGORBOB: OUR LAND IS DYING AND SO ARE WE
“The climate has changed. There is no water here, nothing. Our land is dying and so are we” Ngorbob elders.
Ngorbob is a small Masai village near Arusha, Tanzania. Ngorbob has been severely hit by drought in recent months. They have not seen rain for over a year, and as a result their farmlands and livestock are dying. Many of the residents of Ngorbob have already been forced to leave their ancestral home in search of water and work.
DRIED UP RIVERS - An aerial view of the drought. Dried up rivers and dust storms are all that remain on this once fertile land.
COMMUNITY OF NGORBOB - The community of Ngorbob gathers to explain their situation, surrounded by their now barren farmlands.
KADOGO AND HER SON LAZARO - "We have nothing to feed our children. Our livestock don't produce milk anymore, and neither do we." - Ngorbob women
EVA WITH EMPTY WATER JUG.
PARCHED EARTH
ARID LANDSCAPE - Zawadi looks out at the arid landscape surrounding Ngorbob.
SEARCH FOR WATER - Every day the youth have to go in search of water to keep the community alive. They leave home at sunrise and, if they are lucky, they return home just before sunset.
ABANDONED HOME - Many people have been forced to leave their ancestral homes, a decision not taken lightly, in order to survive.
FARM TOOLS - "We haven't seen rain for almost a year now, so our farmlands have all dried up and died." - Ngorbob elders
SOIL EROSION - The parched earth has altered the landscape surrounding Ngorbob. Once green fields have eroded leaving the area dangerous for the local children like Baraka.
Dangerous Ground
The parched earth has altered the landscape surrounding Ngorbob. Once green fields have eroded leaving the area dangerous for the children.
KOKOYA AND GRANDCHILDREN - With the young and able-bodied having to journey farther and farther to find water and employment, the children and elderly are left behind in the village.
SEARCHING FOR WATER AND PASTURES - What little remains of the communities' livestock are on the move everyday to find grazing land and water.
COLLECTING HAY - Eva, Zawadi, and Furaha collect hay in an attempt to keep their livestock alive.
Traditionally, the Masai measure their wealth and well-being by their land and their livestock. But both are dying so the Ngorbob elders say: "we don't even feel like Maisai anymore, the climate changes have destroyed us."
LIFE ON THE MOVE
NAEMA
YUSUFU
