A hand up, not a handout – Rick Morro

Rick Morro went to Tanzania in 2012, and amidst the breathtaking beauty found heartbreaking ugliness in the plight of the Maasai people, and especially of the girls. Some were orphaned, others were abused, or runaways from forced marriages to much older men. Many were subjected to a tribal custom of genital mutilation that has been outlawed, but is still practiced by the Maasai. Most were suffering from lack of education and healthcare.

Rick was so struck by the suffering that he came home, sold his possessions and moved to Tanzania.

He formed the Maasai Girls Rescue Center, and when they outgrew that, they purchased land to build an ecoVillage to feed, house, and educate the girls, teach them marketable skills, and raise funds to support the effort through ecotourism.

The result is a entrepreneurial village-level alternative to failed African aid, the more traditional approach of generous people providing billions in aid – that ultimately creates negative unintended consequences.

Click here to learn more about the Maasai Girls Rescue Center: https://maasairescue.org/

Original air date: March 28, 2024.

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