“Future Warriors” started as a concept in 2006 when a group of young Maasai, including Sianga Kuyan, met to discuss issues confronting Maasai communities and what they wanted to do to build a better future for Maasai people.
Sianga is a Maasai who grew up in a remote village in Tanzania He had a completely traditional Maasai upbringing looking after cattle and goats among wild animals. his village did not have schools until he was a teenager, and then it started under a tree. After becoming a warrior Sianga was forced from his village through drought, which devastated Maasai cattle supplies. His father was struggling to feed his 5 wives and 25 children. Sianga had no money, and no idea what to do but walked 50 km to the nearest road and ended up in the city Arusha. He slept on the streets until he was lucky to find a job as a security guard protecting building site for less than $20 month.
Eventually, through his own initiative and a bit of luck Sianga became a tour guide and began taking tourists to his village. The money started to flow back to his family and his brothers and sisters no longer went hungry. He taught himself how to use the internet and email and later studied English and a tour guide diploma, During his time in Arusha, Sianga saw many of his fellow warriors driven to the city out of desperation. In Arusha they experienced all kinds of physical and emotional challenges. Sianga faced the same obstacles. He was brave and resourceful and lucky enough to escape from poverty and provide for his family by learning to adjust to life in the modern world.
Once he found success it would have been easy to abandon the desperate situation in his village and never return. Instead he chose to go back and help. “I have been homeless and unemployed,” says Sianga, “I have watched children cry with hunger, I have watched our cattle gradually dwindle and die with drought. But today I live a better life than most Maasai can dream of. This motivates and inspires me every day to find ways to support my fellow Maasai.” Sianga’s dedication to his people led him to found the Future Warriors Project, an organization dedicated to providing young Maasai with the help and resources they need to prepare themselves, and their communities, for the challenges they face in the modern world.
Sianga’s inspirational message brings hope to many Australians who are finding it hard to achieve their dreams and aspirations. He regularly volunteers his time to inspire community service groups, schools, business networks and Australian Indigenous with his story, and is happy to share his culture with anyone, He is an extraordinary inspiration to people across two continents and a source of hope to an endangered Maasai culture and people.