Periodic Reporting for period 1 - OBCCMM (Ontological Bridges for Climate Change Mitigation in Maasailand)
Berichtszeitraum: 2023-08-01 bis 2025-07-31
“Ontological Bridge-building for Climate Change Mitigation in Maasailand” (OBCCMM) is a multidisciplinary project that builds bridges across clashing climate ontologies in Maasailand in Tanzania. This holistic project integrates Indigenous knowledge and climate science that is negotiated through ecotheological frameworks. The collaboratively developed core values and learning outcomes are worked into curricula components for four target research groups. This project leverages existing educational and social systems of the church with trusted local leaders for educating and equipping with the best practices of climate change mitigation in Maasailand. Note that the church structures engaged throughout this research project are within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania.
Research Problem: This project grows out of recent research that demonstrates a “cognitive dissonance” [clash] between the climate ontologies or "ways of knowing" within the scientific messaging and the traditional Maasai worldview (de Wit, 2020). Thus, the Tanzanian governmental efforts in climate change prevention education are not effective among Maasai, a very traditional people group numbering around two million people in mostly northern Tanzania and southern Kenya, East Africa (de Wit, 2018). However, as a result of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, there is an established basic model of the church providing a strategic role in bridging the cognitive dissonance chasm between the science and a skeptical people group, resulting in effective outcomes among the Maasai (Watt et al., 2009). In addition, the World Council of Churches “calls upon African religious leaders to challenge triumphalist theologies, mobilize for local action, and convene multi-religious meetings on climate change” (Chitando, 2017).
Research question: This research addresses the primary research question, "How can biblical-ecotheology engage climate ontologies (including traditional Maasai and climate science) and Indigenous/traditional knowledges for developing culturally sensitive, best practices of climate change adaptation and mitigation?"
Hypothesis: Through adapting an effective model developed by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT) in Maasailand as a result of the HIV/AIDS pandemic (Watt et al., 2009), this model can provide a strategic role in bridging the chasm of cognitive dissonance between the science and a skeptical people group—through leveraging the church’s similar ontological worldview, more trusted local leaders, and its educational structures—resulting in improvements for caring for the environment in Maasailand.
Research strategies and location: This project expands the current research; builds upon the previous church-based pedagogy models; integrates Indigenous knowledge and traditional environmental knowledge (TEK); collaboratively curates core values and learning outcomes; champions women as the core of the societal structures; and develops innovative pedagogical dissemination with robust analysis of results in order to measure and determine best practices of climate change mitigation and adaptation in Maasailand. During the two year mobility phase (Aug. 2023 to July 2025), the researcher was located at Tumaini University Makumira, the local collaborative partner and the primary university of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania.
Research groups: This project includes collaboratively developing core values and learning outcomes with Maasai stakeholders for creating curricular components (3 lessons) for four research groups: 1) Lay pastors in Theological Education by Extension (TEE) training; 2) Women in community based Bible study groups; 3) Form 2 students in faith-based secondary schools; 4) ELCT confirmation students, as this vehicle of learning was significant in the dissemination of science-based information in the earlier years of the HIV/AIDS pandemic to nurture the health of people, it can also be a vehicle for nurturing the health of the environment.
This research demonstrates that as the local Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania made a difference in the health of the people regarding HIV/AIDS, the local church can make a difference in the health of the environment.
Research Problem: This project grows out of recent research that demonstrates a “cognitive dissonance” [clash] between the climate ontologies or "ways of knowing" within the scientific messaging and the traditional Maasai worldview (de Wit, 2020). Thus, the Tanzanian governmental efforts in climate change prevention education are not effective among Maasai, a very traditional people group numbering around two million people in mostly northern Tanzania and southern Kenya, East Africa (de Wit, 2018). However, as a result of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, there is an established basic model of the church providing a strategic role in bridging the cognitive dissonance chasm between the science and a skeptical people group, resulting in effective outcomes among the Maasai (Watt et al., 2009). In addition, the World Council of Churches “calls upon African religious leaders to challenge triumphalist theologies, mobilize for local action, and convene multi-religious meetings on climate change” (Chitando, 2017).
Research question: This research addresses the primary research question, "How can biblical-ecotheology engage climate ontologies (including traditional Maasai and climate science) and Indigenous/traditional knowledges for developing culturally sensitive, best practices of climate change adaptation and mitigation?"
Hypothesis: Through adapting an effective model developed by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT) in Maasailand as a result of the HIV/AIDS pandemic (Watt et al., 2009), this model can provide a strategic role in bridging the chasm of cognitive dissonance between the science and a skeptical people group—through leveraging the church’s similar ontological worldview, more trusted local leaders, and its educational structures—resulting in improvements for caring for the environment in Maasailand.
Research strategies and location: This project expands the current research; builds upon the previous church-based pedagogy models; integrates Indigenous knowledge and traditional environmental knowledge (TEK); collaboratively curates core values and learning outcomes; champions women as the core of the societal structures; and develops innovative pedagogical dissemination with robust analysis of results in order to measure and determine best practices of climate change mitigation and adaptation in Maasailand. During the two year mobility phase (Aug. 2023 to July 2025), the researcher was located at Tumaini University Makumira, the local collaborative partner and the primary university of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania.
Research groups: This project includes collaboratively developing core values and learning outcomes with Maasai stakeholders for creating curricular components (3 lessons) for four research groups: 1) Lay pastors in Theological Education by Extension (TEE) training; 2) Women in community based Bible study groups; 3) Form 2 students in faith-based secondary schools; 4) ELCT confirmation students, as this vehicle of learning was significant in the dissemination of science-based information in the earlier years of the HIV/AIDS pandemic to nurture the health of people, it can also be a vehicle for nurturing the health of the environment.
This research demonstrates that as the local Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania made a difference in the health of the people regarding HIV/AIDS, the local church can make a difference in the health of the environment.
The first two years of the mobility phase of this research was done while the research was located at Tumaini University Makumira, the local collaborative partner. The primary activities and achievements are:
1) Developing competence: The researcher expanded her competencies and understanding of core knowledge components (especially climate science in pastoralist contexts, traditional environmental knowledge for Indigenous Maasai, Tanzanian government environmental policies, and the Kiswahili language);
2) Stakeholder participation: The researcher established local church leaders' endorsement and recruited a stakeholder group of Maasai leaders to: a) determine the core values to guide the project and b) institute the learning outcomes for the lessons for the pedagogical deliverable, completed April 2024.
3) Lesson development: The researcher recruited and equipped three Maasai writers to develop three lessons for each of the four target groups, supported by four writing workshops. These lessons were reviewed by the stakeholders--to confirm alignment with the core values and learning outcomes as well as identifying other strengths and weaknesses. The writers subsequently revised the lessons with the constructive feedback.
4) Research design: The researcher developed anonymous surveys and culturally sensitive strategies to work with vulnerable populations (minors, illiterate, minority group), with input from all collaborative writers and two professors of research methods. The researcher secured approval through ethical reviews from research authorities in Norway and Tanzania, which included surveys and informed consent information.
5) Fieldwork of teaching the lessons: The researcher coordinated and managed the logistics of teaching the three lessons by the three writers and one stakeholders. Each lesson was pilot tested in two fieldwork locations. At each fieldwork site, over 200 research participants completed a pre-lesson and post-lesson survey, facilitated by a Maasai research assistant. All but two of the longitudinal study lessons surveys are completed.
6) Start of dissemination: Because of the important role of music among the Maasai, the research design includes leveraging music as a pedagogical tool.
7) Data entry: The researcher entered the 10,600 data points from the surveys, in preparation for the final year's focus on data analysis and dissemination.
Initial data collection has begun at this stage with encouraging aspects. Future data analysis will result in revising and strengthening the lesson plans prior to publishing (print and online). The plan for curriculum adoption of best practices for climate change mitigation and adaptation in a pastoralist Maasai context a primary aspect of the next dissemination phase.
1) Developing competence: The researcher expanded her competencies and understanding of core knowledge components (especially climate science in pastoralist contexts, traditional environmental knowledge for Indigenous Maasai, Tanzanian government environmental policies, and the Kiswahili language);
2) Stakeholder participation: The researcher established local church leaders' endorsement and recruited a stakeholder group of Maasai leaders to: a) determine the core values to guide the project and b) institute the learning outcomes for the lessons for the pedagogical deliverable, completed April 2024.
3) Lesson development: The researcher recruited and equipped three Maasai writers to develop three lessons for each of the four target groups, supported by four writing workshops. These lessons were reviewed by the stakeholders--to confirm alignment with the core values and learning outcomes as well as identifying other strengths and weaknesses. The writers subsequently revised the lessons with the constructive feedback.
4) Research design: The researcher developed anonymous surveys and culturally sensitive strategies to work with vulnerable populations (minors, illiterate, minority group), with input from all collaborative writers and two professors of research methods. The researcher secured approval through ethical reviews from research authorities in Norway and Tanzania, which included surveys and informed consent information.
5) Fieldwork of teaching the lessons: The researcher coordinated and managed the logistics of teaching the three lessons by the three writers and one stakeholders. Each lesson was pilot tested in two fieldwork locations. At each fieldwork site, over 200 research participants completed a pre-lesson and post-lesson survey, facilitated by a Maasai research assistant. All but two of the longitudinal study lessons surveys are completed.
6) Start of dissemination: Because of the important role of music among the Maasai, the research design includes leveraging music as a pedagogical tool.
7) Data entry: The researcher entered the 10,600 data points from the surveys, in preparation for the final year's focus on data analysis and dissemination.
Initial data collection has begun at this stage with encouraging aspects. Future data analysis will result in revising and strengthening the lesson plans prior to publishing (print and online). The plan for curriculum adoption of best practices for climate change mitigation and adaptation in a pastoralist Maasai context a primary aspect of the next dissemination phase.
As of August 2025: At the time of this writing, the initial results demonstrate that a multidisciplinary approach of leveraging church networks is fruitful for developing and teaching best practices of climate change mitigation in pastoralist Maasai contexts. Prior efforts of the Tanzanian government in a Maasai content were not effective (de Wit, 2018, pp. 35-36) and resulted in an ontological clash with the Maasai worldview. Building an ontological bridge between similarities with the biblical, especially Old Testament, and the Maasai traditional worldview, while integrating traditional environmental knowledge (TEK), and climate science applied for pastoralist areas is an expansion of the state of the art that centers on climate science without an ontological understanding of the context.
In addition, most climate science education efforts have been focused on the men in a patriarchal people group. This research included women, working closely with local leaders to develop culturally sensitive and respectful ways to include illiterate women into the discourse. Women are the center of the family, yet their voices are marginalized (Msangi et al., 2014, pp 21). While the state of the art includes the identification that women are typically excluded from planning discussions and need to be included, this project intentionally and actively engages women in gender-responsive and participatory approaches in order to include their voices in the dialogues (McCoshan, 2020, 9, 13).
In addition, most climate science education efforts have been focused on the men in a patriarchal people group. This research included women, working closely with local leaders to develop culturally sensitive and respectful ways to include illiterate women into the discourse. Women are the center of the family, yet their voices are marginalized (Msangi et al., 2014, pp 21). While the state of the art includes the identification that women are typically excluded from planning discussions and need to be included, this project intentionally and actively engages women in gender-responsive and participatory approaches in order to include their voices in the dialogues (McCoshan, 2020, 9, 13).