Emusoi Center in Arusha, Tanzania is a center for young Pastoralist/Hunter-Gatherer women. It is run by Sr. Mary Vertucci, A Maryknoll Sister with a dedicated staff of Tanzanians. At present, the center provides a home for 10 girls who are in the pre-secondary program at the center and a few other girls waiting to join courses. The center also supports more than 300 other girls who are in secondary schools. The center provides board and lodging for the young women, library facilities, tutoring and personal and career counseling for them.
Emusoi is a Maasai word, which means “discovery/awareness/realization. The center aims to help these young women realize the value of education for themselves and for their communities. It aims to help them discover their own worth as persons, to become aware of their gifts and potentials and to discover how to develop these gifts for their own good and for the good of their families and for the good of their whole communities. The center helps these young women make the transition from a very traditional life-style to a life in a more “modern” world.