Max Pearson

We had enough food, more food.

authentic Maasai diet.

We enjoyed milk, lamb, beef, braised and cooked in a traditional way.

Dalmas Tiampati grew up living a simple life, raising animals and learning about the land.

Maasai culture to me basically means my way of life.

It means my language.

It means my way of dressing, as you can see.

Animals are really central to the life of the Maasai people.

As he grew older, he managed to get enough money to build a herd of 127 cows, greeting them every morning.

Having cattle meant Dalmas was respected and recognised by elders and other members of the community.

I believe life was good because we were there in the village, full of grass for our animals.

We were happy people.

Life wasn't always happy though.

I think from the year 2000, we have seen droughts becoming more and more often and have become prolonged.

They are becoming more intense and severe.

This YouTube video from the charity Christian Aid shows people affected by these extreme conditions.

In 2009, we went through a very, very bad drought that killed almost 80% of our animals, 80 to 90%.

And even sometimes some families were left without any cow.

That year, Kenya's government declared a national emergency, warning nearly 10 million people were at risk from food shortages.

It's something Gabrielle Menezes from the United Nations World Food Programme talks about in this clip.