Posting 7: Traveling through Western Kenya

We’re sorry we haven’t posted anything on the blog in a while, but we’ve been very busy.  For the past two weeks, Don and I have traveled extensively around Western Kenya.  We have been to West Pokot, Kitale, Eldoret, Nandi, Kericho and Nakuru.

Each area has its unique personality and problems.  For example, West Pokot is an extremely poor region of Kenya—70% of the population lives on less than $1/day.  Nearly two out of 10 people do not live past the age of five. There are numerous conflicts in West Pokot and some of the other regions due to land disputes and cattle rustling with neighboring areas. In contrast, portions of Kericho and Nandi have significant agricultural production.  Their tea plantations are lush, presenting a spectacular sight.

The purpose of our trip was to review and summarize the results of a development project focusing on the youth of Kenya and scheduled to come to an end.  My role is to write a series of articles reflecting the success of the project. Don’s role was to meet with youth groups who had started various small businesses in order to advise and mentor them forward.

We literally spoke to hundreds of people: local officials, youth groups, elders, and women mentoring girls on staying in school, gender-based violence (GBV) and female genital mutilation (FGM).

The Kenyan people we met were all very impressive.  Our hero was a young woman who raised money making bricks.  With the money, she bought a piece of land and single-handedly built a pre-school. Her 35 students were from three to seven years old.  Many had lost their parents to AIDs and could not pay the $5/month tuition.  She employs three other teachers who she pays $20 each/month when she can afford it.

One of my favorite memories of the trip was glancing over my shoulder to see a group of young tomato farmers surrounding Don as he outlined a detailed budget and workplan for their next harvest.  The men were mesmerized during the two hours he devoted to calculating their expenses and advising them how to maximize their profits.

Below you’ll see a picture of us visiting a group of women who were earning money by creating and selling beaded jewelry and belts.  They adorned me with layers of beaded necklaces (how could they have known of my love of jewelry?) and presented Don with a colorful beaded belt. We plan to help them find a cheaper source of supply for the beads to make their business more profitable.

Don and I continue to be fascinated as we learn about the culture of the various ethnic tribes (42 in total) and the impact it has on their lives.  The cultural rules, differences and competition among the tribes are often the cause of conflict.  For example, circumcision for men is common among most of the tribes; however, the age of circumcision varies from 12-15 years for one tribe and 25-35 for another.  The process represents initiation into manhood.  One dominant tribe does not believe in circumcision at all, and the other tribes refer to those uncircumcised men as “children.” There also are stereotypes associated with some tribes: one is great in business and frugal; another is lazy and likes to show-off flashy purchases.  Each person’s tribal affiliation has a significant impact on his or her interactions and associations with other Kenyans.

See the pictures below for some of the highlights of our trip.

Our hotel in West Pokot

My new jewelry wardrobe, thanks to the women of West Pokot.

The pre-school class 

Some beautiful Kenyan kids welcoming us

Don advising tomato farmers

Goofing off with co-workers

A meeting with county officials

Enjoying the moment