The Boma Project

Prosperity with Dignity

Crowd-Funding Campaign Donors 2013

We did it! BOMA’s “We Believe in Mothers” crowd-funding campaign raised more than $43,600 in four weeks. That impressive total includes $28,600 from 232 BOMA believers, plus a $15,000 matching gift from one of our most generous and loyal donors. These contributions will support BOMA’s work in 2013 as we launch 455 businesses across NorthernRead More

The Land Cruiser Plan B Program

Our journey to Samburu take us to the place in Kenya that is closest to my heart. After passing through the reckless town of Isiolo, the rugged dramatic scenery of Northern Kenya stretches out before us. I imagine that our travelers see harsh and remote. But as we cross the bridge over the Ewaso Nyiro River bridge, IRead More

Tears in Samburu

Thanks to a generous gift from the Segal Family Foundation, BOMA has been able to hire and train a Village Mentor and launch businesses in the Archers Post area of Northern Kenya. The region is adjacent to Samburu National Reserve and so, for the first time, visitors and donors to BOMA are now able to seeRead More

Kibera

The Kibera slums of Nairobi are wild. It is muddy and smelly; it is vibrant and energetic. Hope lives alongside desperate poverty. It is a vestige of the flight from rural poverty to urban opportunity, where a new world awaits those who are willing to live amidst squalor in the hope of a better life. It is also aRead More

On the Road with Dining for Women

I will have a week of meetings with The BOMA Project staff on this trip but I am also leading a safari for a group of BOMA donors through the national organization Dining for Women.  In 2010, I  led the first safari for this unique nonprofit, whose mission is “to empower women and girls living inRead More

Baba Rungu Gets a Blessing

Our journey through Laisamis district continued to be challenging.  The rain had stopped but it took days for the muddy, clay roads to dry out.  We got stuck on numerous occasions but soldiered on and actually made it across the Kaisut Desert in time for lunch in Korr. Doug had the opportunity to see ourRead More

Breaking out Plan B

The clouds had been gathering for days before our final night at Sirikoi Camp.  During the early hours, cracks of thunder could be heard in the distance. Lightening lit up the roof of our tent.  At dawn we heard a pride of nearby lions who growled and whoofed their displeasure.  When our coffee arrived atRead More

A Lala Kidogo (small sleep) with the Baby Cheetah

Corwin and I do a morning game drive in Samburu – not as exciting as the night before – but we are still rewarded with the extraordinary sight of another leopard.  As we drive out of the park, Kura and I take David and Corwin past the dead elephant that we had seen the nightRead More

Breaking My African Heart

The campsite run by the Isgargaro Women’s group in Loglogo used to be my favorite place to stay during my visits to the area.  Over the years, however, the accommodations in other locations have greatly improved, while Isgargaro’s huts and buildings have slowly been devoured by termites and poor maintenance.  The beds, made of sticksRead More

Weapons, Testosterone and a Race

A day of rest was all we needed.  I felt better and Kura was ready to move. It is hard for people who have left villages like Korr to then return home.  The cultural expectation to provide support and money to others is overwhelming.  At each village we visit, it does not take long beforeRead More