One only has to be in a village or in a meeting with mothers to see how beloved babies are in traditional Kenyan culture. At Mentor University, we have two young mothers with babies — Damaris from Mt. Kulal with baby Anon (nine months) and Judy from Kargi with baby Brian (five months). While theRead More
Bringing Down the House
The first sound I heard on Saturday morning was the muzzehin calling the faithful to prayer. It was 4:30 AM. In this village of mostly Catholic parishioners, South Horr is a typical village in northern Kenya, with a diversity of spiritual practices. As light filtered through the cracks of my wooden windows, I heard the soundsRead More
Now We Have a Bond
The annual training program for all of BOMA’s Village Mentors, dubbed Mentor University, was conducted in a conference hall at the Samburu Sports Club — a round building held up by long narrow poles and a cement half-wall. The panels between the poles were covered in nylon sheeting or netting, allowing a breeze to passRead More
From Safari to South Horr
The MAF plane was a large one, with few passengers. The plane had four rows of three seats each. The back center section was open, with no seats, and was intended as an area to strap down loads of supplies. There was also a back row of seats occupied by a MAF pilot, his wifeRead More
The Personal Health Care Advisor of Marsabit
This was one of those “what now?” situations that you need to anticipate and plan for while traveling in northern Kenya. I always have a Plan B and Plan C but had mistakenly not anticipated this turn of events. I tried to call Kura on the satellite phone even though I knew he was almostRead More
Abandoned in Marsabit
We had to be in Korr in time to catch the MAF flight to Marsabit that would take us on to Nairobi. MAF stands for Mission Aviation Fellowship, but I prefer to call it Missionary Air Force. MAF provides a critical means of transport to remote areas for those who work for humanitarian organizations. IRead More
If You Ask
Over a breakfast of njera, a Somali pancake, and dark, rich coffee, Kura told us about the meeting he’d had with the Ngurunit community the night before we arrived. They told him they were pleased with BOMA’s work. Mostly, they said, because you asked us what we need. What followed was a litany of complaints aboutRead More
The Human Element of Our Work
It even rained in Loiyangalani. As we came into the desert oasis town the steam was rising from the evaporating puddles in the road. Kura pointed out the Turkana settlements on the outskirts of the village. We splashed through the overflow water from the borehole that provided plentiful water to the settlement; naked children wavedRead 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