Stories untold

I am in Amsterdam for the next 7 hours, waiting for a plane to take me home. I am alone for the first time in over a month, and it feels empty. I miss my Kenyan family. I miss Kakuko. And, surprisingly, I miss the interdependency that has resulted in strong ties and friendships. As I got on the plane in Nairobi, I was somehow saddened by the other tourists. They came to Nairobi, went on safaris, ate American food in expensive hotels, bought factory-made “traditional” souvenirs, and left without actually seeing Africa. I wonder how they avoided the poverty, the heartbreak, the oppression of minority tribal groups. I wonder how they missed the passion of new leaders and their incredible dreams for the future of their people through sacrifice, perseverance, and unwavering faith in God. But most of all, I think of the individual stories of both hope and sadness, and realize how much they have changed me. These people deserve to have their stories told. They deserve a voice. As my last post, this is what I aim to do. The following people are who I spent my time with in my home away from home.

Nelly 

Nelly’s father died when she was in secondary school. As a result, she was not able to afford to attend university. A couple of years ago, she became a mother, and her daughter’s father left them both. She then began to work as a housekeeper in the home of a man who promised to pay for her to attend computer training school. This promise was not kept, and Nelly ended up leaving this job as a result. Michael heard about her story and has been offering to give her work at his home, helping with housework and giving female visitors (including myself) companionship. Nelly still maintains her dream to obtain computer skills, and I have been able to teach her the very basics. We also sat together, exchanging favorite Bible verses and how they’ve helped us in our lives. Even though the work at Michael’s home has helped a little, it is not nearly enough to provide consistent support for a single mother. Nelly needs to find a full-time job, which is very difficult without education.

Lois 

Lois and her husband are very close friends with the Kimpur family, and have several children. Lois and Angelina went to primary school together, but Lois was not able to complete primary school (I’m not sure why, but probably for financial reasons). Her family moved from Alale to Kapenguria about 10 years ago, and have been struggling to make ends meet ever since. They both make charcoal by going into the forest, cutting down trees, covering the wood with sand, and burning the wood. It is extremely hard work, and has taken its toll on them both. In order to actually sell the charcoal, they have to carry it 2 hours into Kapenguria on foot (they live outside the town), and even then, people may or may not want to buy from them. Lois is extremely talented in making traditional Pokot jewelry, and I commissioned several pieces of jewelry from her to give to people back home. I also found out some information about an organization that provides microloans to Kenyan women, and have been encouraging her to start her own small jewelry business. However, this is a very difficult process, and usually only large groups of women receive microloans. This family needs to find a way to consistently provide for their family; they will likely move back to Alale soon if they cannot find sustainable income.

Kasule

Kasule is a very energetic person, and Michael’s children love him! He also struggles constantly to provide for his wife and two children, and makes his living constructing outdoor toilets. This work is inconsistent, and when he does work, he only makes about $6/day. One of his children is completely deaf, but Kasule cannot afford to pay the school fees for her to go to a special school for those with hearing disabilities. Other schools do not offer sign language assistance, etc.

Kakuko/Grace

This girl is very special to me, and it was extremely difficult to leave her in Nairobi. She told me that she would go with me if there were Pokot people where I live J For her story, see my previous post.

Amos

When Amos was young, he was unable to walk at all. I think this was as a result of polio, which is still very common in the village areas. Being from Alale, a very poor village, his parents could not assist him. They ended up “dumping” him at a World Vision feeding camp in Kiwawa (this was not done for his own good, this was done because his parents did not want to take care of him). This place was where he met Michael. World Vision was able to send Amos to Nairobi to get numerous operations, involving inserting metal plates/rods in his legs, and he was able to learn how to walk! Now, Amos is the only nurse in Alale and started the only clinic there. He also recently started a secondary school for girls in Alale, based on the fact that these girls previous had to travel very far to other schools and it was common that they were assaulted on the way to and from school. He commonly talks about his faith and how it is the only reason he does what he does.

Peter

Peter is kind of like Michael’s “assistant”, which can involve anything from taking pictures to bringing children from remote villages to Daylight. Before coming to work with Michael, he was a cattle rustler. In fact, he was pretty much the ringleader of the Pokot cattle rustlers and fought many times with the Turkana tribe. Michael approached him, told him to stop, and that the only way to provide change in the tribe was through the children and education. Peter did not agree right away, but after a negative cattle rustling experience in which he walked away with a scar on his forehead, he decided it was time to change his ways. He is now one of the most gentle and loving people I have ever met, and is vital to Michael’s mission and the vision of Daylight.

Christine (pronounced “Kristen”)

I think I mentioned Christine in an early post; her father died when she was young, and her mother died last year at the Kapenguria hospital. Their family was neighbors and good friends with Michael and Angelina when they used to live in Alale. When Christine’s mother became sick, she was brought 6 hours from Alale to the Kimpur home, and they rushed her to the local hospital. On her deathbed, she told Michael and Angelina to take care of Christine, and make sure she was able to finish secondary school. Her school fees are expensive (about $400 each term), and it is a struggle finding sponsors for her.

Rachel

I became very close to Rachel, who is Michael’s youngest sister. She is in her last year of high school in Uganda, and around 20 years old. She is a very positive spirit, and Kakuko loves her! Soon, she will take some very important exams, which will determine if she can go to university (and which university she can attend). Her dream is to study nursing so she can move back to Alale to help provide MUCH needed health care in the area. Hopefully she will score high so she can study in America!

Michael/Angelina

Both Michael and Angelina are from Alale (most of Angelina’s family lives in Uganda however), and have incredible stories. You can find details about Michael’s childhood on the Daylight website- http://www.daylightcenterpokot.org/ When Daylight first started, they were trying to help children living in poverty, even though their own family had the same problems at the time. Still, they persisted and were able to slowly build a network of support through Nathan Roberts, the U.S. Daylight co-founder. Even now, they continue to give everything they have to others in need, including each of the people I wrote about above, and especially to Daylight students. There is still a long way to go in terms of making Daylight sustainable, however, which at the moment involves being able to finish buying land for the new school. If you feel like you want to help in any way (not necessarily financially) with Daylight’s vision, I would love to hear from you J