A few days ago we went on another road trip - this time to Qachacha. The road there wasn't too bad - meaning that we managed to drive it without getting stuck! There was one place where we had to put down some big rocks in a mud hole so that the driver could get through - and thankfully it worked. Qachacha is where many Borana people live. In Kenya there are several different tribes - in Marsabit, people tend to live in small communities of their own people within the larger town. In my last post I gave you a glimpse of the Rendille people who are pastoralists - moving their animals around to find food. The Borana also have livestock, but they are agriculturalists - they tend to have farmland and cattle. Their houses tend to be quite different than the Rendille houses. Here is a sample:
Life has been extremely difficult for these farmers, especially with the severity of the drought. Tim wrote an update on the conditions that will explain it more fully than I can:
"The highlands around Marsabit are very suitable for production of maize and beans, which provides another source of food for locals. Normally, good rains would be a cause for optimism among those who have a field. This season, it is different; most fields are overgrown with weeds. As most cattle have died, farmers are without ox traction for plowing the fields. Only a few could afford seed for planting, and have planted a small plot. Others have been so discouraged by repeated crop failure associated with unreliable rains that they did not buy seed; it is much too early to say that they made a bad choice. (I am still unclear as to whom and how many were provided a packet of maize seed by the Ministry of Agriculture.) Weed control will be a huge problem, as few have food or cash to pay casual labourers who would normally weed the fields. The bottom line is that, in spite of good rains, local grain production will have minimal impact on hunger here."
One of the interesting things we saw was that some are now using camels to plow their fields. Camels are strong enough and can plow large areas, but when a camel is tired, it will just lie down - and it is very hard to get it moving again! However, here are a couple of pictures of the camels at work:
One of the reasons for going to Qachacha was to interview a couple of the widows who have received support from Sauti Moja. We wanted to find out how they are doing - whether their goats survived the drought and how they are managing to look after themselves and their families at this time. Phillip and Martha are on staff with Sauti Moja Marsabit, and they went with us as interpreters since these widows don't speak English at all. Here is a picture of Tim and Phillip with one of the widows:
Martha and I interviewed two widows, Darmi and Fatuma. Darmi invited us into her home, and while we talked, her daughter was doing the dishes. She would fan the flames of the fire to keep the water hot, so the room was quite smoky. Here are Darmi and her daughter:
Darmi's husband died some time ago. Darmi was the second wife and had been living on another piece of land. But after his death, she moved to the land where his first wife was living - he had left the land to look after both of his wives. She was a bit nervous about how they would get along, but since they each have their own houses, it is working ok. Having 5 children to feed means that Darmi is constantly working - she said you can't just sit on your hands when you have hungry children. She was given 4 goats by Sauti Moja - one died in the drought, but she said now that the rains have come and there is pasture land nearby, the others should survive and begin to multiply. She is clear that her goats would not have survived without the support of hay and extra feed that she received from Sauti Moja. One of the main tasks she has is to go and get water. It is a full day's work - she walks 3 hours to get to the well, then stands in a long line to wait for the water, then walks back, often not arriving back until late in the evening. The donkey which she received from Sauti Moja carries most of the water, and she carries some herself. She calls it a luxury when the rains come because then she doesn't have to do the long walk to get water. When I asked her what gives her the strength to keep going, she was quick to say it is God - God pushes her from behind and gives her the strength to cope. Darmi is an amazing woman - strong, and capable, and even though she and I did not speak the same language, we seemed to laugh often together. I have no idea any longer what was so funny, but here we are...
When I was thanking Darmi for letting me come for a visit in her home, I told her that what I would remember about her was her strength. I know that it is very good for me to be here, and for me to hear the stories from these women who lead such different lives than I do. But the reality is that I will be returning home, and they will continue to walk this road - I am glad that I have this picture to remind me not to forget the road that Darmi will be walking...
Fatuma lived up the road a piece and in a different looking house. Her husband died a little over a year ago, and her brother allowed her to put up her home on his piece of land. She was able to buy some sheet metal for the roof because of a small loan she received from an institution that helps women in business. But her home has lots of open spaces between the walls and the roof and must be quite cold in the rainy season. She told us she is just grateful to have a place to sleep with her 4 children. Here is a picture of Fatuma with Martha - I wanted to show you her home, but I also wanted you to see their faces - so two pictures:
Fatuma is a very wise woman. She said some things that have stayed with me since our visit. One was that it is very hard when you are hungry, and your children are hungry, for you to think about anyone who may be hungry in another house. That is why she is so thankful for the donors who live in other countries who don't forget about those who are hungry in Kenya - they are very, very thankful that Sauti Moja doesn't forget about them. The other thing that has stayed with me is her reflections about poverty. She said that when she received the goats, the donkey and the feed from Sauti Moja, she began to feel like she might climb out of poverty. The drought made it impossible to climb out - one of her goats did not survive. However, one of her goats is now pregnant, and when it gives birth, Fatuma will have milk for her children again. So even though the drought was a huge setback, she feels like she may climb out of the deep poverty because Sauti Moja is helping to keep her goats alive. And finally, she offered her reflections about education. She had to drop out of school at Primary 5 because her mother was ill and they needed Fatuma to help out at home. Her parents didn't realize the importance of education, and so they never encouraged Fatuma to return to school. Fatuma now realizes how important education is, and so she is going to do everything she can to make sure her children stay in school. Again, I was deeply touched by the courage, and the faith of this woman. She told me clearly that it was God who keeps her going - without God she would not be able to provide a life for her children. I told her that I would be sharing her story with the churches that I work with back in Canada, and so she could know that there is now a whole community of faithful people across the ocean who would be praying for her well-being. I will leave you with this picture of Fatuma in her home:
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