Tepesua Widows' Village

What a terrific few days it has been. I've been in "Maasailand" at a place called Tepesua - a widows village set in the middle of the savannah. Many women are left widowed at a young age as many Maasai girls are circumcised at 9 years and married to much older men at 11years old. The men die and, as the women have no inheritance rights, in many cases they are caste out of their communities and have no place to go. They cannot return to their home village, unless they bring back the cows - usually three and any offspring of these cows - to their families.  To support these women, Hellen created a village where 13 widows live. They survive by selling their jewelry and the herds of sheep, goats and cows they may have.

I was staying with Hellen Nkuraiya we went to the market one day to buy sheep and goats for the widows. This is how Hellen and I traveled back to the village.

Before we got in the "taxi" we ate lunch at the local place. I chose not to eat the stomach of the goat and was served goats meat instead. Here is lunch . . .

There was a lion around, so a Maasai Warrior stood guard over my manyatta all night. Here he is . .

The lions are very scared of the Maasai Warriors as, to become a warrior, you have to kill a lion.

Here are the widows welcoming me . . .

I was also given a Maasai name "Nareku", which means "someone who brings good things to others". I am honoured.

Miscellany

I left Canada one month ago today. The weather is getting hotter and people are beginning to anticipate the coming rainy season (in a few weeks). I spent the morning at the Maasai Market looking at the beautiful handmade goods for tourists. We can be weird about it, but the crafts, even though made for tourists are really beautiful.

I thought I'd include this photo. Isn't it weird. It is a sculpture in a parking lot of a hotel. I got a terrible fright as I initially thought it was a man hiding behind the lamp-post! Can you imagine seeing this as you pull up to park in the dusk? It would be so scary!

Here is a alleyway in Kibera. I think it is so lovely that this person has taken the time to paint the shutters and whitewash the exterior of  their home. Although this is the largest slum in the sub-sahara with very little sanitation people take pride in where they live.

The rooms are only about 8 feet by 8 feet if that but they really make good use of the space!

Everywhere I go prayer is offered: sometimes in song, sometimes spoken. Whether getting onto the matatu to wish passengers well on a journey or at the start or end of a workshop. I cannot seem to get the recording I made on the post, but I will continue to try. Just know that we began with a prayer sung and broke into dance!

The week of Valentines

Women love Valentine's Day. We love to be showered with gifts and attention and to be treated luxuriously. Yesterday was Valentine's Day and rather than being treated thus, I traveled by matatu to Maai Mahiu to meet some women who are scraping together their living having been displaced due to the 2007 post-election violence.

Here is a photo of a matatu . . .

Note the cartons of eggs attached to the back. This fourteen seater can crowd in a lot more for a short haul, but they don't like doing it long hauls as the police are checking vehicles. The one I took from Maai Mahiu to the IDP camp (Internally displace persons) crammed in 20 people plus the driver!

Many of these IDP do not even have the luxury of living in constructed houses, but rather spend the past few years living in tents that are now torn and praying the rain doesn't come and wash them away. The government do not count these women and therefore offer no support. It was hot and very dry  . . In the distance, beyond the donkey driven cart hauling water, you can see the buildings.  . . .

I met some women and we have agreed that I will return next week to discuss the upcoming elections and how they can maintain and encourage peace. They are particularly fearful as the last election caused their relocation!

The day was exhausting given the heat and travel. I was happy to be back in my lovely hotel in Nairobi.

Earlier in the week I had met with students at the university of Nariobi to talk about peace building as Tribal tension is increasing there as the election on March 4th nears. This will be the first opportunity for many of them to vote and they encouraged each other to do so, and to vote for the person who addresses the issues rather than voting for a member of their tribe.

Kibera Women

Yesterday I ran my first workshop with seven women who had suffered during the 2007 post-election violence. They are doing a lot to build peace in their homes and in their communities in the hopes of avoiding a repeat in the coming weeks. We spent the day together, talking about their experiences, the concept of peace and what is means to them individually and what they are doing in their homes and communities to promote peace. We worked on a group project that reflected their perceptions of their community before 2007, during the violence of 2007/08, what things had changed from 2008 - 2012 (perhaps the calm before the election of 2013 when they feel tribal tensions are rising again) and their hopes and dreams for the future after the election.  These women are all from different tribes, had never met before and are courageous! They worked as a group and individually.
It was  great day  . . here are a couple of images

Today I will go to visit a group of women who are sex trade workers!

Sunday Ngong Hills

"I had a farm in Africa, at the foot of the Ngong Hills". 

(Isak Dinesen Out of Africa)

What a glorious day. Today, for the first time since arriving in Kenya three weeks ago, my body and lungs are worn out! I walked for four hours through these hills with my friendly armed ranger (I'm not close to her because I am scared, I just seem to be holding onto her - she has the gun after all;-).

The equator runs through this land about 55 km to the north. Ngong is the Maasai word for "knuckles" and is named such as they believe that a giant fell and took up the earth in his fist. There are four hills/ knuckles and on one side you can see the Rift Valley and the other onto the rolling hills that make up Nairobi.

What you do not see in this photo is the huge hill downwards and then we begun up again. The top hill is about 4000 feet above sea level and run by many Maasai athletes - they were so fast which wasn't surprising as all they had to lug up was their muscles (not a drop of extra fat on them).

Anyway I am totally spent but it was a lovely day.

Tomorrow I will be working with a group of women in Kibera slums! I'm looking forward to that as well.

Kibera continues

The past week has been filled with meetings, visits to Kibera, and personal explorations. This photograph illustrates where all the community peacebuilding work happens in Kibera. Women love to meet around the "watering hole" to do the wash and chatter about the upcoming elections. Different tribes meet here and quietly discuss how to bridge Tribal differences. Many women, when they marry here, marry into a Tribe that is not their own. Although at times initiators of violence (they sing songs that communicate that if the husband comes back without harming the other side, he is not welcome home), the impending election and memories of the violence in 2007, have put a stop to teh singing of these songs. Instead, according to my translator the women are advocating for peace.

The main pathway through Kibera is a railtrack that is still in use. In fact, while I was there, a train came, horn wailing to alert children playing, people walking, and vendors to move out of the way. There is a sense of strong community here despite theft, rape and murder. Like any city, people make their livings as best they can, and protect each other against violence.
 

Kibera, Nairobi

I am back in Nairobi and this time hope to actually connect with people with whom I have been speaking. There are several people who are running community healing programmes in Kibera (reputed to be the largest slum in Sub-Sahara). From what I have experienced, it seems that most people who live there have come to Nairobi to work and indeed they work very hard in jobs that in Canada would provide a reasonable income such as waiters, hotel porters and taxi drivers who work 7 days a week. However, the wages are so low over 1million people cannot afford accommodation outside of Kibera. There is no infrastructure - meaning no roads, no electricity, and little sanitation.

What is of most concern right now, is that this is an area where many tribes live side by side, and with the upcoming elections, there is fear of a repeat of the post-election violence of 2007. In fact, many here were displaced during that election and came to Nairobi seeking a new life. As they live in an area where there is no infrastructure, they are not informed about the issues or about the new Kenyan Constitution of 2010 that promises a democratic electoral process that demands equity for all tribes and gender.

How can information be brought to 2 km of poverty?




It appears that I will be working in Nakuru after the 18th of February with several programmes so I want to make the most of my time here in Nairobi.