As a sponsor of Ola Nagele, I had the chance to see some of these places firsthand during Global Hope Network International's 2011 summer visit to Kenya. It is a hard place. Below-average rainfall in an area that is already classified as semi-arid has rendered the ground a hard baked shell.
Save for the scattered acacia trees, plants are low and mean, bristling with spines meant to discourage anyone or anything looking for moisture. Everything, it seems, is toughened by the harshness of central Kenya.
That goes for the people, too. Bodies and spirits toughened in the dry heat. Battered, perhaps, but not beaten. And in these hard times, in need of a helping hand. These are the people who GHNI seeks out, offering to work with them on projects that will provide long term benefits to their villages; projects that mostly address the need for water, food, wellness, education and income.
It is important to note that what GHNI offers is "a helping hand up, not a hand out." The goal is for a village to achieve sustainability - continuing benefit without outside support - in each of these areas.
It is a great concept. It is not easy to pull off. It IS working.
Active support from the villages is a critical factor for success. It would be easy, I think, for the people there to be beaten down by the difficulties of life and just muddle along. But there is strength there. And joy and kindnesses shown to guests. Dancing and singing welcome us into each village. Meals are shared. Then we discuss the work, what has happened, what comes next. And when we leave, the villages set to work to make things just a little better.
As Priscila so poetically observed about central Kenya, "Life's not all daisies and hot dogs." It certainly isn't. But there are daisies coming up. And, if not ball park hot dogs, you will find a meal of goat or chicken, warmly offered in a village home.
It was a privilege to meet the people in "my" village of Ola Nagele (it's just me; and 99 other sponsors) as well as those in the other villages around Isiolo. The GHNI plan is a good one. And, even though there is the occasional bump in the road, it is working to provide meaningful, sustainable improvements in places where they are much needed.
Perhaps you'd like to help plant some daisies. If so, GHNI has plenty of seeds. Check out their Adopt a Village page for information on how you too can become a sponsor of a village in East Africa or elsewhere in the world and give your own personal hand up to someone.
In the coming days - or weeks, we'll have to see about the pace - I'll put up some more posts about the visit to Isiolo and the villages that are part of GHNI's Isiolo cluster.
Special thanks to Priscila who introduced me to the daisies and hot dogs description of life. Here she is with one of her many Kenyan friends.
2 comments:
The people of this village appear to be reasonably well nourished and have an accessible supply of clean water.
What about addressing the real crisis in East Africa - the fact that parents are leaving their babies to die on the side of the road, that they have had to walk for days on end to overcrowded camps for barely enough sustenance to keep them alive.
GHNI went to this village for what? To paint a few words on a school? For the life of me I cannot see what else went on. I haven't seen anyone who went on that trip address the real crisis not so far away.
Yes, a hand up is a wonderful thing, but hardly useful if someone is dying of starvation. Meet immediate needs first then address the longer term issues.
Elisabeth
Elisabeth,
Thanks for the comment. You hit the nail squarely on the head - meet immediate needs first! That is precisely why the GHNI approach is such a good way to help. Water and food are absolute necessities; taking care of basic shelter and wellness allows more focus on building for the future and education is necessary for true long term sustainability.
It is good to see that you have concerns for the people in East Africa; so many of us do. Much work and many hands are needed. Perhaps you are looking for ways to help or are already personally involved in making a difference. I wish you success as you work to help those who are in difficult straits and in need of a hand up.
Might I suggest that when you have information about your work and avenues you have found to assist people in Somalia, eastern Kenya and southeastern Ethiopia, you set up a blog or Facebook group. There are, I am sure, many looking to help who would welcome the opportunities.
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