Loitokitok april 2012

Back from Loitokitok 9.4.12.

How will it be possible to describe all the impressions from the trip to Loitokitok, I wonder? First of all I am so tremendously grateful that I was given the opportunity to be part of these wonderful experiences. We left Nairobi after collecting all the participants from various places and countries. I was invited by May-Lisa who I met at the University of Telemark, the lady that started the organization Scilo, website www.scilo-norge.org, for 7 years ago. Scilo supports 2 mobile clinics and 26 Maasai girls at boarding school. Together with the mobile clinic they teach about circumcision of girls: F.G.M. (Female Genital Mutilation) and give health information, teach children and women about their rights and debates against young girls get married off at a very young age (12/13). May-Lisa is married to a Kenyan James who lives in Loitokitok where they have built a very beautiful house, it is not quite finished. Anja and Vigdis from Scilo Norway were invited to visit the various projects and meet the board from Scilo Kenya. Not only for the Norwegians but also for the beautiful pictures I refer to Vigdis’ blogspot: vigdispatur.blogspot.com. May-Lisa’s daughter joined us too. A matatu extra to the car was hired to transport all of us, the luggage and all that had been bought in Nairobi. It showed later that the shops in Loitokitok don’t quite have the same offer as in Nairobi. There was a lot of traffic and the trip took 5 hours included a pause at Emali. First we drove on the road to Mombasa. They have been working on that road for a very long time and it has improved a lot. We only needed to drive a side road with a lot of holes for a while. From Emali to Kilimanjaro the road is all new and really beautiful. Also the nature there is wonderful. We saw a zebra in the middle of the road!

On Monday we visited Imbirikani secondary boarding school where Scilo supports 5 Maasai girls. They are very happy to have the opportunity to go to school. They told about their daily program. They have to get up at 4.30! in the morning and have already two lessons before 8 o’clock. They have lessons, homework, need to clean and wash their clothes, activities, sports and leisure time. The day ends at 10 pm when they go to sleep. In the weekends they can sleep longer: till 6 am! One girl was so happy to see May-Lisa, she had made a very nice Maasai necklace for her. 

 

                                        May-Lisa with Yvonne

Afterwards we visited another school, the primary school in Entaretoi. Eleven girls supported by Scilo live there. They didn’t give the same good impression as at the first school. We were in a hurry because heavy rains were picturing the sky. The light was yellowish, clouds of dust were hanging in the sky and you could see the rain coming towards us. It was like a fairytale.

                                                           Imbirikani secondary school

                                                                                             Primary school in Enteratoi

When the rain comes here it is like heaven opens and it pours down. At home we enjoyed a very good meal like all the meals that Joyce cooks; she is a trained cook and has studied nutrition as well.

The setting of the group was very special, some knew each other but most of us didn’t. There was a strong feeling of fellowship and many good and deep conversations were shared. It was a great joy being together, that included every one of us, thank you girls!

                                                                          Market in Loitokitok

Tuesday started with waiting to get money from the ATM. It turned out that someone had stolen a card and used it in the ATM and the line got closed all the way to Nairobi. It becomes difficult without money. We hired a range rover, a museum piece, with a marvelous driver who knows the car in and out. He drove us on roads you cannot mention roads, slippery and with holes you cannot imagine. After the rain it was so muddy that it looked impossible to be able to drive. We were far, far away from the road in the middle of nowhere, about 2500 meters up on the Kilimanjaro.

First we visited a place where a clinic is planned by an architect from Trondheim. A house for the staff was built as an experiment to see if the local stones could be used to build with and successfully. The mobile clinic comes to the same village called Imisigio once a month on a Friday. Because of the visit from Norway it was changed to Tuesday that caused that not so many came as usual. We took along a whole class of children that had not got their worm tablets. They were also taught of Scilo worker Dave about their rights in a very playful and musical way. Mothers came with their children to get vaccination and being controlled. Not every child was developing like they should. They don’t always get the right nutrition because of lack of money. Also a meeting was hold about the functioning of the mobile clinic and the challenges that arise. We also met a woman whose daughter is at boarding school supported by Scilo. At first she was against because she wanted to marry her out. Now she showed her gratitude and sees the importance of school. On the way back there was something wrong with the car. A part of the gear was put in the car and we drove back in only the first gear.

                                                               Dave teaches children’s rights

 

                                                                             Medicines

            

                                                                   May-Lisa with Faith’s mother        

The next day the car was repaired again. Money was transferred from Norway via Western Union. But because of these delays we drove off late finding out at the gate of Amboseli

National Park that the foreigners amongst us had to pay the full price, $ 80, to get to the Maasai village in the middle of the park. There were new laws and it didn’t help that they knew May-Lisa and James very well and also knew what kind of work they are up to. A group of handicraft sellers were told that we were coming back that evening.

We saw zebras, giraffes, wildebeest, gazelles, ostriches and many elephants (never seen so many elephants at the same time, 30! In the midst of all these wild animals Maasai children were herding their cows and goats. The nature is amazing with the Kilimanjaro in the background.

People were gathered for a meeting and the whole time more people arrived, I counted 100 persons, most women, but also many men. The issue was taken up about the park fees and that the Maasai leaders had to do something with that which they promised. Various leaders were talking and they were telling that they see the necessity of changing their traditions with circumcise their girls and letting them go to school instead of marrying them out. One told that his next wife will be an uncircumcised one! It was an indescribably special feeling sitting among these nature people.

                                                 

                                                                                                  

                        

                                                                                                                                      Anja with Maasai women

   

                                                                                

  Vigdis with Maasai women   

                                                                            

 

                                                                                        Tanaka with Ynez

I am very impressed of all the work Scilo and May-Lisa and James and many others have done in all those years because changes go slowly, very slowly. They said that twelve girls will not be circumcised. We were invited to a ceremony in December without F.G.M. May-Lisa was asking about the ceremony that was supposed to go on one of these days, but they assured that there would be no cutting. Many women had made the bracelets that Scilo sells, they have the colours that show that you are against F.G.M. All the bracelets were bound together and formed a long row. All the women gathered in a hut and were expressing their gratitude for what Scilo stands for. We met and some translated so we could communicate. There were some very strong women, especially the elder lady who is the leader of the women in that village.

                                                         Women in  Eseteti holding the bracelets

The rain spoiled a further meeting and we drove off again. Also because of the rain we didn’t see many animals on the way back. At the gate the handicraft people were waiting full of expectations. And yes May-Lisa dealt with them, fixing the prices with a sense of justice. It was amazing to see how she dealt with all those people trying to sell especially their articles. They were forced to share equally.

On Thursday a meeting was planned between Scilo Norway and Scilo Kenya but one important member could not be there and it got postponed till Good Friday. In a tiny office we were gathered, it was good the two boards met and got to know each other, finding out where they stand and how they can communicate better and what expectations they have towards each other. Both in Norway and in Kenya they felt the need for a central person in the office.

                                                                                         In Scilo’s office

                                                                     Here has Scilo office

Loitokitok is a small town near the border of Tanzania and gets most of their supplies from Nairobi. We didn’t meet any ‘mzungu’. The market is the hot place to shop, and it is surprising what can be bought in those small shops. You only need to ask.

Walking in the neighbourhood I met four school girls. 

                                              the house of May-Lisa and James

                                                           Jakinta, Vigdis and Anja at the table

                       

                                                       Joyce and Irene in the kitchen                                                   

One was saying that Kenya was not a beautiful country as she was standing in front of the Kilimanjaro, she liked snow. And one was asking why people in Europe don’t learn Swahili! We also met two boys, one Maasai, who had studied in Germany with help from a German lady, now he studied at Nairobi University. The other one was Italian also studying at the same university. The Maasai boy told that there are 60000 Maasai and only 260 are studying at Nairobi University. He must write his applications in Luo language (Luo is one of the 42 tribes in Kenya) else he is not reaching anywhere. The attachment to your tribe is more important than being a Kenyan. First your family comes and extended family, than your tribe and next being Kenyan. Kikuyus form the biggest tribe and the Maasai have the feeling that they look down on them. That is generally speaking. Someone else had told me that characters at university not always are given objectively.

The others discovered why I had so many headaches and was so tired. That was because of lack of water. I had to drink much much more. Stupid me, of course I knew that.

On Easter Monday we travelled back to Nairobi.