To the Masai Manyatta

On Thursday we did some shopping at a store in Athi River town. I had forgotten I needed to set up a “kitchen” at my house. A pot, pan, fork, spoon, glass, plastic basin for washing dishes as well as the food, water and supplies. We had to rent another motorbike taxi to haul some of our purchases. On Friday we headed to see the Masai. I was so pleased to see two early childhood classrooms in operation. Pictured below is one classroom. The building was a left over water building from the chicken warehouses. The Early Childhood Center is called Esarunoto (Refuge). The rooms are small, cement, crude and extremely dark but there are close to 50 preschool students registered and going to school everyday! Porridge is served to them daily and when something happens that the porridge is not available, the little kids cry from hunger. Above are children waiting at the cook shed for porridge to be cooked for the morning meal.

Two Masai young women serve as teachers. There are no learning materials but you can hear the children counting, going over the alphabet and taking all the students to the new latrine. The kids need to be taught how to use the latrine. There are no latrines in the Manyatta. They also begin teaching the children about HIV/AIDS. It is with the young that we are hoping to have some impact on HIV/AIDS reduction. The adults are resistant to discussing the subject.

We visited the mother of a young mentally challenged girl in the village who died two weeks ago in a fire in their mud and stick house. She had been left alone and tried to cook something. The fire quickly consumed the small dwelling. When the mother saw Mwololo and me today, she began weeping once again. She said that when she saw me – she remembered her daughter. I had taken video of mother and daughter a few months ago. So sad.

We saw yet another dead cow. The drought continues and cattle are dying. Interestingly, passing through the manyatta was a herd of over 60 camels! What a sight! It looked like Egypt! There is a Manyatta of camel herders over the ridge. They are from Somalia and there is a camel butchery about 30 minutes away. (That is 30 minutes by car, not by camel,)

We paid a visit to a house built near the Masai Manyatta. The owner has agreed to allow us (the Dayvare Center) to harvest rainwater from the roofs of a structure on his property. Monday morning, a fundy (casual laborer/carpenter) will remodel the gutter system, install a huge polyethylene tank and we will wait for the rains. When they come, the water will be used at the school and around the manyatta.

We ran into Fred, the young Masai who will take me out for some days and nights with the herds. He remembered his promise.