Update
February 2025
I am back from Kenya. Upon returning to South Pasadena I found that my home was safe from the fires, but my heart is heavy for all of those who lost their homes. Amy, our assistant, who sends all of our communications to you and keeps careful track of each of your donations, lost her home. She had to leave in the middle of the night with her children in their pajamas and her cell phone. Everything else burned to the ground. She has been in temporary housing for the past month but was recently able to find a new home for her family. We celebrate that and are finding ways to support her.
Now that I am settled in I want to update you about my time in our Maasai communities. My first visit was to the marketplace in Maji Moto where many of the women you are supporting have small businesses. Wilson accompanied me traversing through the busy market (think of a Rose Bowl flea market). We were greeted by Maasai women who were joyful to be there selling potatoes, grain, and other goods. One woman was able to set up a small booth with her products. She was so proud of her little shop.
I am back from Kenya. Upon returning to South Pasadena I found that my home was safe from the fires, but my heart is heavy for all of those who lost their homes. Amy, our assistant, who sends all of our communications to you and keeps careful track of each of your donations, lost her home. She had to leave in the middle of the night with her children in their pajamas and her cell phone. Everything else burned to the ground. She has been in temporary housing for the past month but was recently able to find a new home for her family. We celebrate that and are finding ways to support her.
Some of the men have started businesses providing veterinary medicines to others. After the welcome, Toroge led me into a hut along with Wilson and some elders. The elders brought grass and milk and performed a blessing ceremony. They gave me beaded shoes, put grass in my shoes, and then added milk to bless my journey. They also sent blessings to you (without milk).
The next day we visited Toroge's community, Naroosura. This is an even more remote community where the people live very traditionally. We were again greeted with songs and dances and heard speeches expressing gratitude for our support. We had helped them plant hay in preparation for the drought and supported women and men in starting businesses.
After our time at the marketplace and the well, we traveled over ten kilometers to another site where the community is hoping to drill another well. The women and children have had to walk five kilometers each way carrying 50-pound jugs to bring clean water to their homes. They know that a well is expensive and that it will take time to raise money, but they wanted to have an engineer and geologist meet with me and the elders to find the best place to drill. They have sent an estimate of the cost, $18,000.
As I was writing this update, Toroge called me to let me know that his mother, who is blind, had heard on the Maasai radio that an airplane had fallen out of the sky in the US and wanted to if I was safe. I called back to let them know that I was safe and that Amy had found a new home. They say that made their day. (We are all connected).
Wilson and I then traveled to another safari camp closer to Naikarra, Jackson’s community, and prepared to visit there the following day. The honorable Agnes Tutu, the governor’s wife, arranged to join us there. When we arrived at the site of the well we installed in Naikarra, community members greeted us with speeches of gratitude. They wanted you to know how much of a difference the well has made for thousands of people who come here to fill their water jugs. There were beautiful dances and songs of joy . My heart was full. I tried to explain
that it is not me, but you, the members of my community , who made this possible.
Afterward, we went to another site, nine kilometers away, where a well had been dug, but there was no solar power to make it functional. Therefore, people continue to drink contaminated water. I promised to make that a priority for our future fundraising. It will cost $4,811. We currently have $3,100, which leaves us with a need for $1,711. I explained to them that, because of the fires, we may not have further donations for some time. They understood and will be patient to receive the funds. However, if any of you feel that you could donate to make this possible for them sooner, please do so by clicking here.
Our last stop that day was to visit our community clinic. It was clear that the community members had taken good care of our little building and the grounds. There were stones carefully placed along the path and bushes planted in the front. The two nurses and the herbal healer, accompanied by the clinic committee members proudly showed me the maternity "wing". They told me that 73 healthy babies had been born there in the last year and a half. The nurses also unpacked the supplies I brought that Vicki Tsuchida had put aside for them from Dr Lori Wynstock's office where she works as a nurse. Our nurses were like children at Christmas as they unpacked the suitcase I brought. After that they showed me the lab
equipment and supplies they bought with your donations and asked me to send great appreciation to you. More community members were waiting outside when we came out, including men and women who now have small businesses. We have touched the lives of so many, yet others are eager to be able to participate and start their own businesses.
The next day the Governor's wife joined us as we met with the land committee members from all over the county. We brought along a legal team who helped the people understand the implications of selling and leasing their land. I shared what had happened to the Native Americans in my country who no longer have much of their land. I encouraged them to keep their land and their precious culture. They all agreed that they would not sell their land and vowed to make good decisions about agreeing to leases. Those leases will include terms such as maintaining grazing rights and agreements to employ Maasai people in their safari camps. We are taking big steps toward our mission to conserve the Maasai culture.
Lastly, on my way back to Nairobi, I stopped in Narok, the county capital, and had a meeting with the Minister of Education. We discussed the importance of strengthening the Maasai cultural values in the schools. These include:
-
Living as Community
-
Being Courageous
-
Being Responsible
-
Being Hardworking
-
Being Respectful
-
Being Humble
-
Being Generous
He agreed that they are losing the values of their youth, and asked me to write a proposal to strengthen Cultural Education in the schools. I just did that and now hope to volunteer my time to make that happen so that the children in Kenya maintain their core values.
​
I returned home satisfied that we were making a difference. During these challenging times, I gain satisfaction and joy knowing that we continue to do valuable work by directly reaching out to others. I was grateful that I was taken care of during my journey by Jackson and Wilson who have used their wisdom to make sure that every dollar of your donations goes toward changing lives in a powerful, sustainable way.
​
Thank you, again, for your partnership. I hope that you find it in your hearts to continue to support the journey with us.
Ashle Oleng (Thank you in Maasai)
Jackson, Barbara and Wilson