Guest Blogger: Mary Thamari

Today, we welcome our Homa Bay host, guide, and dear friend of Tumaini Afrika, Mary Thamari (aka Mary Ogalo) as our guest blogger.

Hello, I am Mary Thamari, a mom, wife, social anthropologist, and country director for  LIA (Life in Abundance), Kenya.

We left Nairobi at about 10.20am headed to Namuncha, a Maasai village in the scenic Rift Valley. We followed a one-lane tarmac road which snaked along the escarpment leading down to the valley below. I could see the excitement from the Canadian ladies at the sight of the Rift Valley, compelling me to soak in the beauty of this awesome feature we locals often ignore. I got a lungful of the fresh clean air, which we rarely get in the Nairobi city where I live while the team shopped in a nearby curio shop.

Rift Valley

I had not been to Namuncha before, but like other Maasai villages, it is characterised by clusters of homestead sparsely situated in plain lands. When you approach one of these homesteads, you are likely to be greeted by the sounds of bleating goats and mooing cattle. The Maasai people love livestock on which they depend for livelihood. For a home to lack a kraal (enclosure for goats and sheep) it communicates some deep poverty and deprivation. You will therefore understand what a gift of a goat or sheep means to families in this setting. Indeed, the Maasai bank on livestock for income to cater for such essential needs as payment of school fees for their children.

Back in Sault Ste. Marie, Tumaini Afrika had raised goats to support girls’ education. One of the mothers who accompanied her daughter to receive the goats could not hide her joy at the prospect which this goat gift certainly provided. Holding up three fingers, she explained that a goat can produce about three kids a year which can be sold to supplement girls’ school needs. 

In Namuncha, we visited a school which Tumaini has supported before: a tippy tap for hand washing, water tank for water storage, a compost toilet, and some classrooms in this school attested to the development which has been achieved through Tumaini’s support. We visited a form one class who use a science lab room because their classroom is still under construction. It was obvious that the laboratory also needed equipment for it to be functional.

Tippy Tap

Mary Thamari

We ended our visit with a meal made in Solomon’s home!

8^th March

The day started with a boat ride on Lake Naivasha having spent a night in Sopa Lodge. It was unbelievable the range of wildlife we were able to see within a short period of time: Giraffes, Hippos, Egrets, Pelicans, Eagles, Wildebeests, Waterbucks etc.

Another crew of goats was waiting to be handed to another group of girls and women in Narok, also a Maasai community. After the goat gifting ceremony, the Day for Girls kits were passed on through the community leaders. So, on the International Women’s Day, a group of African and Canadian women, young and old, had an opportunity to celebrate each other through song and dance. But what better way to end this day than to have one of the male community leaders encourage women to shun female genital mutilation (FGM)? In a setting where FGM is common and girls drop out of school to marry early, our resolve to continue raising our voices for these girls was stirred. My work and role at Life In Abundance (LIA) includes leading a team of social workers who support communities like this to confront and address such ills as FGM and early marriages. We are thankful to Tumaini Afrika for partnering with us, previously with the Girls Caucus and now at LIA to advance transformation in our communities.