Travelling to Turkana over Easter was eye-opening. I was reminded of how blessed I am. Kalapata, is about three hours from Lodwar town, and here, the need is beyond food, even though, their daily meal basically consists of palm tree fruit, Eng’ok.
Temperatures range between 40 to 42 degrees. That an eight-year-old girl has to trek four kilometres or more in such heat is disturbing. Yet, many children in the area, on a daily basis, have to carry 10-litre jerrycans of muddy water on their heads for household use.
Observing World Vision Hong Kong staff engage their nationals, who are sponsoring Kenyan children, I was challenged to do something about the situation. They flew 17 hours to film real needs, first-hand and raise funds for projects.
The team of young women consisted of a programme developer and designer, a nurse and a doctor who sang and played with Turkana children. These children, had never seen a balloon and the joy brought to them over Easter was inexpressible.
Fact is, a child is a child no matter their home setting or hardships. Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert, authors of “When helping hurts”, explain how to alleviate poverty without hurting the poor... and yourself. The book shows the diversity of poverty and suggests our responses should be based on careful diagnosis of a situation.
The greatest need in Kalapata is water. Since poverty is not just a matter of “not having”, rather, ignorance about resources, their utilisation, strong cultural beliefs, complexity in health, low education levels, among others, to do nothing is sinful, at the very least.
During a visit to a dispensary there, the nurse-in-charge explained that three to four, out of 10 children were malnourished. The first instinct, then would be to assume the children need a meal, and they do. However, mothers can be trained on how to prepare a nutritious meal.
Lessons on family planning can also reduce child-related ailments, when children are spaced. Taking a trip past Lodwar will open your eyes to unimaginable need. Then, perhaps, like my Hong Kong friends, you may buy a pair of shoes or two, or even resolve to mentor or sponsor a Kalapata child.
Elizabeth Ann Seton, who devoted her life to providing resources for those in need, said: “Live simply that others might simply live”. —The author is a Senior Communications and Media Officer, World Vision, Kenya.
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