Narok Town

Last night we left the busy city life and drove to Narok, about 2 hours away. The drive was an experience….I tried not to watch Jared because I would have gotten very nervous. Their “highway” driving consists of a 2 lane road where people pass each other often. Jared swerved in and out of traffic flashing his lights and putting his blinker on to signal that he was passing. We drove into the Rift Valley through the Escrapment, a long narrow road along the side of the mountain. It was getting a little dark but I could still see some of the valley below. It was quite an amazing sight…and a little scary as I looked over the side of the mountain.

We arrived in Narok, a little town that seems to be out in the middle of nowhere. Dirt roads run throughout the city causing a lot of dust to rise around you. For those of you wondering, yes there is electricity, cell phones, television, and running water, but it is a simple way of life. People live simply in one-room houses but they are all very happy. Americans always want bigger, better, and more expensive things but never discover true happiness. Here people enjoy life without getting caught up in superficial things.

The Kids in Kenya Fund has done some good business while in Nairobi and Narok. We are working to get 2 projects started while I am here. The first project involves showing Togetherness Supreme, a movie about 4 Kibera youth during the post election violence, to communities around Kenya. There is a lot of division here between the tribes so the Kids in Kenya Fund is working to create relationships with the tribes so that they can work peacefully together. The second project involves starting micro businesses within the Mara Region. These businesses sponsored through the Kids in Kenya Fund will be selling Tough Stuff Solar Panels, which can charge Cell phones and lights. Cell phones are HUGE here so a solar panel will help ease their use of Kerosene and save them money charging their phones. The money that is made from these Solar Panels will be reinvested in the communities.

During my first few days here I have already discovered that the Kids in Kenya Fund is very different from most volunteer efforts I have been involved with. Many of my prior experiences have involved going into a community and helping through painting, cleaning, serving food, etc. and then picking up and leaving. Although this kind of charity is good I don’t believe that it helps to provide them with opportunities to improve their own way of life. The Kids in Kenya Fund, however, seems to be really working to empower villages to create more opportunities for growth. I like that we are helping to create opportunities to spread peace and build relationships between villages.

Tomorrow we officially head out to Maasai Mara and will be staying in the village of Olekenne. We will see how if I will survive camping out in the Bush. After visiting the snake exhibit at the Nairobi National Museum the other day I’m not so sure I will get out of the car.