Our wonderful volunteer, Andy, organized Olng’arua School’s first ever sports day. It was a blast. None of the children had ever participated in anything quite like it before; and certainly some of the events were extremely unusual by our northern bush standards. Along with running races there was also a sack race, an egg (well …
Women from the local community having fun at their weekly adult learning class. They are learning to read and write.
In parts of Isiolo district there are still large areas of natural acacia woodland. However the rate at which the trees are being cut down and carted into the local towns suggests that won’t be the case for long. Every day bicycles, donkey carts and lorries, piled high with wood, make their way along the dirt …
During her last visit to Kenya Margareta Kolarovska, long-time friend and supporter of DARE, took all the children and staff from Olng’arua School on an outing. The day out started with a drive through Lewa Conservancy where many animals, including the rare white and black rhinos, were seen and was followed by a trip to …
She led me into the dark interior of the mud house, a narrow doorway providing the only entrance and light. Near the doorway was a low wooden stool, handmade, she asked me to sit on it. I was in a small subdivided area of the house, next to me a bed made of cow hide …
It is three weeks since the last conflict related death in Isiolo. If you were to visit Isiolo town today you are likely to be told that the troubles are over, “Isiolo is peaceful now”. For some, and for the moment, this is true. However the residents of the worst hit areas, just a few …
On the last day of term, before breaking up for the Easter holidays, the children of Olng’arua Primary School held an important football match. This was no ordinary match. The school divided into two teams, loosely translated as the ‘Goats’ and the ‘Cows’. There were few rules (and those few were quickly discounted). The game …
At Christmas time Liberty raised money for DARE by making and selling ‘paper logs’. The paper logs are made by compressing old news papers with a paper log maker. Liberty told us that the logs burn for hours and that they were very easy to make. But Liberty’s entrepreneurial spirit didn’t end with simply making …
Isiolo town and the immediately surrounding areas have been suffering repeated bouts of conflict and general insecurity since late last year. More than 40 people have been killed in the last 2 months and while the families of those who have died are devastated the conflict has much wider reaching consequences. Isiolo is often referred …
The drought had not yet broken when the latest cycle of violence hit the areas surrounding Isiolo town in Kenya. This was back in October last year and at first the violence seemed to be about the scarce resources. However, in November and December, the area received good rainfall and the land flourished. There is …