The Olng’arua School is one of the most photogenic schools I have ever been to. I have put together a set of images from this lovely school on flicker. You can see the photographs, even if you are not a flicker user, at Olng’arua School on Flicker The Olng’arua community also now has it’s own …
There has been heavy rain over much of northern Kenya for the last three weeks. The land is slowly transforming from desert to pasture. First come the weeds but then the grass takes over. If the rains continue then, in a few more weeks, there will be swathes of white, yellow and blue flowers with …
On Friday a car carrying two tourists was shot at near Shaba national park, just north of Isiolo. The Kenyan driver was killed and the two tourists injured. This is an appalling incident that will do a lot of damage to the tourism industry in Kenya. One friend of mine expressed the feelings of many …
On Friday Kitonga distributed food to the community near the Olng’arua School. The food was bought with the support of Katrin and Jochen Heeskens and their friends in Germany and elsewhere who had raised money to help with the food crisis. The community themselves decided how the money should be spent, who needed help and …
Last Thursday a young girl arrived at Kipsing Primary School just as it was getting dark. She was alone and she had walked a long way to get here. Her serious expression made her look older, world weary, but her height and skinny build fitted exactly with her age. She was ten years old and …
Today Jonny leaves Cairo to start the African leg of his cycling journey from Edinburgh to Isiolo. He had the opportunity to get to know Cairo while he waited 3 weeks for his Sudanese visa. “I think I must have been ‘profiled’” said Jonny “because I met a Dutch family who received their visa in …
From somewhere in the dark there was a long blood curdling scream, followed by a fierce almost lion like roar. For a brief moment ghastly images formed in my mind as a rush of adrenalin surged through my body. But then my mind cleared and I realised we were listening to wild pigs fighting. We …
With the global media focusing on the famine in Somalia many people have been asking us what is happening in Kenya so I have put together some of the most common questions and answered them. Q. Do you have drought where you are? A. Yes northern Kenya is suffering from the same long running drought …
This afternoon a large thunderstorm developed over Isiolo and the surrounding area. The land is bone dry from months of drought, the soil is dust and the sudden downpour carries it away depositing it elsewhere. Deep channels are cut a spontaneous rivers appear. People watch as the water washes through their houses, grabbing at possessions …
Women are always at the front line of poverty, especially in rural areas. Northern Kenya is no exception, they feed the family, are responsible for finding water, collecting firewood and building the houses. Culture and poor access to family planning means that they can easily have eight children by the time they are thirty. Traditionally …