Home Visits, part 2

Our next visit is with Sylvia and some of her family. She is in Class 6, 14 years old. 

First, her family structure requires some detail. Her father is thought to be 83 years old. He has two wives. His first wife had 12 kids, including Samson, who interpreted for us. His second wife, 39 years old, has 6 kids, including Sylvia as the second youngest. 

When we arrived her father was sitting in the grass under a tree where he could watch for us walking up the lengthy road to the house. He used to have cattle, but lost them in the drought of a few years ago. He then farmed a bit, but it was unsuccessful due to his age and the continued drought. He no longer works. Sylvia’s mom does beadwork for others to sell.

Below, some of the family.

And a few outtakes from the photoshoot. No idea what they are laughing about. It must have been good to cross the language barrier.

Below is the father, phonetic spelling Kisaya Kisela, and his youngest child. The father was in his late seventies when the child was born.

You can also see Kisaya’s traditional earlobes. These are common in the area.

Below is Sylvia. She was also pretty shy when around her family. A few days later at her school, Kimuka Primary, she was the ringleader in firing questions at me and orchestrating me “telling stories” for a solid hour. They were particularly impressed by a video of Ginger playing her cello.

Sylvia’s passtime is dancing. Her favorite subject is math. She wants to be a doctor. Her oldest sister is in medical training now, which has drained what little financial resources the family had.

Kisaya Kisela and me in Sylvia’s mom’s home, below. The home is nicer than most we’ve been in. It is more solid, and built before the drought took their resources. He was obviously thrilled to have us come visit. And we were very happy to be there, as well.

He told us that he is breaking Maasai traditions in their family. He is insisting on his daughters being educated, as evidenced by Sylvia’s sister studying medicine. This is wonderful, as the traditional view of women in this culture is not something we support, with forced teenage marriage, FGM, etc. Given his view, and the financial support of her sponsor, Sylvia could have a bright future.

Sylvia’s little brother taking aim. He is in preschool.

Our next stop was to visit Jackline. She is 12.

She lives with her step-brother and his family. Emily is her guardian and her step-brother’s wife. Jackline’s mother was too old to care for her. Jackline moved in when she was in Pre-primary school 2. She was the seventh oldest, but now doesn’t really remember her birth family.

Jackline likes singing and wants to be a hairdresser. She regularly does family members’ hair. Her favorite subject is math.

Emily does beadwork for others to sell, as is fairly common in Maasailand. She has three kids of her own. She is 24. Her husband is a shepherd, watching/moving cows for others. They only have two cows themselves, one of which they milk. The cow produces about a liter a day.

Below is their home. It is two rooms. These houses are all metal outside and have no windows. They can get very hot in the sun. Flies and other insects can also be a significant problem.

Below, first is Jackline’s step-cousin, Emily’s son. 

Following, Emily walked us back to the car after our visit. She had prepared food and tea for us and was a good host. It is always hard for us on these visits when we are fed. We know that food scarcity is a significant issue for many of these families, yet they are feeding us. It is an honor and we have to partake.

Next on our list are Gabriel, left, and Lenny, right, with their grandmother. We stopped for a short visit to deliver gifts.

The boys live part-time with their grandmother. Their father has alcohol addiction issues. 

Above, the boys have hats and footballs from their sponsor. They were really happy with them. Lenny is, in fact, the older of the two. He is in secondary school and Gabriel is in Kimuka Primary.

Both of the boys were pretty quiet. Their home life is unsettled and the uncertainty is a significant issue for them. Below, they are opening their gifts.

Their grandmother does beadwork for others. She used to sell her own work, but finding a market is challenging

The cow shed at the grandmother’s home.

Below, Gabriel needed to deliver letters from Lenny and him for their sponsors. We met him at an intersection. I’m at a loss to grasp how anyone can provide understandable directions to meet someplace in this area.