A day trip to Nariokotome

Today we return to Nariokotome. The MCSPA members work very collaboratively and visit each other often, and it is refreshing to see how much they enjoy staying connected. We receive the usual warm welcome, which is never taken for granted and always accepted with gratitude.

The mission at Nariokotome is well developed. It was the first to be established, and the progress stands out. In addition to education, water, nutrition and health projects, two business projects have been set up: a bakery and a laboratory producing healing soaps and creams. Both give jobs to local people and, at the same time, help build an economy based on production and commerce.

The laboratory is managed by Samuel, who was a shepherd at the age of six when he was taken into the mission school. Academically talented, he went on to gain a master's degree in microbiology. He then decided to give something back to his community, returned to live at the mission and set up the laboratory. It is a great example of how education can, over time, transform the lives of children and of society as a whole.

The trip to Nariokotome is also a great opportunity to see life in Turkana. Women and children walk to collect water or wood, children and men herd goats, and motorbikes carry several passengers and bags of goods to deliver. Homesteads and small villages are scattered across the territory. The landscape is semi-desert, but there is a lot more activity than one would expect.

What strikes us most, however, is the sense of wonder the children still have. Whenever we pass in our Land Rover, they run towards us, smiling and shouting, as if they had seen the most incredible of sights. This is what makes these people special: their authenticity and their simplicity.