On our way to Todonyang
On our arrival in Nairobi, going through customs requires some negotiating. They inform us that donations are now subject to import duty, at a charge of $50 per bag. With nine bags, our bill is $450! After intense negotiations, including pretending to leave the bags at customs to be destroyed, we settle for $150. They issue me a stamped receipt, which makes the process look legitimate, but the whole thing smells of bribery. In any case, we are now through and head off to our guesthouse, where a warm welcome and breakfast are waiting for us. At the guesthouse we also meet Giovanni and Guido, and the group is now fully formed.
After a few hours of rest and lunch, we decide to go for a walk in the city. Heavy traffic, people walking everywhere, roadworks, unpaved footpaths, food stalls, local markets, open buses, motorcycles: the city is buzzing. We feel safe and stop for a coffee in a local bar, which has Christian books on its shelves and a bathroom on the second floor of the building next door. Things are odd and unconventional, but people are kind and joyful.
In the evening, we meet Fr Victor and Emanuel, an apprentice at Todonyang, and deliver most of the donation bags to him. Unfortunately, Fr Victor will need to remain in Nairobi for the next ten days for medical reasons, so Fr Andrew and Fr Cosmus will take care of us during our stay in Turkana.
It has been a tiring day and our taxi to the airport tomorrow is at 3:30am, so we go to bed early.
Our Skyward Airways flight departs on time at 6am. It is a small propeller plane with 37 seats, and it takes us safely to our destination.
On arrival at Lodwar, we find Fr Andrew and Francis waiting for us with their two Land Rovers. They take us to Bethany Guesthouse for a much-needed and hearty breakfast. Bethany Guesthouse is situated on the Diocese of Lodwar site, and it is a quiet and welcoming place.
While the rest of the group rest in the guesthouse garden, Fr Andrew takes Manlio and Elena to see John Ekitela and Samuel, who are now studying at St James Minor Seminary. I met John Ekitela on my 2024 trip and was struck by how uncertain his future was. In fact, after finishing lower secondary school, he had no means to afford a upper secondary education and would have needed to go back to village life. We are grateful that we found sponsors for John Ekitela and Samuel, and it was great to see how well they are doing. We brought gifts for them, a pair of football shoes for Samuel and a mobile phone for John Ekitela, and they were very happy to receive them.
However, our chat with Fr Paul, the headmaster of the school, brought to life the hardship faced by the local community. The school hosts 78 boys in upper secondary school, from grade 10 to 12, and currently runs with a £7,000 debt. It has no funds to pay teachers, who have been working without pay for the last three months and are now struggling to buy food too. The financial situation is dire and they need help. We must do something for them too.
From Lodwar, we depart in our two Land Rovers for a five-hour drive to Todonyang, stopping at Nariokotome for lunch. We look forward to reconnecting with the people in Nariokotome and returning to Todonyang.