Our journey to Turkana state, and meeting the Faulu team.
Journey to Kakuma!
Today we woke up bright and early, or maybe not so bright, to meet Lyama at Wilson airport in Nairobi. It was a rainy morning waiting to board the plane to Lodwar, UNHCR and WFP supplies rushing by to stock up their planes. It was our last chilly morning before arriving in the hot environment of Kakuma.
The plane journey was gorgeous, a small twin prop commercial flight with about 30 people flew over the vast expanses of undulating hills, with mountain ranges in the far distance, beautiful water bodies here and there and the occasional crater.
Lodwar airport was our first feel of the hot Turkana weather we would be experiencing for the rest of our stay. A small but lovely little airport surrounded by village homes. From Lodwar we needed to catch a taxi to Kakuma, Lyama found us all some boda bodas (motorcycle drivers) to take us to the taxi area, and there we waited for our chosen taxi to fill before we could drive to Kakuma. It was a fascinating wait, watching the local Turkana people walking by in their traditional wear. Women have beautiful colourful bead necklaces covering their entire neck, their hair shaved on the sides, one single braid with a bead on the end falling down over their foreheads, and wrap a patterned kitenga around their bodies. The men wear vibrant top hats, wealthy men wear these with a feather tucked in the top, and they carry a large staff by their side. a 3.5 hour bumpy car ride, with 7 other people (we left with less than the normal number of passengers), journeying through a gorgeous landscape.
Arriving in Kakuma and Meeting the Faulu Team
Post spine realignment therapy, we were greeted by the wonderful smiles and kind nature of some more members of the Faulu team. Mercy, assistant supervisor on the women empowerment program, is from South Sudan but she has spent most of her life in Kakuma and feels it is home for her now. A motivated, friendly and upbeat young woman, she aspires to further her education and become a peace ambassador one day. Then there is Best Leon, Best is packed to the brim with life and kindness. He is from the Congo, where he was the son of the leader of his village, arrived in Kakuma 5 years ago. Best handles all of the logistics of Faulu, from building fences to transporting people and goods around the camp safely. He is always there with a big smile and a great sense of humour. Mr Mulambo Placide, assistant director of Faulu, and also part of the welcome committee, greeted us warmly. From the Congo, and a man of great hospitality and grand stature in the community, Mulambo’s strong leadership is very apparent.
Once we got settled into our accommodation, we shared a few stories and laughs before heading to the Faulu office to meet everyone and hold a team meeting.
During the meeting, we were incredibly inspired by each of the staff members in the organisation, their genuine and outwardly focused aspirations, and their unbelievable resilience and initiative despite the difficult challenges they face in Kakuma. We hope to be able to share their stories and help them raise the funds they need to achieve their goals!
A long day ended moving into our accommodation, hungry, thirsty, a bit weary and a little paranoid over stories of scorpions, snakes and spiders and wayward locals. The guest house owners however were friendly, and we locked up and crashed out sweaty messes.
Yorumlar