The Place Of The Dogs

January 17^th Tuesday

Kipsongo slum literally means the place of the dogs. Years ago some of the people from the Turkana tribe left their land because of famine. They were in search of a better place and a new life. Their plans were good but when they arrived to their new destination they were not accepted. They were pushed away from the village. The Turkana settled in an area of low land outside of the village area. Many of their homes are still built in the Turkana way but instead of branches from the desert palm to enclose their hut in, they use plastics and other items they find in the garbage.

I’ve been to Kipsongo many times but today I was invited to go further in with Joe & Theresa. As we drive the Kipsongo road there are piles of garbage here and there along the way. Very often you will see the older mama’s sitting in the midst of the garbage with their sac of treasures. There are days, when traveling this road, we will see them sleeping in the midst of the garbage.

As we find a safe place to park the car we have already been seen and the kids come running. Dirty clothes, runny noses, swollen bellies and big smiles! They all want acknowledgement, a touch, a hand shake, and sometimes a piece of candy.

We have some natives to walk with and they lead us down into the low lands. The dogs are sleeping through the heat of the day. Their skeleton structure speaks of the life they have here.

Home brew becomes a means for income for some and increases the problems within their community.

Charcoal pieces are rolled in the dirt and then dried in the sun to make it last longer. There are signs of sickness at every turn. A woman’s hut caught on fire while she was cooking inside. Her badly burnt arm healed without care. Now her arm is frozen in one position. An elder Turkana man sits on the ground with feet so swollen that he doesn’t walk. A twelve year old boy has pain in his joints and is visibly bloated.

We are approached with the needs that many carry: money for schooling, food and medicine.

Further in there is a rope between two poles with meat hanging off the rope. This is their market area and the meat is for sale. I don’t think I was expecting to see dog meat for sale but I completely understand. Hunger is painful.

There are so many needs and so much suffering.

Later in the afternoon Evans, my interpreter, and I traveled to Taito. In this area we have been meeting with a group of women. Many to these women are widows. We have one widow that is very sick and needs medical attention.

We travel door to door throughout the area and visit with them in their homes. We walked the dirt roads, the paths through the fields, stepped over fences and came face to face with a cow. It is country life here and people live off the earth. The soil is rich and their crops sustain them.

We met with some beautiful women. We visit with a grandmother in her 80’s and another tells us she is 98. Her heart was full of joy and bubbling over. She wears a cut that covers the side of her ear. There is nothing there now but years ago when she danced for the first president of Kenya her ear was full of large rings. She wore more jewels around her ankles. Both women remember the days of the colonists.

January 20, Friday

I’m often approached by the street kids when I go in town. “Linda” “Linda” rings like a song in my ear. When I turn to see who it is I am greeted with great big beautiful smiles from some of the dirtiest kids around. There is a little place that serves food in one of the alley ways that they love to go. It is a very big treat for them to sit down and eat a hot meal. They never forget to say thank you.

Last time we went to the orphanage to visit we were so encouraged. Little Linda from Kipsongo slum is doing so much better. She is showing signs of trust and smiling a lot more.

Isaiah 58:10 "If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday."