I couldn’t quite get the kids at the vegetable distribution last Saturday out of my head. I kept seeing the faces and wanted to know more. I arranged with Mary to have the Reverend take me, after I dropped off the vegetables today, to Manza and Manyatta, two of the village areas where the orphans registered for the food giveaway live.
I met this at the junction of my road, the Daystar Road, and the
Mombassa Road. It's the second truck in a week to wind up recumbent at
this same spot. Trucks overturn all the time, and then, like tired
dinosaurs, they ooze their vital fluids and rest quietly.
I finished the drive to Machakos, unloaded twelve crates at Springs of
Hope and the other twenty eight at the church across town.
These off-loaders won’t eat the beans. They’re church kids here on
Saturday for this and that.
I returned the empty crates to Mary’s and picked up the Reverend. He’s been working at Mary’s for several months and is a great addition. I have grown very fond of him. He has a tiny thumb branching out of each of his regular ones…extras. So between us we balance things out a little.
We drove about four kilometers, parked the truck and
and hoofed it the last half kilometer to the village of Manza.
First house:
This is Lucy (Standard 1), Ann (Standard 4), and Faith (Standard 4). "Standard" is the designation for elementary school years, like our "grades."
They live here with their grandmother, Florence,
and their Auntie Ruth. The girls are "total orphans," that is, both of their parents are dead or long gone.
They were playing hopscotch when we walked up.
Like any good real estate tour, I’ll include pictures of the bathrooms.
Second house:
This is Musau.
He lives here with his grandmother and
and his two brothers, Solomon and Mbuvi.
Solomon walked up carrying these two jembays (hoes), while we were there. He had just finished working in a chamba (large garden).
This is their mother's newly dug grave. Their father is gone. No one knows where. So she and the boys were returned; she to be buried, and Musau, Solomon and Mbuvi to live with their grandmother.
Third house:
This is Mbinya's house.
This is Mbinya. She is grandmother to
Mutiso (That's Musau, Solomon and Mbuvi's house in the background)
and Mutile, whom we ran into in another part of the village. Their
mother and father are both dead.
When the Rev. coughed up that I was the vegetable guy, Mbinya gave me
a blessing, which involved her spitting…
and then rubbing her hand on her heart.
We talked for a while longer and then said so long.
Loo#2
Fourth house:
Ndenge, who is in standard 8, and Mumo, who is in standard 3, live here…
with their grandmother, whom we later found at the food distribution.
Loo #3
Fifth house:
No one was home here. Syumbua and Nzilani live here with their Aunt.
Their mother died and they were being neglected, so they were brought
back to live here. Their aunt is also caring for her twenty five year
old sister, Kamene, who is mentally retarded.
They weren't home because they had walked to Springs to get the
vegetables, where we found them later. Syumbua's on the left.
Loo #4
Sixth house:
Mulwa is his mother's last born. I really liked him. He was alone when we walked up.
After we settled in, he started spinning his small wooden top on a patch of hard, smooth dirt.
During these proceedings his mother, Priscilla, came carrying water.
I've talked about twenty liter gerry cans here before. She's carrying one.
Priscilla is also grandmother to Morris and Mutheu. Morris is the
would-be hunter...
with a slingshot in need of some repair.
Mutheu had gone for the vegetables. We found her there later.
Seventh house:
Here's Muasa and his wife ( SOMEHOW I DIDN'T GET HER NAME) in front of their house.
Like many houses here it has a a detached kitchen, where the open-fire cooking is done.
Their household includes their daughter and her child, and their grandchildren
Mutua, who is in standard 7, and Nthambi, standard 5, orphaned in 1998 when their mother, Muasa's other daughter, died. Mutua was getting vegetables when we saw him later.
Walking back to the truck, the Rev. and I bumped into this band of travelers.
The girl in the middle in the orange dress had cut her foot pretty badly.
We stopped and a minute later two young boys, early teens, put their bicycle down and came over. They cut a sisal shoot and gently scraped
the wound clean.
Then twisted the sisal until its juice began to run, and lavaged the cut.
The Rev. told me it was a very good natural antiseptic. We all went our ways.
The Rev. and I back to Mary's and the veggie fest.
As always, the crew here greets you.
The proper response is, “And we receive your greetings.”
Just so you know.
For all of us here,
David
Posted on December 6th, 2007 by david
Filed under: David's Journal
thats for sure, man
nice work, guy