15
Sep
2012

Kenya 2012 trip diary: A community felt by all

By Angie Maddox

This morning I sit watching wildlife from the Mountain Lodge, our home (with WiFi) for a few hours before we begin our journey toward Maasai Mara.  In my last post I mentioned visiting communities. One of the communities we visited a couple of days ago in the Samburu region is a community funded through The Boma Project.  It’s difficult to express in words the experience and the feeling of being greeted and welcomed into this community – there were so many senses stimulated.  From the visual of a group of women dressed and beaded in gorgeous vibrant colours who danced in a way so organic and natural it seemed as though their bodies ebbed and flowed like water, to the sound of their welcoming songs, the touch of their hands as they placed beads around our necks and placed their hands in our hands to walk hand in hand to the village, the smell of the arid landscape and the taste of the dust and rural environment all senses were engaged.

Listening to the woman speak about their new businesses and opportunities and hopes for the future, seeing and shopping in their marketplace, and being welcomed inside their small homes (built of twigs, dung, and fabric) gave the sense that no matter where we are in the world the spirit, the hopes, and the community felt by women transcends all.