Home Sweet Home

I am not sure who wrote the first version of the childhood tale of The Three Little Pigs that was a favorite of my youth but I am certain that the author must have spent time in Kenya. There are basically three styles of houses here. Ones made of sticks and mud, ones made of ‘tin sheeting’ (corrugated tin) and ones made of brick.

The last couple of days I have had the privilege of being welcomed inside all types of houses as I went on home visits with some of the CHW’s. A different view of poverty can be seen at each house. There is the youth-headed home where the kids have been on their own for the past four years. Their thatched roof leaks when it rains. Other than the children themselves, there is very little in the house to get wet -- a couple of blankets, a few cooking utensils, and empty sacks that they sleep on.

The majority of the youth in the home only had a standard (grade school) 3 education. The six year old has never attended a school at all. As we talked with them I found myself drawn to this little girl’s feet. She had on a pair of tan canvas tennis shoes that were so raveled out that I am not sure how the strings held them on her feet considering they had so little canvas to hang on too. The sneakers were at least two sizes too small, but it didn’t matter because all of her toes were peeking well out the ends of both shoes.

What little income they have comes from renting out their land to neighbors. They have never been able to get enough money ahead to plant the land for them selves or to return to school. At this point they are primarily getting by out of the kindness of neighbors. I learned today that the average yield from a maize harvest is 20 bags. Farm families with enough land to sustain themselves estimate that it takes two bags of maize to feed one family member for the whole year. Families are large here so it takes a lot of land just to be able to feed a family. (Note family is defined as anyone living in the house). If they have any maize left over it might bring 1000 kshillings a bag (roughly $15.00 US.)

The last family we visited today included a great, great grandmother who they believe was in her 90’s – a true rarity. There were four generations living in the house with eleven school age or younger children. Children seemed to be coming out of the woodwork when we arrived. This ‘family’ grew as children (and adults) from neighboring houses came pouring in to see why the Mzungo’s had come (and if there was anything in for them). Sometimes there can be so many people gathering around us that I feel like the Mzungu’s are a carnival act that people came from all across the land to see. But the thought is fleeting as the gaggle of children surrounded us as we walked a short distance to and from a neighbor’s home filling the air with the sounds of their giggles and laughter.

It can be overwhelming and emotionally draining at times to visit a lot of families in one day and to see the extent of poverty with which they live. I have found myself feeling guilty for wanting to snack on a couple of crackers or chips during the day while we are out visiting families. Most days we simply go without lunch without even thinking about it because we are constantly on the move. (Perhaps subconsciously it is our way of dealing with the fact that we know that most of the families we meet on these visits have little, if any, food on a given a day. Yes, there is poverty in all of the homes I visit, but there are extreme riches as well -- in their sense of family, community, in simply living life and having a place to call home.