Out to the field with SANGO-Kenya.

Chapter #2 of my SANGO-Kenya experience

Second day in Kisumu. We are going out to the field to meet the women in the group. The plan is a training session.

The program is still very young. In the first incarnation the program connected to a small women’s organization. A tight knit group of women who got together, among other things, to provide catering services for funerals. I was to realize that death is much more present in day to day life here….

Our driver, John was going to pick us up from our apartment. He showed up almost on time and we could leave just as soon as he had coffee. Then juice. Then something small to eat. And maybe just a bit more coffee. But then we are truly set to go.

John, Our driver. He speaks wonderful English. Has an opinion about everything and will tell you what it is, you can be sure of that.

The guard lets us out of the apartment compound, smiling as always. She looks like a teenager but has three kids.

The apartment compound is guarded day and night. There is a small booth by the gate where the guard practically lives. She always seems happy to see us. Finally some action.

And we are off…

The center of town is bustling with stalls and sheds selling everything.

There are people selling stuff all along the sidewalks.

Turns out nearly everything here, every transaction, is done using mpesa. This is a system run by SafariComm which is a combination of bank and communications company. It allows transactions to happen without cash changing hands. It is used for virtually everything. Even tiny transactions… Buying 300 grams of peas.

The mpesa stands also function as a sort of ATM. You go over to an mpesa stand, you’ll usually find an old auntie there. You send her a few shilling via mpesa and she will give you the cash (minus a small fee). mpesa stands are everywhere. Often combined with a small kiosk.

All transactions are done via ‘stupid’ phones. This is the one essential belonging everyone has. A transaction is done by sending a text message for sending, receiving payments or finding out your online balance.

As we leave the center of town, we start seeing some green, but along the road there continue to be businesses strewn along the way selling anything you can think of.

Someone selling clothing along the road.

I often wondered how they can make a living selling 4 items by the side of the road. But I guess they can. They were still there the next day.

Turns out the Luo which is predominantly used in the Kisumu area doesn’t have a written tradition. (Turns out there is a Luo alphabet, but nobody seems to use it for practical uses). So… most (all) signage appears in English. Not everyone speaks English though… The results are often amusing. Every shed is a boutique, every stand is a Complex, every shack is a Plaza…

I thought this was just the regional branch… But stood corrected.

Between the shacks and the sheds, as we get further away, I start seeing glimpses of the stunning landscape. This region has huge rock formations that create very dramatic vistas.

The farms often lie among these huge boulders.

There are several large markets on the way with a large concentration of stalls and vehicles all around.

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Another thing that we start seeing along the way are women carrying water in yellow Jeri cans. This is quite consistent. They are always women, or girls, carrying water in the same yellow Jeri cans.

Water is such a huge issue in this area. There is usually not enough. But sometimes as in the recent floods… there is too much. Managing their water needs requires a huge effort and planning. It is a very big deal.

When we leave the main road, we head off towards the villages where the farms are. There is not much traffic on these roads. People walking and kids on their way to school.

Kids are mostly in groups. Always in uniform on their way to school. They have a very long school day which ends only at 6:00PM. Some of them come home for lunch. Others get lunch in school.

We arrived at the farm where the training is going to take place. The women have yet to arrive. There is a certain buzz of anticipation.

Next time…. Meeting the group and joining the training session.