Oloitokitok

Chris (from our church in Australia) has been with us for 3 weeks now and this week we were fortunate enough to be able to go to Oloitokitok on the southern border of Kenya and Tanzania. ABC Children's Aid Kenya made a trip there with a few teachers and social workers to a school they have established and we went along for the ride.

Oloitokitok is located in the predominantly Masai region of Kenya and is a small border town that sits at the base of Mt Kilimanjaro which is the third tallest mountain in the world.

Overlooking a small farm to the majestic peaks of Mt Kilimanjaro.

The school is still very basic but is giving kids an opportunity they would have otherwise not had. Many of the kids would have stayed home and looked after the family's cattle, something that is very important to the Masai people. Many of the girls have been saved from the barbaric ritual of female circumcision (or female genital mutilation) and the boys are being given an alternative to the difficult traditions of Moranism (the warriors of the Masai people).

Playfully hiding from the camera!

A beautiful smile!

Chris and I were treated to some presentations and songs by the students and we got to play football with the boys. We also spent some time filming testimonies from some of the kids. ABC tries to find sponsors for all the kids as their families generally do not have sufficient income to survive and provide an education for their kids.

Playing games with some of the kids.

Overlooking the school football field to a cloud covered mountain.

We were also privileged to walk around the area and visit some of the families of students that attend the school. They lead a very basic life with their main source of income being the few cows and goats that they own. Many still live in traditional houses made of branches and plastered with cow dung. The buildings are a surprisingly pleasant temperature inside and no, they don't smell! We were able to pray for a few people including an elderly blind man. Everyone was very welcoming making it a great experience.

A Masai mama repairing her house with cow dung mixed only with water.

Before we returned to Nairobi, we visited the Kenyan/Tanzanian border, where my finger may or may not have visited Tanzania illegally!

At the Kenyan/Tanzanian border with Mike (the ABC public relations officer) and Chris.