This morning we met up again with Beatrice Limo (a prominent community leader and wife of the local MP) who had arranged for us to make several local visits as an orientation to the community in Kericho County. Such an opportunity to better familiarize ourselves with the local culture and community will prove to be an invaluable experience as we begin the real work of data collection tomorrow. We went first to a small church several kilometers from our hotel.
Children performing during the church service
We received a warm welcome and brought gifts of delicious Kericho tea for all of the mothers in the congregation to celebrate Mothers’ Day. To our surprise, we were, as visitors, expected to perform a song for the eager congregation. Luckily, Dr Kiš proved to be a talented pianist and we were able to wing, as it were. While it was certainly not the most impressive of performances, the congregation was very generous in their reception.
Beatrice and Dr Kiš speaking to the congregation. Dr Kiš was unexpectedly asked to deliver a brief message for the children in the congregation
We might have thought at this point that our part to play in the service was over, but we were soon invited by the church patron to participate in an energetic dance performance with the church choir, resulting in a great deal of mirth amongst the rest of the congregation. As the service concluded, we said our goodbyes and headed out to our next stop before lunch.
Our next stop was at a local dairy farm owned and operated by friends of Beatrice. While we have seen livestock roaming frequently throughout our travels so far, it was fascinating to learn more about the roles these animals play in the community.
Samuelle finally got to realize her dream of meeting a baby cow
Dr Kis, Sean, Samuelle, myself, and Beatrice at the farm
After leaving the farm, Beatrice brought us for lunch to the home of another of her friends where we enjoyed tasting homecooked local dishes including mursik, a yogurt-like dessert made from fermented milk. After another cup of the locally grown tea, we returned to our hotel hoping to get some sleep before we begin our data collection tomorrow morning.
Our driver, Peter, has accompanied us throughout our travels, kept us safe on the sometimes traffic-heavy roads, and offered all manner of fascinating insights into the communities we’ve visited so far. It has been a pleasure getting to know him over the last couple of days and we are very grateful to him for the essential role that he plays in our team.
After departing yesterday, Eric, Scott, and Leizl made the long drive back to Nairobi today to catch their flight to Rwanda. We wish them well as they go to visit several of the projects there that Scott has supported over the years and we’re looking forward to regrouping with Eric later this week!
Eric’s Blog
It was a long day. Scott Leizl and I left for Nairobi for our flight to Rwanda. On the way stopped at the Chesinende clinic that is under construction. It is coming along well.
Lawrence, our project manager is doing a good job of keeping it going
After the inspection Lawrence drove us to the airport for our flight to Kigali, Rwanda.