Kenya in Pictures

On Tuesday evening at Sundance Bookstore, Reno Gazette Journal Photographer Candice Towell presented her breath taking photos of her month long stay in two Kenyan villages. As written by Kristin Larsen in a previous blog, Lifewater International, the Maasai American Organization, and International Development Missions recruited Towell to document the remote villages in southwest Kenya. She stayed in two distinct villages: Rabondo and Megwarra.

Her slide show had a huge turnout, not enough chairs were available for the curious viewers. Candice brought photo prints for sale along with hundreds of beautiful hand made jewelry and art from the Luo tribe of Rabondo and the Maasai of Megwarra. All proceeds for the jewelry and pictures went towards a fundraiser to help the communities with social skills, clean water, technology, and educating the young girls.

Candice was in Kenya for over a month, taking pictures and practically living and breathing the culture and lifestyle of these remarkable people.

The Rabondo Community project was founded by Timon Bondo, known as "“the Godfather of Rabondo".
Timon has dedicated his life to helping Rabondo by bringing higher quality of education. He left Rabondo in the mid 1960s in search for a better life but returned years later to help his home village. He returns 60 days out of the year to hold meetings and progressively better the community.

Here'’s an excert from Candice'’s story:

"Today he (Timon) resides in Minneapolis, and in 1996 he became a U.S. citizen. About 10 years after settling into the comforts of the American lifestyle, he made a return trip to Rabondo.

"“I had let myself think that things would be better" he said, “but they were in terrible shape and I thought I cannot leave this as it is." He didn'’t. He returns at least once a year.

In 1998, he founded the Rabondo Community Project. He raised $150,000 and used most of it to build a secondary school. The students and faculty named the school St. Timon'’s Secondary School in honor of him. It opened two years ago and is the nicest building in the village, even though it lacks doors, glass in the windows, electricity, water and plumbing.

Prior to Timon’s help, Rabondo residents didn’t go to secondary school because there wasn't one."

Candice's pictures are heart warming as well as heart breaking. She visited the schools that were illuminated only by the light outside. The children were eager to learn; the girls all sat in the front remaining completely quite. Candice said that the girls were less educated than the boys but sat in the desperately wanting to learn.

She visited the village's dispensary where many pregnant women and other sick patients lay waiting for help. Babies died quite often from malnutrition and many more from tuberculosis, HIV and AIDS. Many have blisters near their mouths due to HIV. Many of the children had small growth of red hair on top of their brown and black curls and bloated bellies resulting from malnutrition. The eyes of the elderly were turning blue from glaucoma. There is no doctor in Rabondo, only volunteers.

Although it is not easy to give money to individuals in the villages because hundreds more will beg, Candice does help out one thirteen-year-old boy in particular Kenedy. Kenedy, according to Candice, was a sweet boy who followed her and her group around. Unfortunately he suffers from epilepsy and has about 4 seizures a day, sometimes up to 30 minutes each.

From Candice's story:
"Kenedy’s family cannot afford the medication he needs because a month’s supply costs $25 — about twice the average monthly income in Rabondo. And he can’t attend school because the floors are cement and the risk of head injury is too great.

So he spends his days helping his mother in the field and around the home. His older brother, Danish, 17, attends St. Timon’s Secondary School and teaches Kenedy new things he has learned."

Candice felt so much for this boy that she actually pays for his medication. He is currently doing much better thanks to her efforts.

There is so much more from her amazing story and you can read her award winning story here at RGJ.com
Her efforts have influence me to want to travel to Kenya maybe this summer and do my part as well. I have always been fascinated with Africa and I think it would be good for me to help them as much as I can.

Please visit Candice's photo gallery for more pictures of Robondo and other fantasic photos.

"I think of the people often and worry about their future. But through all of the suffering I witnessed, there was hope. The hope is rooted in the idea that — in this village at least — good souls are slowly, steadily progressing through education and good will."
-Candice Towell


More Links from Kristin's blog:

Her photographs have been published by numerous publications including World News and U.S. News, and Stern Magazine. She has earned regional and national awards. See Towell’s photographs and learn more about Rabondo in the premiere issue of NEED magazine this October: www.needmagazine.com

For more information about Candice Towell visit: www.ctowellphotos.com

Or read her award-winning photo essay, Inside Rabondo, on the web: www.rgj.com/news/stories/html/2004/05/15/70860.php

For more information about the NGOs, Rabondo and Megwarra visit: www.rabondocommunity.org, www.maasaiamerican.org, www.lifewater.org or www.intdevmissions.org