Out of Africa: Part 6 – First Community Visits

On my recent trip to Africa, I disciplined myself to keep a daily journal of what transpired and how I felt about it. These entries are from that journal.

Saturday, October 22, 2005
Experience #1 - The Hidden Affects of HIV

After breakfast this morning we all piled into the Toyota four wheel drive vehicles and drove to spend the morning visiting four family units. We learned later in the day, that our presence could go a long way toward validating their work among the people and making things a bit smoother as this ADP (Area Development Project) moves to the second phase in this area. The roads in many places were almost non-existent. It was the roughest terrain you can imagine to drive a vehicle on. Because it rained the night before it was even worse. Our four wheel drive vehicles became stuck three or four times and took much effort to get them out or not turn them completely on their side due to the grade of the hill we were riding on.

All of the family units we visited are in the Kipsigi tribe. The Kipsigi are farmers unlike the Masai who are herdsmen. This means that they own and inherit land where in the Masai the land is communal. It is not owned by any individual. I learned very soon that there are good and bad things in this. The Biblical comparisons are uncanny. Only Kipsigi males can inherit land and they must be 18 to do so. As you continue to read notice how that comes into play in negative ways.

The first person we visited was Jonah. (Pictured in center fifth from the right.) Numerous folks here have a Biblical name in addition to their African name that we would have a hard time pronouncing! Jonah had two wives, both of whom died of AIDS-related illness. He is left with 14 children and grandchildren to care for. He is living positively (one of only 5 out of 50,000 in the entire ADP area who is doing so.) Currently he is only occasionally sick with minor infections. One goal is to remain healthy and live long enough for one of his male children to reach an age they can inherit what he has so no other family member could come and take it.

We walked into his round hut, which has a grass roof, mud walls, and dirt floor. It actually is a pretty cool piece of construction. It was full of the smell of smoke due to the fire inside it. It has one larger room that I estimate to be about 15 feet by ten feet. There was another room off to the side that was about ¼ that size. The opposite wall had one window. Imagine 15 people living in this space, while we complain we are cramped in our “small houses” with no storage. But I digress . . .

The second family was headed by Phillip Nyatich (22). He lives with his two brothers Jackson (16) and Kosmas (14). Their parents died of AIDS related illnesses about five years previously. Phillip is sole breadwinner; works when he can find it for 50-70 Ksh (Kenyan Shillings) per day (70 Ksh = $1). He often can't find work. It is likewise difficult to find or buy seed and plowing money. When he gets seed he often cannot cultivate his land. He has to rent a plow . . . you get the picture. They have no money, to pay for education. Primary school is free, secondary school must be paid for.(And we take for granted our education in the United States!! But again, I digress . . .) Phillip qualified for secondary school before his parents died but was unable to attend due to financial concerns.

When we asked Phillip his dreams he said, it was for his brothers to go to secondary school, study, get good jobs, and to have capital for livestock trading, and planting on his 2 acres.

Family number three was headed by Wesley (18). He lives with wife (16), younger sister (grade 5), brother (grade 3) and grandmother. His mother never married and later died of AIDS related illnesses, so when grandmother dies the land will pass to her son bypassing Wesley. They are for all practical purposes homeless. He works at a local mill for 30 Ksh/day. Everyone besides him and his wife must search for a place to sleep every night. He married early to find help in taking care of the family.

We asked him what we could pray for. He said that he will somehow be able to find land to care for his family. Remember, he is eighteen years old!!

The saddest story of all was our fourth visit. This young man was also named Wesley. He is 17. The entire community believes his father was the local source of HIV. They in turn blame him and his family for the sickness. They were, relatively speaking, wealthy. The two huts on the land are in disrepair because Wesley was forced to run away the stigma is so great. He had 2 younger sisters and a younger brother. They were taken in by far-away relatives and he has not seen them in many years. The next door relatives refuse to help him because of the stigma.

He lives with his uncle in a hotel that was once his father's and should belong to him. Do not even let your mind think of hotel the way we envision it here in the states. The rooms are about 6x8 with nothing but a wooden stick bed and a dirt floor. The uncle would owe him rent for the hotel so he trades the rent to be able to eat at the hotel. The primary use of a hotel in Kenya is to eat not stay overnight.

Simon Ole Masi said he has never seen anything exactly like this. A family is pretty well off but so shunned, they cannot even make use of what they have. For him to say this is a powerful statement since he has seen the devastating effects of the HIV stigma many times.

Fortunately the local headmaster at his school is understanding of his situation and has waived his secondary school fees up to this point. Wesley wants to become a doctor and work on a cure for AIDS. His best subject is biology – fits doesn’t it? - (normally scores around 700/1100). He stands to inherit the land that formerly was his father’s, but cannot if the uncle takes it. This very well may happen since Wesley is about to turn 18 and the uncle may see this as the time to move and take possession before Wesley is of age. Since the stigma and shunning is so strongly directed at this family the community would do little to make the uncle feel he is doing anything wrong.