My original reason for going to Kenya was a self indulgent, luxury Safari holiday; paid for by an insurance payment from a road traffic accident in which I was injured. My intention was to actually experience some of the things that Simon King and Sir David Attenborough bring to our TV screens. Yes I did see the "BIG FIVE" and lots more, Leopard, Hippo, Crocs etc.
The second week was supposed to be a recovery time from the battering suffered going over very deeply rutted nearly non existent roads. Instead I found myself in a hotel full of Europeans eating too much and wallowing like Hippo in the pool only coming out to drink even more free alcohol. While this happens less than 400 yards away a village was waiting for a water truck to deliver water that was not a clean as that which was being sprayed on hotel lawns!
I went out and sat with these wonderful people. Why wonderful? What else can you call someone who sees a large, overweight, sweating Englishman and despite their own shortage of everything, offer a drink of their precious water, insisting that I have pre boiled water, as theirs might give me a bad stomach! They made me feel extremely humble and ashamed.
These were the people I was warned were dangerous and would cheat or rob me etc. This warning came from their own people who had jobs in the hotel thus status; how easily and quickly we all forget where we came from. I spent the rest of my holiday in the village and met the children. Some to the naked eye of the tourist look reasonably healthy as they scavenge for fruit, not so easy since an absent European business bought up the land with the mango trees for development. No building work is expected for years but the security fence and two patrolling guards deny access to the mango which now fall and rot on the ground while kids go hungry.
1 in 10 children are born with HIV/AIDS. Some suffer from Tuberculosis, and nearly all will at some time see family members die at a young age. Their Mothers, Fathers with all the will and love in the world cannot cope on their own hence the child suffers.
Many people have moved or been forced to move from their homes and now live in shanty towns. Searching for whatever means possible to survive. Sadly prostitution is a bread winner, thanks to the keen exploitation of “sex tourists”.
The family unit is broken, the Sisters, Cousins and Grandmothers are not there to take care of the kids when the mother takes ill or dies of HIV/ AIDS or other illness. The resulting orphaned children are left on the street to fend for themselves, and shunned for the fear of HIV, lack of money etc.
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