Workshop with the Elders

I did not have a very good night in Lowa. I was scared of every small noise because I didn’t know what kind of animal it could be (maybe a fly, a cockroach, bats or something else) so I couldn’t have a peaceful night, even if I was sleeping in a bed. I’m wondering how the women here can sleep well on the floor!! Additionally, I couldn’t eat anything. The women cooked rice, potatoes and hen. Yes, I know, I’m in Africa but I have to be very careful with the water and the food.

We started our day going to each mayata telling the women we were going to celebrate de word of God first and then we were going to have a workshop. But we didn’t have any breakfast. So in the middle of the village I started feeling dizzy. I guess it was also because of the smell of animal poo mixed with all the different smells of the village. So I went back to the small school (small because I just saw 1 classroom). On my way back I saw a group of men, the elders, discussing the security problems they are having. The situation is that people from another tribe called Turkana are stealing animals. In Baragoi, a small city close to Barsaloi,  the Turkana and Samburu have been recently fighting and 12 people have died. However, the Fathers and Sisters say that some people from the government are involved and that they are the one who are stealing, while the people blame it on the other tribe. All this happens with the help of the elders, who receive some animals for their collaboration. Corruption!!!

Anyway, we started our mass celebration and later the workshop. Today my workshop was about HIV. The government dispensary gave me free condoms that I gave out today. I also gave out some clothes that I brought from Miami for each correct answer the group gave me about HIV prevention. The women were very traditional with their neklaces, this is the way to distinguish them. However, they knew some basic things about HIV. But to the question: “how to prevent it?” some of them still answer “By being faithful and abstaining from sex”. However, others mentioned the condom!! But I can still see some resistance. Also, in the dispensary they didn’t have the female condom so I had to explain how to use the male condom. This is a problem because the women have to wait for the men’s agreement to use one, and in this macho culture that is not easy.

Before finishing, the elders came and joined us in the classroom. It was a big surprise for everybody. In this culture it is not very common that a woman speaks to or teaches the elders. My translator was happily surprised when they joined us!!. Unfortunately when they arrived the women started leaving. Men and women can’t be together in this culture. I had to start again. They were very interested in the topic and just like the women, some had more knowledge than others. This was the case of the Lowa chief, who was the one who explained them how to use a condom. After the workshop everyone there was very excited, and they all asked for more than one condom.

Going back to Barsaloi, it was raining a lot and the route was not the good one. The car got stuck again in the mud but this time there weren’t any men close by to help us. However, we cleared the route and managed to push the car out ourselves and we got out of there. Please see the pictures of this experience.

The car on the way back to Barsaloi. Look at the road!!!