TURKANA DIARY 7 - John's story

John's village

Children and young adults well understand the benefit of going to school. In fact, whenever I went out for a walk in the village around the mission, young boys or girls approached me and told me that they were concerned that their families could not afford to pay the school fees. They were worried that they could not stay at school, and they may be forced to go back to village life. This would mean closing the only option they have to lead a better life. This is particularly heartbreaking when you learn their life stories. I heard some and they were very moving. One story that struck me a lot was John's.

John was a small shepherd when a missionary placed him in a boarding school and sponsored his fees. John is now 16 years old and is in grade 9. John's father died about five years ago and his mother lives with her two other children in a small village near Lobur, a village three hours' drive from Todonyang. Last time that John saw his mother was a year ago. Their village is too far away, and John cannot go and visit her, so they can't see each other. John was worried that the mission may not be able to keep him in school, and was also worried about his family, as they have little to live on.

During my stay, we had planned to visit the mission in Lobur, so, when we went there, we decided to take John with us. It was an occasion for John to see his family again, and an opportunity for us to better understand his situation. We took him to his mother's village and, when we arrived at his mother's place, I could see with my eyes the absolute poverty they live in. John's grandmother was cooking a bowl of seeds, and that was the only meal for the whole family.

John's house was a small hut with nothing in it, other than a mat and a couple of bowls. I could not believe my eyes. They really had nothing.

We then talked with John's mother, and she asked Fr Wycliffe, the missionary, to keep John in school and gave her permission to punish John if he did not behave! John's grandmother was busy cooking the seeds, and it was painful to see that this was the only food they had available.

So, we went to a small "shop" in a nearby village and bought maize flour, sugar and beans. John was happy, because he was able to give some food to his family. He spent the night at his mother's place, and I saw him the day after. He was grateful that he was able to visit, and I could then understand why John was so worried about his family. We later discussed John's situation with Fr Wycliffe and decided that we would do all we could to ensure that John can continue to attend school and be able to support his family.

LINKS

To sponsor a Turkana child, please visit: Children Sponsorship Programme

To contribute to Manlio's trip crowdfunding, please visit: Manlio for Turkana

To support New Ways, see: Fundraising - New Ways

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