Africa…the very name conjures up images of jungles, deserts and wild animals...and a more primal perspective of life. I have travelled extensively but for some reason the so-called Dark Continent was never in my view as a place I would visit. No reason why, other than it just seemed so distant and different. Yet in 2009 I would indeed be visiting Africa. Looking back I scarcely believe I was there, yet my short stay left an indelible mark on me, in ways I never imagined.
It started in Spring of 2009, during a conversation with a friend and professional associate. James (I call him Jim) is a designer, has at times been a pastor and in that role is involved with Open Arms International. Our friendship goes back almost 20 years. OAI operates, among other things, an orphanage in Eldoret, Kenya and a lunch/school program for children in an Eldoret slum. During a conversation Jim asked if I could help him with some designs he was working on for new quarters at the orphanage…the hook was being dangled.
In the course of the professional aspect of our relationship, I noted whatever money I earned on his projects went to new photographic equipment. Jim mentioned how wonderful it would be if I could accompany him on one of his trips to take photos he could use for future trips and potential fund-raising. I could feel the tug of the line as he gently pulled the rod back… the hook was being set.
This would not be a typical trip for him, but more of an exploratory one to look at future opportunities to help OAI as well as a school located in a slum on the outskirts of Nairobi. I’m not sure how Jim became connected with the latter, but I do know he is very creative in his connections…a “fisher of men”, so to speak. My presence was as a photographer and to see where my engineering expertise could be used.
There were five of us who went – Matt is another friend of Jim’s and has been involved in outreach to Native Americans in the western US. He was interested in similar activities towards indigenous peoples of Africa, and his own heritage came from Kenya as well. (His uncanny resemblance to Barack Obama didn’t hurt us either!). Rounding out our team were Auna and Cory, two young people who were also acquainted with Jim and planned to spend a month in Eldoret, working at a school affiliated with OAI and part of Jim’s growing network of connections.
So we did indeed visit and meet with people doing amazing things, but we played as well. Jim, in his previous dozen or more trips to Africa over the past seven years, had never gone on a safari…and so we did. I want to say that was perhaps the most memorable aspect, but as amazing as it was, I think it was the opportunity to experience the joy people feel despite abject poverty and making do without the things we take for granted in our western culture. Things like clean water, safety (both in terms of wildlife and crime), roads without potholes, and clean air. Seeing into the soul of a child in his or her eyes is an image that will at once haunt me and fill me with humility.
Enjoy the photos.
