Mwanzo Mwema: A Good Start

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It's been two weeks since I first arrived in Kenya and the verse that keeps repeating in my mind is David’s prayer of thanksgiving:  "Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far?” (1 Chronicles 17:16). 

In the short two weeks that I've been here I’ve experienced and learnt so much. I've met and conversed with people who have inspired me. I've felt the heartbreak of listening to village members talk about their daily struggles. I've begun to experience development work first-hand. I've felt the comfort of being back in a culture where life is simple and slow.

My soul is filled with gratitude.

My second week was spent in the Taita Taveta district, a region close to the eastern coast of Kenya and a six-hour drive from Nairobi. I went with three wonderful World Renew staff who have been working on an integrated maternal, neonatal and child health (MNCH) and food security project. The project is called 'Mwanzo Mwema', meaning 'a good start' in Swahili, and was started a year ago.

Alongside members of the partner organization, we visited nine different areas in the district and held various focus group discussions (FGD) and interviews with the men, women, village elders, facility nurses, and extension officers from the communities. The feedback we recieved showed the team where the gaps in the program lay and how the project could be improved. 

An FGD with mothers of babies under 6 months

An FGD with women who are involved in the food security training

Some of the communities were in very remote areas. On one of our visits, we had to drive through the tumultuous, dusty roads of two game parks in order to reach our target community. As we passed by herds of elephants and giraffes, I witnessed the immense creativity of God. My writing cannot do justice to the vast, rolling hills of the savanna that we drove through. Each community we met was another marvel. The tall and majestic Masai men - their bodies adorned with colorful beaded jewelry. The mothers holding their babies carefully wrapped in beautifully printed cloth. 

An FGD with some Masai mothers 

As the days went by, I realized that you can't just teach a community how to fish without showing them where the water is. So many of the women we met were trying desperately to exclusively breastfeed their babies. They understood the health benefits...what mother doesn't want the best for their child? But I soon learnt that the problem is much bigger than just educating the women about health. How are you meant to breastfeed your baby when you yourself don't have any food to eat; when there is no milk being produced because you had to skip a few meals?

Our daily route

As I woke up at the crack of dawn each day, drove along the brick-red roads, waited for the community members to congregate (three hours past the designated meeting time), and sat in on discussions where community members shared their challenges, I realized just how community-focused a project has to be in order to make a difference. Sure, you could walk into a community and make a list of things that are lacking and fill those needs. For a while, it may even appear that you are helping them. But at the end of the day, if you don't sit down with the community and ask them what their hopes and fears are...you're not going to be making much of an impact.

I've observed that the first three skills a community development worker must hone are patience, a listening ear, and relationship-building. Empowering a community takes time, often years. And it can't happen without genuine love and care. 

Masai men 

"A healthy social life is found only, when in the mirror of each soul the whole community finds its reflection, and when in the whole community the virtue of each one is living." -Rudolf Steiner