Day 286 - The Rains and the Walk for Water

Well thanks be to God. It rained all that night and the next morning. A true answer to prayer. Some of our hosts were beginning to think that these "white men" visitors had some sort of direct line to the Lord himself. The crops would be saved. The water butts (huge things) were filling up again.

For breakfast, we were taught how to milk the cattle. Some of us were more able than others.

We then set off to do the walk for water. This is a 7 klm round trip, which Eunice and her family had to do everyday of their lives until quite recently, when a local water well was installed at the side of their farm. 

The day was hot and steamy after the rains and the going was soft under foot. Eunice told us how they would have to make this trip before school every day and that the weight of the container on her back when she was so young, had damaged her spine.

The water source was just small pool under a large rock but it had provided water for the family and others in the community, for years and years. The fact that it was muddy was of no consequence. It was drinkable.

We trudged through the mud on our mission, each of us carrying our empty containers. This was the easy bit. Here we are leaving the compound and on our way.

At the spring we filled our water containers and discovered just how heavy they now were. The trip back was harder work. The boys stuck at it for a while at least but Mum ended up carrying Sammy's in the end. I managed to haul my 10 litre container the whole way. We arrived back hot and damp.

And then it was time to leave. The whole extended family gathered to see us off and I was presented with a goat. I left it with them and asked them to look after it for me.

On the way back, we stopped off in Nairobi to see the new house that Kevin and Enunice were having built for themselves. And to think that they started off in mud huts ...