Sorry for the late update. As you can imagine, internet connectivity in northern Kenya can be spotty. We had to pay by the MB and didn’t want to impose on our hosts, so we held off on an update. Now we’re in Nairobi and have good, fast, unlimited access to internet.

The Turkana area is in northern Kenya. The largest city in the Turkana area is called Lodwar, and that is where Kristy and I settled for a few days. Lodwar happens to be three degrees north of the equator and is unbelievably dry. It is a true desert.

Lodwar is bustling with activity. Many NGOs operate there. We saw plenty of bush vehicles zooming around with World Vision, OxFam and Solidarites logos plastered on the side. Many 10 wheelers and large dual trailer trucks are headed north for the Sudan with construction supplies, relief food and workers piled aboard. Supplies head north to support the huge UN refugee camps holding people from Somalia and the Sudan.

Our hosts, Gene and Melba Morden, have worked with the Turkana people for nearly 15 years. They are living in Lodwar, but they lived in the bush, about 3 hours away by Land Cruiser, for many years. They are passionate about providing clean water.

Kenya is currently suffering from a severe drought. The Turkana area hasn’t seen rain since November 2008. Before that it rained in August 2007. The land is dry, nothing is growing, and life is hard. Gene and Melba are working on irrigation and agriculture projects to support the Turkana people. Their work consists of installing a farm, installing a well, and training the Turkana on farming and agriculture practices. The people then have food to eat, share and sell as well as clean water to drink. They instill a sense of ownership and require the villagers to work to sustain their farm.

The issues in Turkana revolve around the speed by which a water system can be installed. Sustainability of systems is also important – the environment is harsh and equipment fails regularly. The groundwater in some areas is contaminated with high levels of fluoride, leading to dental and skeletal fluorosis as well as decreased crop production. The problems are many.

We will work with the Mordens and their team to develop engineered solutions to these problems. If you are interested, please contact me.

During our stay in the Turkana area we fell in love with the culture and the people. The Turkana are resilient and their strength is admirable. Their culture is vibrant and the people are friendly and open. We were able to travel to many villages in the bush where water and farming projects are underway as well as a couple of projects that are just getting off the ground. The work is slow and tedious, but the Mordens and the Turkana are presistent.

The bush nights are amazing. We had the only lights within 100 miles, and when we turned them off we could see more stars than you can imagine. It is truly impossible to explain.

We were also lucky enough to visit Lake Turkana, where we waded in the warm waters, saw herds of camels drinking, and saw flocks of flamingos drinking and eating. This lake is untouched, beautiful and incredibly remote.

We will be back to Lodwar to help the Turkana people. Until then we will pray hard for rain, work hard for a solution, and pray hard for the Turkana people.

Enjoy some photos of our time there!

Bush Sunrise

Farm Project

Animal Watering Hole - unsafe to drink

Dry River Bed

Hand Pumped Well

Hand Dug Irrigation Well - in progress

Traditional Turkana Women

Traditional Turkana Women

Traditional Turkana Man

Dry River Valley - there is no surface water. only the deeply rooted trees are green.

We came across a broken down lorry in the bush. We shared our water with the thirsty people waiting in the hot sun.

This lush, well water irrigated farm can feed an entire village.