A Ride Around Mombasa

Last week I rode on a ten-foot high camel! I've never ridden one before, and my first time could not have been in a more perfect setting: on a sun-lit beach looking out over the Indian Ocean. The only unpleasant part about the experience was when the camel knelt down to let me off at the end of the ride. I got jerked forward and back again, and I almost fell off! But I managed to hold onto the saddle, and so survived my first camel ride.

All this took place during a five-day trip to Mombasa on Kenya's east coast. I traveled there with three other co-workers from OAIC. The purpose of our journey was to visit several women and youth groups connected with our organization to see what they are doing on the ground.

Manusura Women's Group. "Manusura" translates to "survivors."

Going to Mombasa to do community development work rather than on a vacation really gave me a different perspective of the city, which is one of Kenya's major tourist destinations. The level of poverty I found in the slum areas was staggering next to the luxury of Mombasa's other areas. The rolling green hills around the city's perimeters, fancy hotels, and white sandy beaches did not fully cover up the destitution that many people who live there are facing. In the groups we visited, I heard stories about the 2007 post-election violence ravaging people's businesses and livelihoods. Young men and women in the youth groups described discovering they are HIV positive, and also being orphans having to raise their younger siblings alone.

Yet with these devastating stories there was also a feeling of hope in each group we visited. The members had come together to support one another and take action against the challenge's that poverty and destitution have placed before them. Many members of the women's groups had been able to reopen their businesses that had been so heavily impacted by the 2007-08 violence. Youth group members have also utilized their natural talents such as drama, acrobatics, dance, and singing to restrengthen their own confidence and engage with one another in a healthy, safe environment. This hope that I found in each member of the groups we visited is a testimony to the importance of community and the resilience of human beings in the face of utter desolation.

Meeting with one of the youth groups.

Some little girls in one of Mombasa's slum areas.

A private residence on Mombasa's coast

Although my trip to Mombasa might sound intense, this was not entirely the case. I had plenty of opportunity to enjoy the beautiful coastal city. Along with the camel ride, I took another ride in a sailboat out in the bay of a beautiful, palm-tree lined beach. I swam in the warm currents of the Indian ocean, and ate "nyama choma" (roasted meat) at restaurants around town. I admit that I did sweat quite a bit--Mombasa is about ten degrees hotter and more humid than Nairobi. The place actually reminded me a lot of West Africa, with an easy, laid-back feeling in the air that was a welcomed change from the hustle and bustle of Nairobi. Overall, the people I met, life-changing stories that I heard, and the unique experiences I had in Mombasa made the trip wonderful. I really look forward to traveling with OAIC to other parts of Kenya, and to other countries in Africa as well... and next up: Tanzania! Stay tuned.

Beatrice, one of my co-workers at OAIC, enjoying our sailboat ride.