Lorugum Confirmation

John O'Donoghue and I had the opportunity to travel with a media team from Maryknoll to Lodwar. The media team was made up of three people all photographers and two of them produce a radio show, Voices of the World, for the Maryknoll Society (Fathers). They came to Kenya to focus on the ministries of the MK Fathers, Sisters, Lay Missioners as well as the famine in Kenya. We traveled to the Lodwar dioceses because that is one of the areas that is experiencing extreme drought in Kenya.

Lodwar is located in the north western part of Kenya in an arid area receiving less than ten inches of rain a year and is considered to be a hardship area. Unless you are located next to a river which holds water year round, nothing grows there. All food and supplies must be brought in. Very few people live in this area. The tribe that does is known as the Turkana. They are pastoralists raising cattle, goats and a few camels roaming wherever they can find food and water for their animals. They are a marginalized people being so far removed from major cities adn government services. Many of their children still do not have the opportunity to go to school. Women are able to earn some income from their beautiful woven baskets and mats.

You can see one of the dry riverbeds we crossed to get to Lorugum. When it rains they have terrible flash flooding as the soil can't hold any water. It is all sand.

This is a typical Turkana home built out of brush. As they are nomadic people it doesn't need to last long.

It was an insightful and interesting trip. On Sunday we had the opportunity to travel with Bishop Dominic Kimengich to celebrate confirmation at Lorugum, one of the outstations of the diocese. Bishop Kimengich has been bishop there for less than one year so this was the first time he had visited the parish. They were thrilled and he was warmly received. Bishop Kimengich is young, energetic and seems to be deeply aware of the needs of his people. You should have heard the excitement when he danced with the women at the end of the Mass. They danced all around the church celebrating together.

The Turkana still hold on to many of their traditional ways of life because they are so far removed from the rest of the country. Missionaries didn't even come into this area until the early 1960s! I loved the bright coloured clothing and jewelry.

After Mass we enjoyed lunch with the two different groups of nuns who work in Lorugum. They run a clinic and secondary school. Later that afternoon we visited Turkana Girls' Secondary School. While we were there we met with the Form IV

(seniors) girls. They were beginning their KCSE exams on Tuesday. We had a short assembly where all addressed them for a few minutes wishing them luck. The highlight was the Bishop blessing each and every girl regardless of religious beliefs. As he said, "You are all children of God and we want what is the very best for you."

As we returned to Lodwar we were greeted by these men on their way to some sort of celebration.

Click here for additional photos of this day.