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Your purchase of these photos will help needy children in Kenya.

All but five were shot in places where tourists seldom, if ever, go – Loyangalani on the south east shore of Lake Turkana, Isiolo, Meru, Nanyuki, Kitui, Kitali and Nambale. The Samburu dancers and the animals were photographed in Samburu, Buffao Springs, Meru and Tsavo East National Parks, where tourists do go on safari.

We pray that these photographs will help you to understand what life in Kenya is like for many women and children.

Click here for purchase information. Click on thumbnails to see larger images and stories behind the photos.
Images copyright © 2009 by Marilyn Parker. All rights reserved.

Loyangalani, beside Lake Turkana, is hot, dry and windy – and there’s very little vegetation. The soil is too alkaline to grow food. There is a hot spring however, so everyone has water, which is often carried a mile or more by women and children to their homes.

The Turkana people near Isiolo still live in traditional dung and thatched huts - just as others of their tribe do on the shores of Lake Turkana. And the women still love to dress traditionally - with lots of color – so they do stand out in their dry, desert-like communities.

Polygamy is illegal in Kenya – however, traditional ways still exist – and some Samburu men, if they can afford them, have several wives. Girls, who are 9 or 10 years, are sometimes sold for a couple of goats – often to a much older man, who may already have a wife - or maybe two.

Home to a Pastoralist

The Samburu people move with their goats to wherever there is something for them to eat. So their homes are temporary huts – this one is made of goat skins. They are used mostly just for sleeping in during the night – and for some protection from wild animals and the rain.

Traditional and Western Dress

Mosaretu Tourist Camp in Loyangalani is run by a cooperative of eighty women from four tribes (Moro, Samburu, Rendilli and Turkana). Several of the women were extras in “The Constant Gardener”, part of which was filmed in Loyangalani. They are striking in their traditional dress with lots of beaded jewelry. But some prefer Western dress.

Girls and boys at St. John Bosco Children's Centre learn how to take care of themselves. They do their own laundry, and are assigned chores, like cleaning sidewalks.

Cleanliness is Next to Godliness

Cecilia lives in St. John Bosco Children's Centre in Kitali, after being rescued from the streets. She is Turkana – and her family moved to Kitali from the Lake Turkana area because of many years of drought up there. Her parents don’t own any land - and their only livelihood comes from causal labor jobs so they didn’t have the money to send her to school. She is happy to have water and soap to keep herself neat and clean for school.

Milicent looks like she’s flying. She is very happy to be living at St. John Bosco Children's Centre in Kitali and to be going to school. All the school kids in Kenya get their heads shaved or their hair cut very short every three months during the school breaks. This just makes it so much easier for them to keep their heads clean and free of lice.

"Look – I can do It!"

We know that Sharon at St. John Bosco Children’s Centre is from Western Kenya because all the young girls there learn at a very young age to carry things, even basins of water, on their heads – just as all the women there do.

Daisy is HIV+ and small for her age but very energetic. She was cared for at St. John Bosco Children's Centre for two years before moving to a special home with other HIV+ children.

Girls watched with wonder and with wistful hearts as ground was broken for the Nambale Magnet School, which opened in January 2009.

Mercy’s cucu, which means grandma in Kimeru, lives in the foothills of MT. Kenya on two acres of land which support her and her two sons’ families. They have a couple of cows and some chickens, and they grow maize and beans. A well in a village several kilometers away is their only source of water when it doesn’t rain.

Grandmothers in pastoralist communities are often the chief caretakers of babies and young children while their parents are often off somewhere with their goat herds seeking something for them to eat.

Nearly Blind and Still Weaving

Although this grandmother in Nyumbani Children’s Village in Kitui is nearly blind, she still weaves baskets which are sold to help support the children.

Under the Umbrella Tree

This huge, gnarled acacia tree may be several hundred years old. It’s in the mirra growing area northeast of Meru and MT. Kenya. Some people here make lots of money growing and selling mirra but it is not being used to improve the local primary school which is in really sad shape.

Going Somewhere Fast

A Samburu boy is off and running – perhaps after a ball made with bits of string and plastic bags. The young goat and dog are not bothered one bit. So many children in Kenya enjoy themselves with no toys except the ones they themselves make.

Francis lives near Naro Moru, in the shadow of MT. Kenya. His grandfather died 7 years ago of AIDS – and his grandmother is HIV+ Thankfully, he and his parents and an aunt and an uncle are not positive so he will have family to care for him as he grows ++older.

"Taste – It’s Good."

A child feeds another – not her brother, but a cousin who lives close by in the same family compound. Ugali, made with maize meal, and rice and beans are staple foods for most children in Kenya. And if they are lucky, they have these same foods every day, and they are healthy. Many children do not have three meals a day – ever.

Cecilia and her younger sister are all dressed up in their "Sunday Best." They live in one room with their mother and two other sisters – in what used to be a pig sty. The roof is full of holes so when it rains, everything inside gets wet.

Samburu School Girls

Girls will be girls – if they have a chance to go to school. But if they are married off at age 10 or so, their young lives are no longer fun. They may spend their days carrying jerry cans of water on their heads and loads of firewood on their backs – and in their early teens, babies on their backs.

A young woman, dressed in her finery, as tourists see her doing a traditional dance at the Serena Lodge in Buffalo Springs National Park, just north of Isiolo.

A newborn baby elephant, just a few hours old, is being protected from predators by its mother and the rest of the herd.

Lucy lives in Meru National Park - and she has taken to humans who stay in the bandas and offer her salt from their palms. She has lost her fear of people – but not of lions and cheetahs, we hope.

A female youngster is out with her mother and three sisters in Tsavo East National Park – just waiting by a waterhole and watching an ostrich off in the distance.

Traditionally, the young Samburu man who dances the best (and maybe the longest) and jumps the highest, gets the girl of his choice.

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Your purchase of these photos will help needy children in Kenya. All but five were shot in places where tourists seldom, if ever, go – Loyangalani on the south east shore of Lake Turkana, Isiolo, Meru, Nanyuki, Kitui, Kitali and Nambale. The Samburu dancers and the animals were photographed in Samburu, Buffao Springs, Meru and Tsavo East National Parks, where tourists do go on safari. We pray that these photographs will help you to understand what life in Kenya is like for many women and children.
Click here for purchase information. Click on thumbnails to see larger images and stories behind the photos. Images copyright © 2009 by Marilyn Parker. All rights reserved.



© 2009 Water is Life Loyangalani, beside Lake Turkana, is hot, dry and windy – and there’s very little vegetation. The soil is too alkaline to grow food. There is a hot spring however, so everyone has water, which is often carried a mile or more by women and children to their homes. return

© 2009 Turkana Homes The Turkana people near Isiolo still live in traditional dung and thatched huts - just as others of their tribe do on the shores of Lake Turkana. And the women still love to dress traditionally - with lots of color – so they do stand out in their dry, desert-like communities. return

© 2009 Three Wives Polygamy is illegal in Kenya – however, traditional ways still exist – and some Samburu men, if they can afford them, have several wives. Girls, who are 9 or 10 years, are sometimes sold for a couple of goats – often to a much older man, who may already have a wife - or maybe two. return

© 2009 Home to a Pastoralist The Samburu people move with their goats to wherever there is something for them to eat. So their homes are temporary huts – this one is made of goat skins. They are used mostly just for sleeping in during the night – and for some protection from wild animals and the rain. return

© 2009 Traditional and Western Dress Mosaretu Tourist Camp in Loyangalani is run by a cooperative of eighty women from four tribes (Moro, Samburu, Rendilli and Turkana). Several of the women were extras in “The Constant Gardener”, part of which was filmed in Loyangalani. They are striking in their traditional dress with lots of beaded jewelry. But some prefer Western dress. return

© 2009 Double Duty Girls and boys at St. John Bosco Children's Centre learn how to take care of themselves. They do their own laundry, and are assigned chores, like cleaning sidewalks. return

© 2009 Cleanliness is Next to Godliness Cecilia lives in St. John Bosco Children's Centre in Kitali, after being rescued from the streets. She is Turkana – and her family moved to Kitali from the Lake Turkana area because of many years of drought up there. Her parents don’t own any land - and their only livelihood comes from causal labor jobs so they didn’t have the money to send her to school. She is happy to have water and soap to keep herself neat and clean for school. return

© 2009 Jumping for Joy Milicent looks like she’s flying. She is very happy to be living at St. John Bosco Children's Centre in Kitali and to be going to school. All the school kids in Kenya get their heads shaved or their hair cut very short every three months during the school breaks. This just makes it so much easier for them to keep their heads clean and free of lice. return

© 2009 "Look – I can do It!" We know that Sharon at St. John Bosco Children’s Centre is from Western Kenya because all the young girls there learn at a very young age to carry things, even basins of water, on their heads – just as all the women there do. return

© 2009 Hula Hooping Daisy Daisy is HIV+ and small for her age but very energetic. She was cared for at St. John Bosco Children's Centre for two years before moving to a special home with other HIV+ children. return

© 2009 Outside Looking In Girls watched with wonder and with wistful hearts as ground was broken for the Nambale Magnet School, which opened in January 2009. return

© 2009 Mercy's Grandmother Mercy’s cucu, which means grandma in Kimeru, lives in the foothills of MT. Kenya on two acres of land which support her and her two sons’ families. They have a couple of cows and some chickens, and they grow maize and beans. A well in a village several kilometers away is their only source of water when it doesn’t rain. return

© 2009 Samburu Grandmother Grandmothers in pastoralist communities are often the chief caretakers of babies and young children while their parents are often off somewhere with their goat herds seeking something for them to eat. return

© 2009 Nearly Blind and Still Weaving Although this grandmother in Nyumbani Children’s Village in Kitui is nearly blind, she still weaves baskets which are sold to help support the children. return

© 2009 Under the Umbrella Tree This huge, gnarled acacia tree may be several hundred years old. It’s in the mirra growing area northeast of Meru and MT. Kenya. Some people here make lots of money growing and selling mirra but it is not being used to improve the local primary school which is in really sad shape. return

© 2009 Going Somewhere Fast A Samburu boy is off and running – perhaps after a ball made with bits of string and plastic bags. The young goat and dog are not bothered one bit. So many children in Kenya enjoy themselves with no toys except the ones they themselves make. return

© 2009 "What's Happening?" Francis lives near Naro Moru, in the shadow of MT. Kenya. His grandfather died 7 years ago of AIDS – and his grandmother is HIV+ Thankfully, he and his parents and an aunt and an uncle are not positive so he will have family to care for him as he grows ++older. return

© 2009 "Taste – It’s Good." A child feeds another – not her brother, but a cousin who lives close by in the same family compound. Ugali, made with maize meal, and rice and beans are staple foods for most children in Kenya. And if they are lucky, they have these same foods every day, and they are healthy. Many children do not have three meals a day – ever. return

© 2009 Pretty as a Picture Cecilia and her younger sister are all dressed up in their "Sunday Best." They live in one room with their mother and two other sisters – in what used to be a pig sty. The roof is full of holes so when it rains, everything inside gets wet. return

© 2009 Samburu School Girls Girls will be girls – if they have a chance to go to school. But if they are married off at age 10 or so, their young lives are no longer fun. They may spend their days carrying jerry cans of water on their heads and loads of firewood on their backs – and in their early teens, babies on their backs. return

© 2009 Samburu Dancer A young woman, dressed in her finery, as tourists see her doing a traditional dance at the Serena Lodge in Buffalo Springs National Park, just north of Isiolo. return

© 2009 Welcome to the Herd A newborn baby elephant, just a few hours old, is being protected from predators by its mother and the rest of the herd. return

© 2009 Our Friend Lucy Lucy lives in Meru National Park - and she has taken to humans who stay in the bandas and offer her salt from their palms. She has lost her fear of people – but not of lions and cheetahs, we hope. return

© 2009 Lioness in Training A female youngster is out with her mother and three sisters in Tsavo East National Park – just waiting by a waterhole and watching an ostrich off in the distance. return

© 2009 Samburu Warrior Traditionally, the young Samburu man who dances the best (and maybe the longest) and jumps the highest, gets the girl of his choice. return