Photo Mart

Your purchase of these photos will help some of the neediest of God’s children in Kenya to go to school.

Most of these photos were shot near Meru, where we lived with the local people, and near Isiolo and in Kitali, where tourists seldom, if ever, visit.

The wildlife photos were taken in some of Kenya’s National Parks – Meru, Amboselli and Tsavo East, where many tourists do go on safari.

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

Click here for purchase information. Click on thumbnails to see larger images and stories behind the photos.
Images copyright © 2010 by Marilyn Parker. All rights reserved.

'Look – I can do It!'

We know that Sharon at St. John Bosco Children’s Centre in Kitali 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 do.

He looks like a young man with a lot of potential, but he needs help. He lives near Isiolo – a semi-arid area of Kenya where not much grows because it seldom rains there. He is waiting patiently to get his uniform, which is being supplied by USAID. Without this help, he would not be in school.

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

A boy from Isiolo proudly show off his priced possession – an empty box. Most children in Kenya do not have toys of any kind – but they are pretty good at making things like cars with pieces of wire and balls with plastic bags and string.

“I Could Be A Model”

She is a tall and slender and beautiful teenager, but she has only a life of hardship to look forward to. A lot of girls like her in Kenya, are married off, often against their will, to much older men who may already have a wife, or two.

Going Somewhere Fast

A Samburu boy is running after a ball made of string and plastic bags – and his playground is shared with a goat and a dog . Many children in Kenya have only the toys they themselves make.

These Turkana children live in a camp in Kitali – and like so many children in Kenya, they do not get three meals a day. We know the boy is suffering from mal-nutrition - his red hair is the evidence of that. Without help, these kids won’t go to school – they will go to the streets to beg for food.

“What’s That?”

This little boy started crying an instant after his photo was taken because he was frightened by the bright light of the flash. He probably cries a lot too because he is hungry, and perhaps sick. Life for Samburu children in Kenya is tough – and they learn all about that at a very young age.

These Turkana boys and one girl near Isiolo, Kenya are waiting patiently to get their new school uniforms which are being provided by USAID and Ripples International. Without help, these children would not be in school.

“Hope is What We Need”

This mother, like all mothers in Kenya, wants hope for her child - especially if she is HIV+ and she doesn’t know how much longer she will live. She wants to know that someone cares about her – and that someone will care for her child when she is gone.

Covered in Dust but Mostly Healthy

These Turkana kids in Isiolo, Kenya look dirty, but the dust actually protects their skin. And they are well nourished because their families have goats and so they have milk to drink. They do however, have respiratory problems because of the many microscopic organisms carried by the dust.

Samburu School Girls

Girls in Isiolo, Kenya will be girls – but if they are married at age 10, their lives change. They spend their days carrying jerry cans of water on their heads - and firewood and babies on their backs.

“Taste – It’s Good.'"

A child feeds another – a cousin who lives next door in the family compound. Ugali, made with maize meal, is a staple food for most children in Kenya. And if they are fortunate, they have it every day, and they are healthy. Many children do not have more than one meal a day – ever.

Many Turkana women in Kenya are single moms – because their husbands have died, or the men in their lives just took off and left them to fend for themselves and to care for the children they had fathered. These women need support groups and small loans to start businesses, even if it’s only for seeds to plant so some of the food they grow can be sold.

This grandmother lives in the foothills of MT. Kenya, with her two sons’ families, on two acres of land. They have two cows and some chickens, and they grow maize.

Two grannies, a mother and a little girl – one family working together in Kitali, Kenya in a bead making project that provides some income for their livelihood.

Home is an Ivy Covered Hut

This Turkana mother and her son in Kitali, Kenya live in a hut made with sticks and plastic bags – in a maize field that does not belong to them. The boy goes to school with the help of St. John Bosco Children’s Centre.

Samburu women in Ngaramara, Kenya, wearing beaded collars and brightly colored finery, enjoy dancing as they wait patiently for maize, provided by USAID, to arrive.

This grandmother lives in a pastoralist community near Isiolo, Kenya. Like most grannies there, she is the chief caretaker of a baby while the parents are off somewhere with their herd of goats and sheep.

Turkana people near Isiolo, Kenya still live in traditional dung and thatched huts – just as they did on the shores of Lake Turkana. The women love to dress with lots of color, so they stand out in this dry, desert community.

Many Turkana guardians walk miles to get the maize from USAID for the children they are caring for. They gather near Isiolo, Kenya and enjoy each other’s company as they wait for the truck to arrive.

“Help me to Achieve my Dream”

Young women in Kenya all have dreams of a better future – but many of their lives are struggles to just survive. With the help of USAID and Ripples International, their lives are improved.

Elephants are not red – they only look that way in Tsavo East National Park in Kenya because the soil there is red, and elephants love to cover themselves with dust for protection against insects and the hot sun.

This beautiful bird in Western Kenya is long ways from its’ home in Uganda, where it is the national bird. Crowned cranes dance elaborately during courtship, with flapping and whacking movements. They date back to the fossil age, and they once existed in North America, but now are seen only in Africa.

Lucy lived in Meru National Park in Kenya - and she loved the people who stayed in the bandas and fed her handfuls of salt. She died a natural death recently of illness and old age.

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.

Photo Mart
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Your purchase of these photos will help some of the neediest of God’s children in Kenya to go to school. Most of these photos were shot near Meru, where we lived with the local people, and near Isiolo and in Kitali, where tourists seldom, if ever, visit. The wildlife photos were taken in some of Kenya’s National Parks – Meru, Amboselli and Tsavo East, where many tourists do go on safari. We pray that these images will help you to understand what life is like for many children, women and grandmothers in Kenya.
Click here for purchase information. Click on thumbnails to see larger images and stories behind the photos. Images copyright © 2010 by Marilyn Parker. All rights reserved.



© 2010 'Look – I can do It!' We know that Sharon at St. John Bosco Children’s Centre in Kitali 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 do. return

© 2010 'I’m Waiting' He looks like a young man with a lot of potential, but he needs help. He lives near Isiolo – a semi-arid area of Kenya where not much grows because it seldom rains there. He is waiting patiently to get his uniform, which is being supplied by USAID. Without this help, he would not be in school. return

© 2010 Pretty as a Picture Cecilia and her younger sister are all dressed up in their 'Sunday Best.' They live in one room in Kitali, Kenya, with their mother and two other sisters – in what used to be a colonial pig sty. The roof is full of holes so when it rains, everything inside gets wet. return

© 2010 My Only Toy A boy from Isiolo proudly show off his priced possession – an empty box. Most children in Kenya do not have toys of any kind – but they are pretty good at making things like cars with pieces of wire and balls with plastic bags and string. return

© 2010 “I Could Be A Model” She is a tall and slender and beautiful teenager, but she has only a life of hardship to look forward to. A lot of girls like her in Kenya, are married off, often against their will, to much older men who may already have a wife, or two. return

© 2010 Going Somewhere Fast A Samburu boy is running after a ball made of string and plastic bags – and his playground is shared with a goat and a dog . Many children in Kenya have only the toys they themselves make. return

© 2010 “We Are Hungry” These Turkana children live in a camp in Kitali – and like so many children in Kenya, they do not get three meals a day. We know the boy is suffering from mal-nutrition - his red hair is the evidence of that. Without help, these kids won’t go to school – they will go to the streets to beg for food. return

© 2010 “What’s That?” This little boy started crying an instant after his photo was taken because he was frightened by the bright light of the flash. He probably cries a lot too because he is hungry, and perhaps sick. Life for Samburu children in Kenya is tough – and they learn all about that at a very young age. return

© 2010 “Where’s my Mama?” This boy’s mother may be digging in someone’s shamba, while his grandmother cares for him. Many very old grandmothers in Kenya are looking after young children – sometimes because the mothers have died – and often because the mothers have had to go to far off places to find work of any kind. return

© 2010 Seven Little Boys These Turkana boys and one girl near Isiolo, Kenya are waiting patiently to get their new school uniforms which are being provided by USAID and Ripples International. Without help, these children would not be in school. return

© 2010 “Hope is What We Need” This mother, like all mothers in Kenya, wants hope for her child - especially if she is HIV+ and she doesn’t know how much longer she will live. She wants to know that someone cares about her – and that someone will care for her child when she is gone. return

© 2010 Covered in Dust but Mostly Healthy These Turkana kids in Isiolo, Kenya look dirty, but the dust actually protects their skin. And they are well nourished because their families have goats and so they have milk to drink. They do however, have respiratory problems because of the many microscopic organisms carried by the dust. return

© 2010 Samburu School Girls Girls in Isiolo, Kenya will be girls – but if they are married at age 10, their lives change. They spend their days carrying jerry cans of water on their heads - and firewood and babies on their backs. return

© 2010 “Taste – It’s Good.'" A child feeds another – a cousin who lives next door in the family compound. Ugali, made with maize meal, is a staple food for most children in Kenya. And if they are fortunate, they have it every day, and they are healthy. Many children do not have more than one meal a day – ever. return

© 2010 “We Need Help” Many Turkana women in Kenya are single moms – because their husbands have died, or the men in their lives just took off and left them to fend for themselves and to care for the children they had fathered. These women need support groups and small loans to start businesses, even if it’s only for seeds to plant so some of the food they grow can be sold. return

© 2010 Mercy's Cucu This grandmother lives in the foothills of MT. Kenya, with her two sons’ families, on two acres of land. They have two cows and some chickens, and they grow maize. return

© 2010 Four Generations Two grannies, a mother and a little girl – one family working together in Kitali, Kenya in a bead making project that provides some income for their livelihood. return

© 2010 Home is an Ivy Covered Hut This Turkana mother and her son in Kitali, Kenya live in a hut made with sticks and plastic bags – in a maize field that does not belong to them. The boy goes to school with the help of St. John Bosco Children’s Centre. return

© 2010 “Let’s Dance” Samburu women in Ngaramara, Kenya, wearing beaded collars and brightly colored finery, enjoy dancing as they wait patiently for maize, provided by USAID, to arrive. return

© 2010 Samburu Grandmother This grandmother lives in a pastoralist community near Isiolo, Kenya. Like most grannies there, she is the chief caretaker of a baby while the parents are off somewhere with their herd of goats and sheep. return

© 2010 Turkana Homes Turkana people near Isiolo, Kenya still live in traditional dung and thatched huts – just as they did on the shores of Lake Turkana. The women love to dress with lots of color, so they stand out in this dry, desert community. return

© 2010 Turkana Manyatta Many Turkana guardians walk miles to get the maize from USAID for the children they are caring for. They gather near Isiolo, Kenya and enjoy each other’s company as they wait for the truck to arrive. return

© 2010 “Help me to Achieve my Dream” Young women in Kenya all have dreams of a better future – but many of their lives are struggles to just survive. With the help of USAID and Ripples International, their lives are improved. return

© 2010 Young Red Elephant Elephants are not red – they only look that way in Tsavo East National Park in Kenya because the soil there is red, and elephants love to cover themselves with dust for protection against insects and the hot sun. return

© 2010 Grey Crowned Crane This beautiful bird in Western Kenya is long ways from its’ home in Uganda, where it is the national bird. Crowned cranes dance elaborately during courtship, with flapping and whacking movements. They date back to the fossil age, and they once existed in North America, but now are seen only in Africa. return

© 2010 Our Friend Lucy Lucy lived in Meru National Park in Kenya - and she loved the people who stayed in the bandas and fed her handfuls of salt. She died a natural death recently of illness and old age. return

© 2010 Simba 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