Submitted by Health on Tue, 2012-11-06 16:36
- STORIES FROM MAAI MAHIU, KENYA -
Maai Mahiu is located in Naivasha District within the Rift Valley. The area is flat, surrounded by hills and since farming is scarce, the majority of the landscape consists of cactus and Maasai Manyattas (huts). On November 3rd Emily Wairimu from the CTC Health Department and I learned many new things as we toured the town in efforts to further explore CTC Kenya culture. First, we visited the family of 34-year-old Parsimei Molo and 30-year-old wife, Segeiyan Molo. Segeiyan is living with Cancer in her leg and has been in and out of many hospitals such as Naivasha, Narok, Kijabe and St Mary’s. Parsimei is a watchman at a local water source, so the majority of his small earnings go to hospital bills for Segeiyan. The family also has 5 children with the youngest, Enashipai, being very close to Dad.
Rebecca who is adored by all her family members explains how painful life has been for her since she has become a pillar of support for her in-laws since Parsimei’s mother died several years back. Rebecca’s story is one of encouragement and hope where there is support beyond chronic illness. Parsimei has also overcome the cultural barriers and has proved to be an unshakable pillar of support to his wife. Through his unwavering support for his family, Parsimei verifies that the fire needs to be kept burning.
On our next stop, we met some faithful churchgoers. The three elderly photographed are totally blind. Within the elderly, the number of people with failing sight is increasing daily. There are also many elderly people in the community caring for orphaned or vulnerable children. After meeting with them, we visited 30-year-old Pioon Ngamasiai, who is one of five wives in a polygamous marriage. She is also a Cancer victim and has a 9-year-old daughter, Mariniua, who seems to have retarded growth.
This is an area of health that needs a lot more support within the Rift Valley. However, it is always uplifting when a community finds a way to keep optimism high even in the face of such serious circumstances. All in all, we are very grateful for the progress that has been made with Cancer research.
Blog By:
Liz Josiah, CTC Kenya Malaika Mums Coordinator
