Amazing Grace

Yes I went to the inauguration and yes it was an amazing event. So much has been written about it, and so many photos and video viewed, but I doubt people saw what I saw.

My friend C and I went as early as we could shake ourselves awake on Monday to pick up the tickets at the Russell Senate Building. The cold wasn’t really biting and the air had softness to it despite the temperature. The hawkers were everywhere selling Obamabilia. Laughter, smiles and stories were shared everywhere. On the Metro a man told me of his journey from Minnesota, an elderly black woman beaming said she had driven up with her family from Alabama, a young family with children were singing and dancing and laughing at the thought of a Black man in office. Everywhere we went people were happy, generous and kind. We were in a state of suspended animation.
When we arrived at the Senate we went into Senator Snowe’s office and were given the now infamous Blue Tickets. No one knew at the time what lay ahead of us. My daughter swooned over these tickets saying they were the best anyone had. C and I were totally pumped for Tuesday. We slogged back to the odd little apartment where we were staying, had a celebratory bevie and planned for the next day. Alas, one could not possibly plan for what was about to happen.

We were up earlier than Mother M ever gets up, and out the door to enter the throngs going towards the Capitol. We congratulated ourselves on how un-crowded the bus was and figured we were way ahead of the game. Yeah, I think old Will Shakespeare had something to say about pride and falling down. With most of the streets cordoned off it was quite the hike to the appalling line that now stretched before us. OMG I’d never seen anything like that, it wasn’t a line it was more like a giant hedge of people. You know those hedges they have in Disneyland to keep you from knowing how long the lines truly were, well in this case they ditched the plants and there was just a solid wall of people. It didn’t matter; we were the Willy Wonkas with the magic Blue Tickets so we felt sure we’d soon be ushered to our spot. Not so much.
There were no officials, no national guard, not custodians of the public morals to be found. No one knew anything except we all had the magic tickets and we were aiming toward a gate. I lost C by then, and was just smushed in with other folks. The good news is being so close you don’t feel the cold so much. Everyone was excited and talking about what time they had gotten there, how far they had come, what it all meant to them to be in this line. That unfortunately was as far as we got. Some massive snafu meant that we weren’t going to get past the security gate, and we were so packed in that it was hard to get out.

Ah but those of you who know Mother M know I would not be denied. I excused me-ed all the way through the crowd and when they rushed the silver gates, I was right there. I was far away, but I could see and hear fine. And that’s when it happened, something that no one saw. Standing there as Aretha started to sing a swarm of birds lifted up off the ground and swirled around the Capitol Building twice and then flew away. I smiled and knew it was His blessing on all of us. Despite the cold and the crowds and…there we stood in a state of grace which lasted till dawn the next day. There in that time, in that place 2,000,000 strong stood together, clapped, cried, cheered, and treated each other with joy and grace. And I was once again there to witness the very best of what we can be. Amazing Grace

How Do We Feed the Children???

I realized today that I was feeling rather down, but couldn’t really put my finger on what the deal was. I came up with only good things when I perused my inventory of possibilities. I was, as usual on the electronic teat and turned to the news in Kenya. That the news is dismal is nothing revolutionary, however the lead story about starvation gave me a karate chop to my gut. I knew what was bothering me.
People often ask me about my work in Africa, they tell me to have fun when I go. They swoon with murmurs about how exciting my work must be. Frankly there is no fun in what I do, there is no excitement and today it’s really hard to be me.
One Village runs on such a tight budget. Making decisions about how much to disburse at a time to the schools, denying children scholarships when they fail, feels really really bad. I know that if children fail in school it’s because they are hungry. I know that the schools aren’t giving me the real information, but given how little we give them, they can’t be getting rich on what we send. When I read the following article, I know that the parents of our schools are hit just as hard. How on earth are they going to give their share when their kids are scouring the fields for nuts and berries and there is no maize to be had?
I just wrote a colleague who is going to Addis Ababa that she will have to put a lock on her heart because of the extreme poverty. It’s a dilemma that has no answer. How do you bolt your heart so you can help and not get jaded or cynical? How do you continue to believe that even a little is better than nothing? I guess it’s the old line my minister taught me, “Ah, Susan, it’s a truth not fully revealed”. Yes and I pray we can all hang in there long enough to turn Nambale around a bit.

And now for the news of the day from the Standard.

No cheap flour as many face starvation
Updated 20 hr(s) 24 min(s) ago
By Standard Team
The much-awaited subsidized maize flour that the Government assured would be available four weeks ago might be an illusion after all.
Even as Kenyans wait for the cheap flour, the high cost of food continues to push many to the brink of starvation, according to a spot check by The Standard.
The National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) has admitted that the cheap flour is only available in small parts of Nairobi and Eastern provinces, even as people in North Eastern, Rift Valley and parts of Central provinces face food shortages.
The Government had pledged that cheap flour would be available to all by last month.Officials at the NCPB — which stores the national food reserves — have now announced a plan to import two million bags of maize and cereals. NCPB Managing Director Gideon Misoi said Kenya needs five million bags of maize and other cereal besides the recent 1.5 million bags imports.
"We have received all the shipments of the 1.5 million bags and they are in various depots across the country," said Prof Misoi, adding that the Government had asked NCPB to "effect a fresh import of two million bags".
Misoi said the Government had also allowed the private sector to import an extra three million bags of cereals.
He also said the board is contracting millers to process maize meal for distribution and added that apart from small-scale firms, NCPB has registered 23 large-scale tillers.
"The subsidised maize meal is being distributed in Nairobi and drought-stricken areas of Ukambani," he said.
However, in the larger Baringo District comprising Eldama Ravine, East Pokot, Baringo Central and Baringo North, thousands of people have no food.
School children in Marigat, Kimalel, Kapkelelwa, Salawa and Barwesa are not going to school.
Sacho DO Nolasco Kubasu said on Monday the situation was grave and unless swift action is taken, starvation was imminent.
"Things will go out of hand unless urgent measures are taken," Mr Kubasu said.
The DO, who is a member of the committee assessing the food situation in the district, said more than 40 per cent of people in Baringo Central face hunger. Baringo North is worse with more than 70 per cent of people facing starvation.
"Many families in rural areas do not have food at all. Some survive on water and wild roots only," he said.
Kabarnet Soi Councillor Ezekiel Lorema said the Government had not distributed relief food and cheap maize flour had not reached the region.
Scavenged
Mr Lorema said it was unfortunate that residents could die of hunger even after the Government promised cheap maize flour last year.
"We have not seen the low-priced maize flour yet it was launched two months ago," he said.
He said learning has been disrupted because children cannot go to school on empty stomachs. Most of them spend time looking for wild fruits."There is no learning in Kerio Valley as children spend time looking for wild fruits because there is no food," he said.

And Baringo Knut Secretary Charles Kamuren and local MP Sammy Mwaita said families were severely affected by drought and needed urgent intervention.
Mr Kamuren said residents of Arabal, Mukutano and Chebinyiny had left their homes and moved to centres where they scavenged for food in dustbins.
Kamuren said the Government had not supplied relief food for starving people, adding that it had instead concentrated on giving food to IDPs in camps.
"Only those who were displaced by cattle rustlers are getting food rations from the Government yet the majority of the people risk starving," he said.
Kubasu said although the World Food Programme and the Government were distributing food in the worst hit areas, it was not enough.
"The Government budgeted for only 20 per cent of the affected cases, but the whole region is in dire need of food," he said
The situation was no different in many parts of the country facing a successive crop failure.
Meanwhile, Western PC Abdul Mwasserah has cautioned residents against selling newly harvested maize to middlemen who have flocked the region. Mr Mwasserah said the trend where middlemen were buying maize from farmers was likely to make the famine worse in the region.
He said famine has already hit eight districts in the province and available stocks should be preserved.
"If you want to sell maize, then sell it to the NCPB because you may purchase it later at an affordable price," said Mwasserah.