18 More Women Have Cows!

Last week we gave out 18 cows. Some of them may still look very ‘scrawny’ to a European eye but all are in much better condition than when they left market in October. Although it is raining on and off in different areas there was not enough grass to sustain them all in one place. There were also reports of cattle rustling by some Kenyan Maasai who had sold their cows here at rock bottom prices during the drought. Most of our cows are Kenyan stock as they are an improved breed and give more milk.


Kivuya

So who are these women who have received a cow?

Several are widows with young children to care for. One has 7 married children but none are able to help her. Another is the second wife of a man who prefers his first wife...............


Ellena

Two or three have alcoholic husbands who are rarely at home and therefore unable to provide for their wives and children.

One has 3 married children but two are girls and husbands are often are unwilling to help their mothers in law as they consider the dowry to be enough help. Her son has married an ‘Mswahili’ (anyone who is not a Maasai) and has moved out of his culture.


Endoyekuna

One woman lost her husband when he went to market to sell a cow. Sadly he celebrated on the proceeds and was then run over by a car on the road home.

Another lost her husband to armed robbers who broke into the shop he was looking after for a friend. When her daughters were married, and she received the required number of cows as their dowry, a relative of her husband’s ‘ate’ them. She still has one younger unmarried daughter and is hoping the cow will give her a measure of independence from this relative and that she will be able to move out from under his ‘protection’.


Nanaito

This cow may not look like much of a gift and has not recovered as well as the others. It’s a start at least to help this couple get back on their feet as they have lost all their cows during the drought. They have two children and thankfully none of the problems common to the other women. We have no doubts that all these cows will be pampered and cared for extremely well.


Nanyoki

One woman has lost her husband and two sons to AIDS and is infected herself but keeps relatively healthy on ARVs. Another has lost 3 of her children and the 4th is unable to either work or look after himself, let alone her.

Yet another widow has two sons but sadly one is in prison and the other is an alcoholic. She is able to earn about £2 for delivering babies.


Grecie
The Maasai love any excuse to eat, drink, dance and sing and all these women are already looking forward to the moment when they can say thank you in this way- so are we!