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Many moons ago when I was young, I dated a South African that was here working on his MBA.  His family had a farm in the Glasari region of South Africa , which is adjoining Kruger National Park .  Rob had great photographs and told wonderful stories about his childhood in the bush.  Besides being a police officer, the only other thing I wanted to do as a career was to be a forest ranger.  So I suppose it was natural for me to be fascinated with his stories of the bush.  Then life went on—he went home, I returned to California , and eventually went to the Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Office.  And I had deer to watch at night.

Then in 1994 I joined the IPA, and soon after South Africans started coming to our region looking for home hosting.  Many of them were females traveling alone, so of course I thought they had to stay with me.  I made some wonderful friendships and in 1996 I called IPA member Debbie Hepburn in Durban and told her I was coming to South Africa .  She made arrangements for a one month stay.  I told her what I wanted to see and she “sorted out my program”.  The only problem was, I would travel one day, have a party, go to the bush one day, have parties for the next two days and then travel again.  I partied for almost a month.  For those of you that have not met South Africans, they like to have braais (BBQs) and party a lot.  Oh, and I did see Rob.

I went back six months later but this time, Rob arranged for me to stay in the bush for two weeks, then I went to see the friends that I had made on the previous trip and partied.  My next couple of trips were like this: two-three weeks in the bush—two to one week of parties with IPA members.  I just didn’t let them know how long I was “in-country”.

Members of Region 37 began asking me to put together a group trip to Africa, so in 2001 I asked some friends of mine that owned a travel agency what part of Africa would be best for people that had never traveled to Africa and they said Kenya/Tanzania.  So, I put a trip together for February 2002.  I had a large group going, but September 11^th happened and our group pared down to 9 people.  Eight women and one man.  Poor Dewey Moore.  We had a great time.  Our first morning in Nairobi , we had breakfast with officials of the Central Nairobi Business Administration.  A friend had asked me to bring some money to a friend of his that ran a medical clinic in the slums of Nairobi .  So some of us decided to bring some supplies for Provide International (the clinic) [IPA member Lucy Carlton sends $400 with me each trip for this clinic].  And we stopped at a school in Amboseli and brought them supplies.  (I don’t believe in giving things to children by the road side because it teaches them to beg.  So, I give them to the teachers at schools in the bush).

I returned to Kenya six months later, and in my e-mail, I told Muchangi (my guide) that I would need to stop at a pharmacy to pick up supplies for the clinic in Nairobi .  You can buy any medicine including antibiotics over the counter in Kenya .  And lots of it for very little money!  And he said that was good because a clinic in Samburu needed my help.  And could we stop at an orphanage in Nanyuki town instead of a school with school supplies.  So, I had a 28” duffle filled with medical supplies, plus $400 to buy supplies, plus the money Lucy sent for the Provide Clinics.

It turns out that the Westgate clinic in Samburu is a government clinic, but it is always short of medicine (sometimes no medicine).  At one time when Muchangi had malaria, he went to the clinic, but there was no medicine.  So he had to drive himself 3 hours to Isiolo (a very hard drive) to a clinic for treatment.  Edward, the nurse at the clinic walked 7 miles to meet me because he wanted me to know that he was committed to his job.  On the way back to the clinic, there were two lionesses under a bush that he had just passed.  Way too much commitment!  That’s called snack time for lions.

The next year when we arrived, Edward wasn’t at the clinic, so a ranger suggested that I bring my medicines to “Mama Simba”.  Mama Simba turns out to be Janet Joulell, a Dean at Strayer University in Washington, D.C. who over the years has adopted seven Samburu children and finally built a medical clinic and school house which she completely funds herself for another Samburu community which is about 15 miles on the other side of the Ewaso Nyiro River and up the mountain from the Westgate clinic. She pays for a nurse and three teachers and is there herself in December and July and August.  So, now I have the Nairobi clinic, two clinics in Samburu and the orphanage to help.  Nairobi is easy.  I can supply it from home.  But the others, I needed to be there.

I sent a couple of boxes of shoes with the help of a friend to the orphanage and the shoes cost $50.  But the shipping cost $100.  Hmmm.  Something seems to be wrong here.  Then, I find out that even though it is a government orphanage, they had to pay $150 in taxes for the shoes.

The solution!  Because of the War on Terror, the tourist business in Kenya had fallen to almost nothing during most of 2001-2004, so I employed Muchangi to every other month take supplies to the Samburu clinics and every other month supplies to the orphanage.  This way it gives him an income and I no longer have to pay shipping fees, and I get feedback as to what is needed.  I’m really lucky in that I have found friends that help me from time to time.  I sometimes worry how I am going to keep this up, but just when I start to get a little depressed about the next month’s supplies, my brother John will send me a check for $100.  In the past, my friends and I have been able to provide the orphanage with their Christmas bull which becomes their meal and Mama Simba’s clinic with shoes for the children.  The Christmas bull is now an annual event and the children will always be assured of a good Christmas feast.

By now you all of heard the story of Muchangi’s son, who had 5 surgeries to repair a clef palate, and still had the hole in his palate.  At 7 years, his back teeth were coming in causing his jaw to collapse.  Through the kindness of a friend, Amir Abothani,  Francis was brought to Florida for surgery by Dr. Michael Gallant, a surgeon in St. Petersburg , Florida , with Dr. Gallant waiving his fees.  And Amir paid the cost of bringing Francis and Muchangi to Florida .  All Children’s Hospital did their work pro-bono.  I flew down to Florida to be with them during the worst part of the three surgeries. Lucy Carlton helped me buy Francis a DVD player and MANY DVDs to help him through his time in bed.  Dr. Gallant was an amazing doctor.  He is a plastic surgeon that uses some of the money he makes to use for operations on children like Francis all over the world.  He not only fixed the palate, but his lip and his nose.  Francis now looks like a normal little boy.  And calls himself “Amir”.

In 2006, I was really lucky because of the money given to me by members of Region 37 IPA.  I owe so many people for the help I am able to give.  I was able to contribute to the Provide International 20^th Anniversary Celebration.  These are 6 clinics in the slums of Nairobi in great need of supplies. If you watch the movie “The Constant Gardner ”, you will get an idea of what the slums are like.  I was also able to stock up on a greater number of supplies for the clinics in Samburu than I usually can.  I had dropped the West Gate clinic last year because the nurse was never around and wasn’t giving Muchangi an accounting of the supplies.  So, we picked up a clinic run by the Intrepids Camp.  The same communities were being serviced, plus an additional community.  The nurse, John, had been a nurse for Mama Simba.  This station also has a generator for electricity and is set up for IVs.  It has a 2 room facility and the stockroom has 2 sides.  The Intrepids side and “The Diana Community Foundation” side.  So, I guess I am a foundation now.  Or at least it is John’s way of hoping I will continue to help the community.  This is a very busy clinic as is Mama Simba’s clinic.  The community she takes care of now has between 700-800 people.

Gale Stroud had given me a lot of last minute money before my trip this year.  So, at the request of Hellen, the head mistress of the Nanyuki Children’s Home, we brought new towels for all of the children and new underwear for all of the boys.  The left over money is being used along with money from my brother to buy new cribs, mattresses and bedding for the infants.  There are now 88 children at the orphanage.

I started out going to Africa because the scenery and animals were like no other place on earth.  And once you go, it really does get into your blood.  The first time that I met Muchangi, he told me that I was African.  Maybe, in my heart I am part African.  When I stand on top of the hill in the Mara each year, I am completely mesmerized by the view.  And a little sad too, because I know that my time here is growing short.  When I’m in the middle of a herd of elephant and they start to rumble, the sound resonates peace in my soul.

If you are a photographer, you are in heaven in Africa .  But somehow, I have happened on something else in Kenya .  The clinics, the orphanage, the closeness with some of the people I see each year.  I haven’t felt like I’ve had a real purpose since I left the Sheriff’s Office until I found these people.  I know that somehow, it may not be much, but I’m making a small amount of difference in this small corner of the world.

It’s not all altruistic; I spend most of the time while there taking photographs of wildlife.  I hear lions and other wild animals calling during the night.  I see wonderful elephant herds.  Someone will call to me “habari yaku” and I call back, “mzuri sana ”.  Could anyone ask for more?

Muchangi Smith Kamore, has become more than my guide.  Over the years, he has become my friend.  He is also my partner; without him, I couldn’t help the clinics in Samburu or the children in the Nanyuki orphanage.  I wire him money each month and it is his job to decide what kind of medicines need to be bought for the clinics, and what the children need at the orphanage.  And the orphanage has special needs.  Sometimes it’s food or shoes or 60 sets of sheets or medicine.  He has to keep on top of their needs.  Not a small job.

On my August 2005 trip, yes I go every August, I had a library built in Mama Simba’s compound.  The Simba Library!  I also bought a washing machine for the orphanage.  A year long dream.  Look at the photographs below and see the women bent over, washing in buckets. I wanted to make their lives a little easier.  Something I could not have done without IPA member, Lucy Carlton and my brother, John Tyler.  As it turns out, washing machines are brought from England or Denmark and are very expensive.

These photographs show how wonderful Africa is and where I am trying to make a difference.  The Simba clinic, village and school; John, the nurse for Intrepids with Alex the manager of the tented camp with Muchangi; the orphanage and Nairobi clinic. One photo shows where Janet or “Mama Simba” sleeps while in Samburu.  My tent in Samburu has an En-suite bathroom, four poster bed, dressing tables, wooden floors; a huge tent.  I hope that you enjoy the photos.   

If you need help setting up a trip, or wish to help, send me an email:  Click here to Email Diana

Servo Per Amikeco

Diana Tyler

7/28/2008

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