Fifty Pounds of Water, Five Times a Day in Kenya

I can easily say that day two of my journey with Intel for Change was one of the best days I’ve ever had in another country. On day two we slipped our feet into the shoes of a Masai Mama and experienced the conditions that Masai families live in everyday. There are definitely no coffee shops, gas stations, or fast food joints anywhere near the village. But forget the coffee shops—there is no electricity or running water.

During the day we got to spend all our time with Mama Jane and her daughter Judy. Mama Jane has become a very influential leader within her village, and Judy is following in her footsteps. Mama Jane was only able to receive a third grade education and believes that every young girl today needs to go to school and take advantage of the opportunities that she did not have. Mama Jane was the cutest woman I have ever met. She was rocking a red and white curly wig with a matching red and white outfit. And though she looked silly, her silky smooth dark skin, big brown eyes, and radiant smile captured my attention for the whole day.

Mama Jane’s days consist of her waking up before the sun comes up to start her morning chores and cook for her family. By the time her children leave for school she has accomplished more in her morning than I do in an entire day! When it came time for Mama Jane to put us to work, I totally underestimated how difficult our task would be. Have you ever really thought about how much water you use on a daily basis? Honestly, I never did until now.

To get water, Mama Jane has to walk to the river about 1 kilometer away from her home. She does this walk up to five times per day. In order to collect the water the women carry either a medium or large jug weighing 25 to 50 pounds once it’s full. At the river they have to walk down a steep and rocky hill, then balance on three stones a few feet into the water to reach a point where the water is deep enough to submerge the jug. The water is very cold so the women have to have good balance so they don’t slip and fall.

My teammate Agatha and I really wanted to get the entire experience so we decided to bring a small jug and a large one to rotate carrying back. The women tie a rope around the belly of the jar and leave a big loop, which you use to put on your head like a headband and carry the jug on your back. I put the 50-pound jug on my back to get the feel of how heavy it would be. WOAH…HEAVY! In order not to fall backwards I needed to plow forward, and so I did. After carrying the jug up the hill I needed to support the rope around my head and bent my elbows backwards above my head so that I could hold the rope upwards to create less pressure. After three minutes in this position my elbow joints started to pop, and I had shooting pain up my forearms. I kept saying to myself, “I cannot believe that these women have to do this five times a day and sometimes they’re as young as 10 years old.” That’s when I said to myself, “If these women have to do this five times a day everyday, I need to do this and finish this chore at least once in my life.” Mama Jane sang while we carried the water jugs. It was definitely a great distraction from my aching neck and burning elbows.

When I finally made it to the house I was truly overwhelmed with excitement that I’d completed the chore. I will never take water for granted again. Every time I turn the faucet on I will feel incredibly thankful remembering the pain I felt after carrying that water jug.

When we had to leave Mama Jane and Judy I truly felt sad. I didn’t have enough time with them. I wanted to learn more and experience more of their world. Sadly however, we had to part ways and although I may never see them again, they will forever be in my memories.