On our 2^nd day, a small local dog found us during one of our rest breaks; she was very friendly, affectionate, and seemed perfectly comfortable with us.  She had a very tight wire bound around her neck which was biting into the skin; once we removed the wire and gave her a friendly pat, she seemed totally smitten with us.  Despite multiple attempts to shoo her away and send her back ‘home’ (wherever that may have been, if she had one), she continued to walk with us… and walk and walk, on and on. 

            The next morning we even tried paying a local tribesman some shillings to try and bring her back those many hours to where she had first joined us.  She had other plans however, as she chewed through 2 sets of leash ropes, tried to bite the man, and simply refused to go back… and reappeared down along the trail to join us hours later, determined to be ‘ours’.  She had proven herself to be a “proper walker”, so we finally conceded and let her stay.  Our Kenyan camel guides named her “Safari” (“journey” in Swahili). 

            Unfortunately, Safari was in heat and thus attracted many male companions, with one particularly ‘attached’ to her (in many ways!), and this dog now also refuses to leave.  We keep trying to find a good home for both dogs along the way, where they can be fed and nurtured—either that or Amanda will have herself 2 more dogs, or MCC a pet (or two)!  The male dog is much more typical for a Kenyan dog: clearly not used to being treated as a pet, and accustomed to scrounging for any food he could find.  He was quickly named “Mwizi” (“thief” in Swahili), as he would often escape with small morsels of food (and sometimes not so small) in a flash.

            Our guide and leader Amanda (daughter of Jasper Evans and owner of the camels) drove from her home to join us at the walk start.  Those 90 miles took her 8 ½ hours to drive… and quite the teeth and bone-rattling ride these roads can be!

            On the first night before the walk start, we camped at Lake Baringo.  Beautiful setting, with an “askari” (watchman) outside our site, on the look-out for roaming hippos and crocodiles coming ashore.  We had dinner at a tiny café called the “Thirsty Goat”, which we deemed a pretty good nickname for Michael.

Walk, day one:

            We awoke at 4:30 a.m. and started to pack up and load the camels, with the hope of starting to walk by 6:30, to beat some of the hot sun.  We are deep within Pokot tribe country now.  The people have been quite friendly and very curious of our group—with the occasional fright such foreigners tend to inspire, and even a few children crying at the very sight of us.  Many of these villagers have not seen “wzungu” (foreigners) before, and our strange apparel, language, and collection of gadgets is all very striking and bizarre.  Frequently at our rest stops and campsites, we attract a host of local villagers; some will walk beside us for miles, or just sit in our camp, staring and completely transfixed and agog.  We are most definitely the new “reality TV” here, and quite the strange oddity.

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Michael Farley and Friend
Photo by D. Pennell Brooks

My name is Michael Farley. The Proper Walks are my personal way to help AIDS orphans and other very vulnerable children in Makindu, Kenya where I served in the Peace Corps in the late 1970s. According to the UN AIDS study released in 2006, there are over 1,000,000 AIDS orphans in Kenya alone. That number is so overwhelming it seems impossible for us to do anything to help. We can though, focus on the youngsters we know who are served through the Makindu Children’s Program (MCP).

Until 1998, the year I learned about MCP’s support of the Makindu Children’s Center (MCC), dismal conditions prevailed in the village. Drought with resulting poor crops, and other domestic problems left the people with little or nothing to live on. With the advent of AIDS, things got worse. Orphaned children roamed everywhere; defenseless, ragged and literally starving.

The difference MCP made was apparent in that first year. I was there in 1998 and personally witnessed the dramatic change in the youngsters. By providing medical assistance, nutritious meals, education and family, MCP gave them hope for a better future, and continues to do so today. But, they need our help.

With the insight of several friends, I launched the first Proper Walk fundraiser that was held in 2002. At that time, the center was only able to support several dozen AIDS orphans. With the increased funding from the Proper Walks, the center is now serving over 400 orphans.

We have now done 4 Proper Walks – 620 miles – and have raised $320,000 for the Makindu Children’s Program. The 5th Proper Walk is in August of this year. I, along with 9 other Americans will be walking 160-180 miles down the Kerio River Valley in N. Kenya. We hope to continue to raise the awareness of the plight of AIDS orphans in sub Sahara Africa and also raise $100,000 for MCP. I hope you will support Proper Walk 2010. To learn more please go to www.properwalk.com or e-mail us at makindu@peak.org for more information.

Thanks. Asante sana. It looks like the event will clear $3000 !!

If you are interested in pledging or donating, you can email smrandolph52@yahoo.com. You can donate on line - type Portland Walk in the “in honor of” space.
Asante