Rain.  Such an important thing.  In a semi-arid land, even a bit less, or a messed up timing, can mean life and death to the pastoralist communities living in Samburu.  When I was last in Ngurunit the end of October, the rains were late.  Food for the livestock was down to a bare minimum.  Some hope was still alive with the signs of rain starting to show; acacia trees putting out buds, clouds gathering on the hills, a feel of heaviness to the air, intense heat starting to build up.  Since coming back to Maralal, we have been praying for rains to start in earnest.  Even here, where rain is usually more plentiful and on time, there have been only sprinkles.  Until yesterday when it seems that the short rains are finally upon us.   We have had a couple days of showers now. And intense cold.  Though still no heavy downpours that will completely wash away our fears of impending drought.  Drought is what the forecasts say.  No significant rains expected until October 2017 the learned meteorologists report.  These few showers may just be teasing us.  Tomorrow, my daughter and I are headed to Ngurunit.  We have heard of a few showers there too.  Hopefully it is warmer than Maralal.  Wetter too.  Though I don’t expect it.  The rains were actually too good from May through August this year.  It is like the normal dry season didn’t really start the end of June, but the beginning of September.  The cycles are all messed up.  It makes me sick to listen to the news from USA about all the detractors of climate change.  We are living the climate change.  Have been since 2005/6.  Since then, there hasn’t been 3 consecutive years where at least one rainy season didn’t fail.   Just as livestock starts to revive from a rain short period, which can take over a year, another one fails.  Our last really severe drought was 2009/10, but there have been several ‘extended’ dry seasons since where not quite enough pasture was grown due to rain failure.  Our cattle haven’t been back to Ngurunit for over 2 years as the warriors have had to travel several hundreds of kilometers looking for enough pasture.  The camels and goats get by near home, but just barely.  What will come of the pastoralist lifestyle if climate change continues unchecked?  What we are doing now is working hard to adapt and adjust. PEAR has been doing things for years to sort out some of the issues related to climate change.  Introducing and promoting camels and alternative livestock, developing new water sources, improving education so that kids can grow up with the tools needed to drive positive change and bringing communities together on environmental rehabilitation and conservation.  Some things have worked well, some have had astounding challenges.  I will not give up.  My big push at the moment is to discover new activities and measures can help face this challenge of changing rain patterns, enhancing and improving pastoral lives along the way.   Where will this journey take me?.....

Tomorrow, Thursday the 3^rd November, I am heading down to Nairobi in order to pick up my daughter from her Secondary School which closes on Friday the 4^th November for the students in Form 1 through Form 3.  Form 4 students will remain behind to start their all important KCSE (Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education) exams on November 7th.  This one exam that makes or breaks their future after high school.  The KCPE (Kenya Certificate of Primary Education) exams are finishing tomorrow.  This is the exam that determines if and where students can continue on to secondary school.  I had lunch with a friend today whose daughter is taking these exams.  She was very nervous, though also excited, to know how her daughter has done.  The whole of primary school is geared towards getting a good score on the KCPE and the whole of secondary school is geared towards getting a good score on the KCSE.  To the detriment of a wider experience of life while in school, I feel.  It also leads to an extremely controlled curriculum in the Kenya school systems that doesn’t take into consideration the diversity of cultures and life experiences in this county.  Or the diversity of individual students and their needs.  This has bothered me for years.  I have looked at ways a number of times on how to improve the system.  Here in Samburu, how we could promote the students the best pastoralists ever.  Make education real life learning, not just pounding everyone into the same mold and hope for the best.  The frustration is that I haven’t been able to get people away from the rout learning everyone is convinced is required to simply do well on the exams.  Lots of ideas, little practical application as yet.  Still trying.  Never give up.  That is my mode of operation!