Our First Thanksgiving in Kenya

The first few months in Africa, we spent in Thika, Kenya. As you can see from this picture, my wife was very pregnant. We were wanting to do something different for Thanksgiving this year. While the people of Thika, on the surface, seemed to be doing quite well. We soon found out something different.

It turns out that as much as 15% of the population were starving. The community was dominated by the Del Monte corporation which ran a huge pineapple plantation. Thousands were employed at the facility. However, as usual there was a dark side to the story. As the employees grew old they were simply fired. With no retirement plans, and usually near crippled from a life of working in the fields, these older people would starve.

They would try and forage for some food, if they were lucky their families could help out. However, most would simply waste away.

We heard about this and decided to try and help a little at Thanksgiving... not a Kenyan holiday by-the-way. We spent about $70 and bought about 500lbs of food. Maze, beans, bananas, cooking oil, basics. We arranged to give out the food at a local slum/village.

It was amazing to me that at first no one showed up. Soon word spread though, and people came. They told us that no one believed that we were coming. They said that no "mazungo" or white person had ever helped them. There were amazed and we were ashamed. Think about where that really good pineapple came from the next time you eat one.