Summary
Commune of Wisdom
by Chacko Jabob and Riya Orison.
Eltrud Okeyo comes from Kisumu, Kenya. As a child, when her peers looked up to Rihanna or other famous actors as their heroes, for Eltrud, it was her grandmother who filled her life with fun and meaning and taught her to be kind to everyone.
Her grandmother’s undignified death in the midst of uncaring neighbours motivated Eltrud to start her organization Rieko which aims to give respect and dignity to the elderly of the community by reducing the intergenerational gap. This is achieved by involving children, youngsters, and the elderly in activities such as open learning and farming among others.
At the time this blog is published, Eltrud is one week away from completing Act 5, the last 3-month step of the curriculum where kanthari participants go back to their community and start implementing change. We had the pleasure of visiting her at the end of January when she had been back in her village for only a month or so.
The Kenyan portion of the trip was very tightly scheduled. We were to visit Eltrud for a couple of hours in the morning and then together move to Steven Onyang’s (a 2013 kanthari graduate) Albert Schweitzer School which is close by. We were looking forward to seeing someone so fresh from the course, struggling to take their baby steps. Two hours should be enough to say hi and offer words of encouragement, right?
Big mistake…
If it wasn’t for Cavin’s four-wheel drive, we would not have made it to the first location at one of Rieko’s beneficiaries in Eltrud’s Village, Athing. Since it was dry, the roads were still traversable. I shudder to think how they are managing travel through the muddy floods.
We arrived at elderly Nyoboo’s small hut. We were greeted by a few very shy and slightly suspicious children. Nyoboo was weak, thin, and frail, yet she had a full tooth smile. When she saw us, she was eager to get out of bed but was finding it difficult and Eltrud and a team member jumped in to help her. Carrying her would have caused her a lot of pain, so she slowly crawled across the floor and made her way to the door, behind which was her cooking area. She takes care of her 4 young grandchildren by herself. She struggles daily to put food on the table. But just a visit alone from Eltrud and her team is enough to lift up her spirits.
After visiting Nyoboo, we quickly headed to meet Rafael (the quiet yet confident youngest sibling) who managed Rieko’s one-acre farm along with Samuel. They had planted Sukuma, African nightshade, dek and so on which will be used in the school to provide lunch.
Right after, we visited the school. We were speechless when we saw the structures. Eltrud had built classrooms, an office, a staff room, a washroom, and a kitchen. Already 30 children were enrolled in the primary school. This was all possible through the community. The land was donated by her mother, tin sheets were donated by multiple community members. Some donated tables and benches for the children. One of her older beneficiaries who makes mats was generous and donated one to the school.
It was a true example of doing a lot with very little.
Three months have passed since our visit, and you must be itching for an update…
– Presently Rieko serves 15 elderly persons, 60 children, and 9 young people.
– Vegetables from the farm have been harvested thrice
– With Pollination’s support, vertical vegetable gardening is being implemented among the elderly
– Two houses for the elderly have been renovated.
– One of the more elderly beneficiaries, now has a caregiver and her grandchildren are going to school, and
– A seed bank of indigenous vegetables and plants with and without medicinal values is being created with the support of 5 elderly women. This will be made into a documentary.
During our short visit, 10 elders had come in the morning to school and spent some time with the kids by singing rhymes and narrating stories to them. They also planted saplings together. The joy in both parties was visible. The idea is starting to take shape.
Rieko works.
The elderly can have dignity when intergenerational gaps are reduced!
More about Rieko can be read at https://riekowise.org/
This is great we must change our world by impacting others in our society.
Thank you so much Chacko and Riya for visiting.It was a great moment.Kanthari was and is still the best place to be.Intergenerational care is possible.