Child Champions are bringing opportunities and help to children and families in one of the most remote, impoverished parts of Kenya.
by Leanna Summers
Photos by Tim Landis, Jon Taylor Sweet and Ty Van Rensburg
The dry lands of Turkana crack for miles along the Great Rift Valley and reach to the border of South Sudan. This expansive northwestern part of Kenya is home to the Turkana people who are farmers and herders.
The Turkana people staked a claim on this barren land generations ago. They brought camels and goats, the only animals hardy enough to survive this harsh environment.
The rugged terrain in Turkana has not stopped oil companies from starting to explore here, but getting in or out of the region is challenging. A few dirt roads lead to larger towns for those brave enough to venture down them. Raiders ambush travelers.
Raiders also steal herders’ camels and goats. Attacks are more dangerous now since these bandits have replaced their traditional weapons of spears and bows and arrows with AK-47s and use cell phones to coordinate attacks during broad daylight. Many herders die, leaving widows with no way to care for their children.