Local woman makes a difference

“My greatest achievement is the children I have rescued and saved.

“I care for a number of girls, including a small baby who was dying of starvation and malnutrition when I found her; I named her Ciara (her Irish name) Sainapei (her Maasai name),

? Elaine Bannon informs us.

Born and bred in Dublin, Elaine now lives with the Maasai tribe in the heart of the Kenyan bush.

“In 2002 I went on holiday to Kenya to celebrate my 40th birthday. At that time Ireland was at the height of the boom and I had a great job as manager of a successful lighting company in Dublin.

“After I returned from my holiday I began to look around at Ireland of that time and I felt dismayed by how our lives were going.

“I had just visited a place where a simple thing like water was a problem and yet in Ireland we had so much and seemed always to be looking for more. So I decided to return to Kenya for one year and I’ve been here since.

“During my holiday I had heard about a lady named Caroline who ran a free school and clinic in Mombasa.

“I arrived back in Kenya in April 2003 and I stayed at her school for nine months teaching and running a small clinic. I also built a permanent structure for the clinic and a small house for orphaned children.

“I became friendly with some Maasai people from the village of Rombo in southern Kenya. They requested that I move my project to Rombo, an area without non-governmental organisations and so I did.

“On my first visit to Rombo the people seemed to appear from everywhere and before I knew it I was surrounded by 30 or 40

‘mamas’ singing to me and spitting on me; spitting is the traditional Maasai blessing.

“Everyone wanted to touch my hair, rub my arms, examine my eyes and check out my clothes.

“The men wore a piece of material tied at the shoulder and clasped at the waist by a belt containing a huge knife.

“The women had shaved heads and wore red underskirts with blue and white overdresses and all had a piece of material over their shoulders. Every man, woman and child was adorned with row upon row of beaded necklaces, bracelets and earrings that hung from enormous holes in their ears.

?

Elaine quickly adapted to her new life in Rombo despite having to cope with a shortage of electricity, water and basic infrastructure.

“I found it quite easy to settle here despite having to go and fetch water from a stream to shower, and having to deal with snakes and strange insects,

? she recalls.

“But I have good friends and at the end of the year I can look back and know I made a difference to people’s lives.

?

In 2009 Elaine was awarded the prestigious Order of the Grand Warrior of Kenya (OGW) presented by President Mwai Kibaki in recognition of her work.

“One of my proudest moments was being awarded the OGW but my greatest achievement is the children I have rescued and saved, including baby Ciara Sainapei who was dying of starvation when I found her and is now a healthy four-year-old,

? she states.

“My charity is called Light of Maasai and I’m always on the lookout for volunteers to help or raise money. The people gave me the Maasai name

‘Narikuinkerra’ or

‘Nariku,’ which means brought by children.

“I hope I can not only live up to this name by helping the children but also somehow shape a better future for the next generation of Massai kids.

?

Elaine says she has no plans to return to live in Ireland.

“My life is here in Rombo now and I have a number of children in my care who know only me as their Mammy,

? she adds.

For more information visit www.lightofmaasai.com