The trip to the wilderness started with Maasai Mara. A road trip nobody will ever forget.
When most people think of the Maasai Mara, the first thing that comes to mind is the vast expanse of African savanna and its iconic wildlife. But there’s another side to the Maasai Mara that often goes unnoticed — the cultural side.
We met early in the morning for breakfast. After running up and down checking on the guides and the vehicles, I finally sat for few minutes.
Boris started with a speech and a gift from all the participants. An amazing green soft personalized blanket with written: We love our bush lady!
Being overwhelmed by a diversity of feelings and still emotionally damaged by the 2021 events, I burst into tears. The card had been thoughtfully chosen and written, 13 strangers were here just because I asked them to. Many more gifts came along, a ukulele yoga book, chocolate, ukulele pin, cheese from Netherlands,… all precious items that will always have a special place in my heart (and in my stomach!!)
The Orba 2 that Julianne and Lawry got me will have a separate blog post….I love this little gadget!
A road trip to Maasai Mara is an incredible experience that took us through some of the most stunning and dramatic landscapes in Kenya. Along the way, we had the opportunity to spot herds of wild animals including zebra and baboons.
We arrived at OlMalaika Home on time for lunch.
Ol Malaika Home is a private home located on the way to Maasai Mara National Reserve. It is a non–profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of the Maasai community by providing education, healthcare, and economic empowerment.
STOP READING NOW
and check their website and stories The Olmalaika Trust (you can continue in a bit, the link will open on another page….)
We ate local food with the girls and mingled with them. After lunch, the usual painful part….the tuning of Ukuleles!
Kala Brand Ukulele, has kindly sent us 12 “Glow in the dark” Ukuleles, many booklets, tuners, and Ukulele bags. All the participants had their bag full of gifts and useful items for the girls. Kim, the founder of from Olmalaika Home had taken care of the duties to get the Ukuleles here from the USA. Thank you Kim!!!
Boris finally started his magic and only a video can give you the idea…
Kim has given us a tour of the place, explaining to us the challenges and the problems of these girls, very touching and sad stories. From female genital mutilation to early marriage to babies abandoned to die on the road.
And yet, they smile and they are kind and they dream and have hope for a better future.
We continued our journey under the rain. Our entrance to the Reserve was welcomed by an amazing group of Elephants… but for that you’ll have to wait for the next post!
Stay tuned!!!
We are proud to support the purchase of ukuleles and workshops for children in Kenya with every purchase from our shop. By buying from us, you can help us provide children with the tools and skills they need to make music and express themselves. Have a look!
