Project Rombo
In 2007 District D1160 DG Ray selected Project Rombo as one of his two main international projects and the Belfast Club gave support to it providing help to an Irish lady, Elaine Bannon (who left the comforts of her home in Ireland and moved to Rombo to live amongst and work with the children of the Maasai) with her plans for Education, Clean water and Health Care. She has worked tirelessly there and has made Kenya her home intending to live the rest of her life in Rombo.
Rombo is a district in Kenya, at the foot of Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain· in Africa, on the Kenyan side of the Tanzanian border, half way between Nairobi and Mombasa, near the Serengeti plains. Rombo village, with a population of approximately 1,000 people, is a village of red dusty roads, timber shacks for shops and very poor people.
The Maasai are one of the few remaining tribes in Africa who continue to live by their culture and tradition. They continue to dress in their traditional clothes and live in the traditional mud and cow dung Manyatta. They are a proud and peaceful tribe who think only of their animals and who try to be happy no matter what difficulties they face.
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However, Rombo is a long term District project to build strong, secure communities for the people living in the village. The aim is to ease the hardship they face due to drought, the killer disease AIDS which is spreading rapidly amongst them, lack of basic education, lack of clean water and the lack of a basic healthcare system.
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The Club received an update on Rombo in December 2010 from Rotarian Matt Porter, Rotary Club of Dublin Central, who has a close personal involvement with the Light of Maasai Charity, which is responsible for the projects in Rombo and who gave a very interesting powerpoint presentation on the work covered by Project Rombo in Kenya. Picture shows Matt porter (right) with President Brian and Ken Morrison. |
| The Light of Maasai Charity was founded in 2002 by Elaine Bannon and three Maasai men. To date they have built a clinic, drilled a local waterwell, provided education facilities and are currently building a centre for volunteers to stay in. |  |
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Unfortunately it was not completed in time for our own Ken Morrison and his wife Gilly who left in February 2011 to help and work for a few weeks in Rombo.
Ken and Gilly gratefully took with them the Club’s donation of £500 for wood for the school desks that he would be making and 20kg of clinical material donated by Limerick Hospital.
On Monday 9th February President Brian received during the Club Lunchtime Meeting the following text from Ken:
“Almost finished a water tank. Wood for 12 desks cut, starting assembly Tuesday, had a bit of help! Visited small Maasai village on Sunday and hospital today. Great craic!! Ken.”
Then having spent the 2 weeks working in Rombo, he sent:
Hi Everyone, Finally arrived in Tanzania after a long and very exciting mini-taxi and bus trip which started at 5am. Hotel is quaint African but appears a dream Hilton after the "prison cell" we have had for last 2 weeks due to the Volunteers’ house not yet ready. We have had a fascinating time learning about the Maasai people. We have visited clinics, a hospital, given talks at a number of schools, long trek in the bush to visit an indigenous Maasai village and worked at a number of projects (i.e. dug many wells!) Made some great friends amongst the people of Rombo and some good sessions in the Tsunami Pub - Which is a far cry from Balloo.
Off tomorrow for 3 nights safari and back to this hotel on Sun Night when we may be able to pick up e-mails. Otherwise on text. Then Mon fly to Zanzibar - we won’t know what to do with ourselves! Hope you’re all well and weather OK. Temp has been very hot here but rains are starting and much cooler and pleasanter.
On his return he reported to the Club on Monday 4th April 2011.