Turkana 2 - "...young tribal leader"

CAPTION:

This young girl, now a young woman, represents the future of her tribe - a young leader she will help to usher in new ideas for better healthcare,

new methods of drought resistant farming and will share in a strategy that will preserve the remaining forests, harvest rainwater and create new ways

to reduce fuel consumption to help aid in the survival of the tribe. The elders, the "old men", the leaders make it difficult for change to take place. It

can be the best culturally sensitive idea yet if the tribal leaders don't want it or don't agree, it will never happen. Real change from within, from it's

young men and young women, will need to be patient until the generation changes hands and with this the leadership of the tribe. Only then will

it's youth, with fresh ideas and dreams for it's future, be able to gently break from tradition - choosing a different path...to help the tribe survive.

A length of rope..."a panga and a huge heart"

CAPTION:

At no more than 95lbs at best in weight, this proud Turkana woman walked for 4 hours to arrive at a small stand of dead trees to gather

fire wood. Without regard for herself, in what can only be described as blistering noon day sun, she began to tear the wood apart with

her bare hands, refusing to yield to sore muscles, hunger or thirst - instead focusing on the work she needed to get done and her long walk

back to her village. The sound of a single panga smacking against dense wood echos across the desert floor - determined, she needs to cut

enough to have made her journey worthwhile. This bundle she will sell tonight so it's important for her to return before dark.

Women in the nomadic North...all tribes and all faiths are locked in a test of survival with all women, young or old, culturally taking their

place in supporting their families, like their ancestors had before them. Making the drought even more acute is that the forests are disappearing

and good water is scarce. NGO's of every persuasion and from every country are seeking answers to ensure a culturally secure way of life for future generations yet to come and while it's not easy, without question there are no easy answers, like this Turkana woman...they continue, placing one

foot in front of the other with the hopes that eventually, a culturally sensitive solution will come into play.