WE!! are ready!!

My colleagues and I dedicate ourselves to managing a division and concept known as WE villages. The idea here is that our Canadian based charity organization supports villages in rural Kenya (and other countries though not with my involvement) through 5 pillars of support. Those being:

1. Health

2. Education

3. Food

4. Water

5. Opportunity

Previously I have talked about WE farms ( and my rather steep learning curve here - in fairness -- call it a wall not a curve) and now I'll talk, at this most opportune time, talk about our 1st pillar  -- that being health.

We operate a clinic and hospital in 2 communities providing a soup to nuts suite of services provided at very affordable costs. It's a sweet partnership between local government and our charity that works really well. It saves community members from traveling great distances for medical care which translates to saving lives. We offer dental care, renal, surgery, eye care and a surprisingly comprehensive number of other services.

And now!!! perhaps our reason for being; responding to our globally shared crisis: Covid 19. WE Charity deserves full marks for quickly focusing on working hard to make Narok county (where we work) the least affected in all Africa. A lofty goal to be sure but better to shoot for the stars and settle for capturing the moon.

We are mobilizing with a 2- stage response. First - an awareness campaign bringing messages about the seriousness and prevention of this disease to the people in their communities where they live. These rural communities are well off the beaten track requiring Land Cruisers and motorcycles to get us where the people are. As a side note, our Friday campaign report highlighted the very concerning statistic that 20% of the people we reached were unaware of the virus. As we can't gather the people -- we use a Land cruiser with PA system and spread the message. We hand out soap and pamphlets ensure that masks are in place to help convey the seriousness of this situation. Also community leaders join us so that we can communicate to them in the Kipsigis and Maasai language as well as Swahili.



From previous blogs, you may remember my ever - amazing and good friend Lucy who has stepped up to assist us with her Mass Media engagement skills. Working with Lucy's firm, we are targeting the youth in the community through social media  - insisting that the youth explain to their parents the seriousness of the situation and what to do about it. Thanks Lucy - you rock!!

And now to treatment... In the shot below you see the beautiful WE College that for the time being is being converted to a mass treatment facility. We are diverting patients from the Baraka hospital through a series of tents that lead to hospital for sick but non-covid, isolation for potential contact with Covid infected, treatment/ referral for those with presumptive cases and of course testing.  As the next days pass we will be racing the clock to educate as many people as possible and prepare for any eventuality that may come our way. WE are Ready!!!!

The Administration block and parking lot are now converted to a mass treatment center - with the hope it will not be needed.

On a lighter note, I am grateful to colleagues Mike and Robin who returned to the USA recently but are allowing me to care for Lucky and Sunny for the time being. Both are super friendly guys also committed to helping with the Covid19 campaign.

Lucky hard at work

Sunny hard at work

Lastly, but most importantly --  yesterday marked the end of an era for me as my last surviving grandparent  passed peacefully onward. She helped raise me in my early years and was forever after a fixture in my life in both spirit and body. Lazy summer days on Saltspring island with her will always be my fondest memories. She was extraodinarily kind and fond of me and for that I celebrate her 99 years on the planet and the impact she had on my life. Time to hoist a single malt and reflect on how I got here and to whom I owe a great debt of perpetual gratitude.  Cheers Gran! Keep smiling brightly!

Gran with her 3 kids and my Dad in April of this year (2020)

Thanks for reading .......Layno!!

La Mordida

Keep smiling and know the drill!!

Inevitable in Kenya is an opportunity for a meet and greet with the local Popo. Police forces throughout the globe will associate their work with vision statements like "keeping our communities safe" or "to serve and protect" but here in Kenya, it's more like "to swerve and detect". Swerve around justice and detect any cash that may be available for the taking. 😂 It's a daily fact of life for Kenyans. My Spanish teacher Francesca talked about the South American equivalent called La Mordida -- the bite! -- the world over, one just hopes not to be bitten. And with that, let me relate last weekend's hilarious experience.

As I slipped the Land Cruisr into a parking spot at the mall a panting sweating officer stuck his head and most of his upper torso through the window in as menacing a manner as he could muster. He then declared in an equally menacing manner that I had evaded arrest and driven dangerously and would be going to jail. He had been running after me for 3 blocks!! Ahhh!!! - I recognize this play and after a bit of experience in countries where this behavior is de rigueur, started the game. First - a big smile and then a few words in Swahili. "My brother" I said - "such a beautiful day". Step one completed - I know the drill.



After a moment where he now looked a bit uncomfortable, he mustered the same bravado earlier feigned and demanded my license. Again - a smile as I produced my license but! not handing it over and maintaining a firm grip. The ensuing and anticipated tug-a-war over my license was nothing short of a comedy act. You see once he has your license in hand you are truly fucked as you cannot go anywhere without paying.  "You must give it to me" he said. "no no no" I smiled and said. The tug -a-war won by yours truly, he then demanded that I let him into the vehicle to discuss "no no no" I said and smiled again. And as I began to exit the vehicle he said "you must remain in the vehicle" ... "no no no" I said still smiling as I locked the door. "I will have to take you to jail" he then said. I smiled broadly and again in Swahili said "we both know that's not going to happen".  Perplexed and disappointed he then said "how about just a little something small" - clearly not happy. Sure I said - I'm going to wish you a very beautiful day and thank you for all you hard work. At that we both smiled shook hands chuckling and went about or respective business. We both know the drill!!! My goodness that was fun !!!!

It reminds me of a similar event in Indonesia where I was pulled over on my scooter. I was asked for $500 USD. Knowing that this was an inevitability in the country, and prior to leaving the house, I arranged my wallet so only $5 was showing. Rather than a long bargaining session on a glorious day, I made the show of looking disaapointely through my wallet finally offering all I had. It's $5 or nothing  I said dejectedly. He took it and it was done. I later met up with another fellow that had been pulled over at the same time. "Can you believe that"!!! he said - "it cost me $500"!!! It's good to know the drill.

Jake & Yvonne

It's with a ton of joy that I share more on the story of Jake and his Mom. Her brother Malcom was fortunate to get a job as a barista and with that was able to afford a 2 bedroom apartment in Kawangware where they live together with their two other brothers. Last I shared, Yvonne and Jake were "sleeping down" and really struggling with illness and associated challenges.

Always positive, Yvonne continues to smile broadly in a much better neighborhood and with food on the table every day. Many thanks to those who continue to help support Yvonne and Jake and if you would like to give a bit more, an e-interact of $50 to Laynemahon@live.com will help out immensely. Together we have been able to send weekly for almost 2 years. Yvonne and Jake are very thankful -- as am I.

Tough drive into work this week. Traffic was a bitch!

Thanks for reading ...Layno!!!
(teeth brushing with my Massai brothers)

The struggle continues.

Happy International Womens Day!

At times I struggle with the idea of a day devoted to women across the globe. Why the special treatment and recognition I ponder? Ahhh - lucky me -- having the luxury of man's perspective without a shred of understanding of what women actually face and feel. I am admittedly naive and clearly frighteningly comfortable in my ignorance. So with that in mind, I reflect through the fog of simplicity and tip my hat to the fairer gender on this day and turn my thoughts to the woman who raised me. It is here the fog lifts.


For my Mom, I have a special place in my heart. It's not just because she's known me for 9 months longer than anyone else, but because my Mom opitimizes beauty and grace. Tough when needed, engaging always, and has the wisdom of someone well beyond her tender years. I have watched with fascination as she handled the passing of her partner in life and bravely opened the book to not read, but write the next chapter in her book of life. A cackle of laughter so familiar to friends and family, is the signature of a woman comfortable with herself and both delighted and amused by the life she leads. Happy IMD Mom!

WE be on the farm!!

Part of my work with my new team WE Charity is looking after two farms in the Mara. ( the northern part of the Serengeti) Not knowing the difference between chicory and chickens makes me an unlikely leader for the team but luckily we have a farm manager who deals with the milking of cows and the tricky bit of regulating the fertilizer for the green houses we maintain.





As part of our 5 pillars strategy, (Education - Water - Food - Health - Opportunity) we grow food for the community and to support our operations. I must say that farm to plate is a wonderfully nourishing exercise for both the palate and soul. We are currently working on a plan to add drinking water by harvesting the rainwater off our green houses and converting to drinkable water. With Honey hives, the harvest of methane gas (something to do with cow poo I think) and all the growy stuff on the fields, this is a really fun part of my job. New info - broilers and layers are not the same chicken - good to know!

The Malezi Technical Education program

It was fantastic to be back with the kids and the thoughtful band of volunteers that give selflessly for these youngins. The kids are from the Majengo slum which is definitely not at all like Disney Land and are ferried to Father's Johns office for some time with volunteers and to learn about computers.  It was a fun class with my friend Andy doing an extremely good impersonation of a professional teacher. Well done Andy!!. I noticed that the kids (this is a brand new group for the next 5 classes) have a much higher understanding of the basics of computers. Something must be going right! My little guy Jeremiah did a great job learning computer basics over the 3 hours we worked together. While admittedly, Juma's lunch was a high point, it was also rewarding as Jeremiah opened up to me and the material as the morning skipped along. A big thanks to all those who have done their part to keep this program going.


And most importantly - a new guitar. The world continues to be assaulted by my off-key plunking though I remain undeterred!!!









Thanks for reading ...Layno!!

Geckos on the ceiling

 Bugs or Geckos?

In my last post I may have inadvertently and unintentionally misguided the casual reader by suggesting that I was roughing it. Well - not exactly correct. The lovely old mansion above is my Nairobi home where I spend half my time. With the Canadian High Commissioner's residence as a my neighbor, I'd have to say that it's not exactly a shabby neighborhood. And while it's not like I can pop over for tea given the fortifications barricades and mean looking guards posted all round, it is nice to have a fellow canuck next door. Party on Wayne -- party on Garth!!

Not only is this old  sprawling home a thing of beauty with it's 12 foot ceilings and patio doors that open on both sides of the house blurring the distinction of inside vs. out, but is surrounded by 5 acres of gardens both magnificently manicured and wild at the same time.

At night the air smells so sweetly you'd think Yves St. Laurent had journeyed back from beyond to spray you straight in the face with the latest high falutin fragrance.  Oh - and there is a separate gym on the property. So all in all - not so bad. The organization purchased the property many years ago and this was the base for operations that I'll describe more fully in future blogs. At present, the property is being re-purposed for long term rentals to help us lower the cost of staff housing in the area and also maintain a safe and secure environment. Meaning - I'll be moving to less opulent digs in the very near future. 😒

Now with any old sprawling African home that blurs the relationship between inside and outside, comes a plethora of little friends. All shapes and sizes of winged and unwinged critters join me in the house for both shelter from the rains and to keep me company. Bless them for their thoughtfulness. 

Those who know me well will be aware on my lack of amorosity for the insect world so find myself often cringing as I scout and find the little fellows who have joined me in my home. So now enter the noble Gecko who has become my welcomed guest. Well in truth, there are many geckos in my home and while I love them for their diet - loath them for the way they move. A recent nightly trip to the bathroom surprised 3 of the little buggers  who skedadled in a way that resulted in a high pitched and not particularly masculine scream from yours truly. It's an uncomfortable alliance that I have come to accept though have since stopped drinking fluids to ensure there will never again be a nightly trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

On the other side of the coin, the non-insect one, I'm proud to continue to be associated with Mr. Chris Morris who recently invited me to join the Board of Directors of his charity organization SeeJ Africa. Chris is uber (not the company) passionate about protecting wildlife with a focus on holding those responsible for wildlife crime (poaching) accountable through support for the various judicial and quasi judicial mechanisms both here in Africa and abroad.

His work is noble, inspiring and a big help to those who struggle with the burden of saving our animals. I'll write a bit more n this in the future and hope you follow along.



So with my love of animals admitted, I share with you the curious scene from Maasai Mara earlier in the week where a deer (bushbuck) played with a group of monkeys. I only caught a portion on the event but found it so amusing I had to share. At the very beginning of the video, the bushbuck jumps and does a flip that even  Simone Biles the American Gold Medal gymnast would envy. Enjoy !!

Thanks for reading ....Layno!