jeremy.north

The grannies sit outside in a circle, doing their thing. The ropes get longer and longer as they work, a babble of voices accompanying the work. As we approach, they wave their greetings, inviting us to join them on the side of the tin building which provides them with shelter from the sun.  I pass hugs and kisses all around, instantly happy to see them. My heart feels good here and after a day of meetings and planning, it is good to be outside amongst these Luo speakers. Rain is imminent, with the sky a petroleum grey behind us, rapidly overpowering the bright sunlight. Time is short, so we [...]

It is a warm evening in Gemena, Democratic Republic of the Congo where I am doing some site visits to make sure that our livelihoods projects are doing well.  We visited 15 families so far and, in each case, I am incredibly encouraged and happy by what I see – families eating well because of their gardens and animals. Children no longer going to the clinic and not needing medicine for water borne illnesses because they now are using water filters and their bellies no longer hurt. And just as exciting – we are told over and over again of children attending school because school fees were paid through [...]

Jet lag has a grip on me this time around and I don’t sleep more than an hour total all night. When the alarm goes off at 4:30am, I am grateful for it, as I no longer need try to be still so that I don’t wake Naomi up. I shower and check us out, ready for our 5am trip to the airport, where we will catch a flight to Mombasa. Sister Veronica greets us at the Mombasa airport, where the sky is heavy with moisture and we are instantly drenched in sweat. Vero, on the other hand, comments on how cold the weather has turned and how strange it [...]

I had forgotten cold water is so cold when taking a bath in the morning. It had slipped my mind that the rooster will crow at all odd hours, not just at sunrise. I missed the different smells of the rains: before they hit the scorched red earth, while it is raining, and as it moves on, leaving the land watered and complete. I fail to recall that that a chicken will likely be sitting on my bed throughout the day and will give me a look of utter contempt when I shoo her away. What has never escaped my memory and what forever lives in me is the sound [...]

Sipho, gentle Sipho, stands proudly in “her” greenhouse, shyly smiling at me as I ask her questions about growing lettuce and about her life. I love watching her face break into a huge smile when I ask her about her baby, an 18-month old chubby girl. The baby, born of rape, is a child who is loved. A child of hope. A child with a future. Sipho wakes up very early and heads out to the greenhouse, watering the plants and pulling up weeds that threaten her ground. The drip irrigation system has done its job and the soil is pliant and forgiving.  To the far left, the lettuces are [...]

It is a known fact that United States is seen around the world as a country with a “poor” diet – high concentrations of processed food, sugar, red meat, and the reduction of veggies and fruit. In search for convenience and speed, people tend to fall into eating habits that aren’t the healthiest of choices, but that simply get the work of being full done. Many people believe that they don’t have enough time to cook meals from scratch even if it’s only a couple of times a week. You can see that grocery lists become more filled with “ready to eat” meals, frozen pre-made dinners, canned meals etc. Typically, [...]

Patagonia. The word alone invokes thoughts of snow peaked mountain, immense valleys, glaciers, guanacos with their huge, sad eyes, and silence. Silence that is breathtaking and all encompassing, allowing one to the trickle of a creek or the high-pitched call of an eagle. Silence that allows your head to think and your heart to feel.  Silence that allows you to hear your boots crunch as you trek through this immense area in southern Chile. Who hasn’t added Patagonia to their bucket list?  It has been on mine since I was 16 years old and the time is near for me to fly down to Punta Arenas to do a 37-mile [...]