AUGUST 2023

8th humanitarian trip of GAM asbl
Kenya (14 - 25 August 2023)
​

A group of GAM asbl volunteers travelled to Kenya, in what was the 8th humanitarian trip of the association, to visit the projects funded by GAM in this country.

On 17 August, in Tuum, taking advantage of the visit of our volunteers, took place the inauguration of the bakery, a GAM 2023 project that aims to promote the empowerment of Samburu women.

​The contact with the beneficiaries of the projects, but also with the GAM representatives on the ground was certainly an interesting and enriching experience.

Testimonial: visit to GAM asbl's projects in Kenya, August 2023
​

This trip was an excellent opportunity to see the extraordinary work being done by missionaries in Kenya, supported by GAM asbl. We visited three villages where GAM is funding projects: Tuum, Barsaloi and Lodoung'Okwe. All three are situated in a part of the country that is very poorly communicated (rocky roads, unpaved tracks and long distances), making the work of the missionaries even more difficult. In addition, many Kenyans told us that the Samburu and Turkana tribes living in these villages had been forgotten by the government. During our visit, the Lodoung'Okwe area was experiencing a period of severe drought; women had to walk more than an hour to reach the dry rivers, where they dug a hole in the riverbed to draw water. The Samburu women, beneficiaries of one of the projects we visited, aimed at empowering them, which starts its second phase in January 2024, asked us to build a well in the area where they receive their training, so that they do not have to walk so far to fetch water. They also gave us many other ideas on how we can continue to help them.

The visits to these projects showed us the true reality of these vulnerable populations, to whom GAM will continue to provide support through the financing of projects that meet their needs, but also through the establishment of strong and lasting partnerships that allow a real and effective north-south cooperation.

​In addition to external aid, the best partnership is the local participation of the beneficiaries, which means empowerment, and which they do very well in all our projects, being a non-negotiable policy of GAM asbl. It is a matter of avoiding any paternalistic thinking.