Photographer aims to raise funds for Kenyan villagers hit by virus crisis
HELPING HAND:
IT HAS been an annual pilgrimage which Gren Sowerby has undertaken for the past 30 years.
The pensioner has travelled to the Kenyan village of Oleseke to capture spectacular images of the local community, the landscapes and wildlife including giraffes, elephants and lions.
He is now giving something back to the villagers, who have been badly affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Mr Sowerby, 70, from Whitley Bay in Northumberland, said: “I’ve been going to Oleseke for years and have got to know the people there, they are incredibly nice and welcoming.
“I saw on Facebook that a lot of villagers over there are really struggling at the moment because of the crisis.
“Instead of watching them starve, I thought I would do something to help.”
His crowdfunding page had raised more than £2,700 by yesterday and his contacts in Kenya have carried out a vital delivery of food, with more to follow in the coming days.
Villagers in Oleseke are part of the Maasai, a Nilotic ethnic group inhabiting northern, central and southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. To reach the village, Mr Sowerby has to drive three hours off road from the nearest main road.
The villagers’ basic diet is maize, and a bale of the cereal grain costing £13 would keep them fed for an entire month, according to Mr Sowerby.
The retired businessman said: “My plan is to raise some money to send over to these amazing people , in the hope they can eat and survive till the country opens up again.”
More details about the fundraising are available at www.gofundme.com/f/maasaivillages-corvid19-help?