Help the Helper

Photo from The Borgen Project.

Last night, amidst the sound of Antonov planes hovering above South Sudan, amidst the buzz of malaria-carrying mosquitoes and the hiss of potent black mambas, I dreamt I was in a  peaceful place in the mountains of Tajikistan---still doing humanitarian aid work but in a more relaxed, cool, serene environment, away from the violent tribal clashes and threats of a looming war. In that dreamful state, I saw myself catching butterflies in the meadows, but the next second I was looking through the barrel of a Kalashnikov pointed at me.

GUEST POST: What to Do When Things Go Wrong

A car breakdown in the middle of Africa will suck all your energy.

Over the past few years, there have been plenty of examples in the new of trips gone wrong, from kidnappings on the Kenyan coast, to volcanic eruptions in Iceland to the earthquake in Japan. While these are certainly extreme examples, it does go to show that there is only so much you can do to prepare for a trip, and despite careful planning, unexpected events always seem to be lurking round the corner.

The Great Migration

We all have a purpose in life.
Photo from Picture Kenya. 

Every day of each year is an endless march of  life and death. Every journey a struggle for survival. Every moment an opportunity to race alongside friends or battle with one’s enemy. Every heart beat, every groan, every step determine one’s fate. Every single drop of blood, a chance to breathe life into another. Every day is an adrenaline-pumping adventure.

That’s how it is for millions of wildebeests and thousands of zebras, gazelles, and elands who brave a 500-kilometer journey from the southern Serengeti in Tanzania to the northern tip of the Masai Mara in Kenya---in what is known as nature’s greatest spectacle.