Above: Women waiting in turn for real food! 

Below: Yet one more family will rejoice over a good meal!

Birthday present - ”It's our turn to eat” is indeed the title of a book – with the subtitle “The story of a Kenyan whistleblower” – but is sadly rather a story about the kind of redistribution which most of us abhor: mega corruption in high circles.
    A friend told me about this book just before Christmas. In Nairobi, shortly before our holiday trip to Sweden, I asked for it in several book shops. – Sorry, it's been banned by our government! Finally I went to our favourite book store and one of the owners confirmed: – Just come back tomorrow and we will have received a shipment.
    Following day was my birthday. As the long standing family tradition prescribed (ever since I was a small boy), I was once again served warm chocolate with whipping cream in bed by my beloved wife. Shortly thereafter we returned to the shop. Lo and behold, out came a copy of the book which I was eager to read. – Isn't this book banned?, I asked. There was just a big, warm smile in return!

A early morning non-paying passenger to work on my bicycle!

Ant vs. elephant - John Githongo was appointed in early 2003 by the newly elected Kenyan president to head up the anti-corruption campaign. Getting to grips with the galloping graft and sleaze was one of the prime ambitious election pledges on which the new coalition government had won their constituencies' favour. The international donor community and companies eager to start investing in Kenya could now be assured that a different era was finally at hand! – But would an ant really be able to topple an elephant?
    John's gruelling and compromising findings finally made it to the public in 2005 from his hide out in the UK, to where he had defected because he had received too many threats to his life. His testimony, also based on recordings, would eventually lead to some reshuffling in ministerial and senior servants posts, but for most parts only temporarily...

Opulent table - Then came the 2007 elections. Polls and then also election results pointed to an indisputable lead for the opposition candidate. But who is willing to give up his seat at an opulent table? It can't be the others' turn to eat just yet!
    When it became clear that the final results were deliberately procrastinated, Kenya was, within days, thrown into an abyss of tragic violence never seen before and supposedly instigated and financed from higher circles. The country is still licking its wounds and is in one sense more divided than ever along tribal lines. Many are wondering what may be the outcome of the next round of general elections in 2 years. This while the elite is continuing to “eat”.... No wonder why areas like the Turkana district is one of the most marginalised (according the the government's own statistics), where roads are in a lamentable state, good medical care is scarce and there is still a big lack of schools and qualified teachers. Many people are also reliant on food distribution, financed by the international community.

Who is at fault? - It is easy to become cynical and to point a finger of disdain at countries and leaders on this continent, when reading this book about corruption (which, by some experts, is considered one of the prime factors retarding development). But what about the industrialised world? What about banks and institutions who willingly receive and guard gigantic sums of money robbed by leaders from their own state reserves or companies involved in money laundering, authorities who don't bother about persecuting economic crimes etc. etc.? What responsibility rests with the rich world? (If you're interested there is a lot to read about John Githongo on the internet, and the book is an eye-opener!)

Christmas get-together. Our big crowd of family gathered in our house for some few intense but wonderful days around Christmas (we only missed Magdalena, Jonathan's girlfriend) and it was a particular joy to see our latest grandchild, Alice, Emil and Stina's second girl, just 6 weeks old. Our ingenious children also came up with a variant of our annual fund-raising game/activity (where we all try to share some of our plenty with the less fortunate). This time we all had to offer a service such as massage, hair-styling, make-up, a sight-seeing in the beautiful winter land on snow scooter or perhaps sing a song or perform in any other way, all payable in one way or the other. Ideas were plentiful. - What would you pay to see me bathing in swimsuit in the snow? I challenged. Pictures and video-shots were taken and everybody applauded as I dove in. A bit refreshing and money come in. Our Christmas game translated into a good amount for help amongst our Turkana friends.

Tired New Year's eve - Two weeks at home just whistled by and soon enough our fatigue caught up with us. New Years eve was spent just with the two of us and we both laid down to rest a bit and eventually went to sleep, only to wake up just as we saw the performer on television shout: Happy New year Sweden! Another two nights at home in the beautiful winter land and then it was time to head south and back to the heat again.

Above: Christmas fund-raising activities
Below: Antennae move - a tall order!

Flying start - Our planned trip by road from Nairobi to Loki did not materialise however. The engine on our car is now running smoothly (with the fuel injector and many other parts changed) but the 4 wheel drive still has an electrical problem. So we had to return to Loki by plane, hoping that some day we will be able to pick up our vehicle!
    The first week had a flying start with the move of the V-sat antennae from our compound to the airport just behind my office, introducing Ruth, who had been on maternity leave and the birth of her beautiful Kayla, to some of our new office routines and practices, purchase of cement and other material for the school construction etc. etc. The antennae move was a bit of a tall order, but we're so thankful that we now have internet access virtually around the clock, as opposed to having to rely entirely on solar and batteries earlier. This also means we can afford to run ventilation fans in the evening and hopefully get some better sleep and rest at night. And if sleep refuses to come, have a mid-night chat via Skype with our youngest son in Sweden...!

MAF in action - MAF planes have also been very busy. Many days there have been 2-3 important flights via our base in Loki into Southern Sudan where tension is rising by the day as the general and presidential election is drawing near (scheduled for April). A number of up-coming scenarios are being painted by experts, one of the darker ones a return to civil war! There, as well as in Kenya, no one will freely give up his seat at the “table of opulence”
    As I'm writing, MAF is also heavily involved in another major crisis, half around the world. Only 3 days following the terrible earthquake in Haiti, our planes and essential staff started swinging into action in order to relieve suffering by transporting medical personnel, supplies, evacuating wounded and orphans etc. We also have a Swedish MAF-pilot coordinating logistics from Florida. For more information see www.maf.org.

There is so much more to tell you, about the MAF work, about the school project, about women's meetings, about micro loans to Turkana friends, about school fees providing new opportunities for young people from poor families... But we will leave some stories until later.
    Remains to underline that it is such a privilege to be here, believing that God, despite what circumstances may seem to tell us, is a loving God and having his Word as a sure compass for navigation in a challenging world, with a sense of just being a little link in a wonderful network for a better world!

God with us! /

KeA