Rotary Foundation Dinner at The Maasai Mara: My Experience in The Wild
By Janet Akech
When you are in the wilderness, you become immersed in it. There were no outside distractions all the way from the Maasai Mara Game Reserve’s gate to the venue of The Rotary Foundation dinner at the GnG Hotel.
A calm that overwhelms all other feelings and relaxes your body and mind, a good feeling of coming out to be together as People of Action to celebrate and bond while fundraising in the wild. The Rotary Foundation dinner at the Mara was a blast. The night was marked with dance, good food and appreciating nature and the wild the next day. The peak was the fundraising itself.
23 out of 29 clubs in the Western Kenya and Rift Valley Regions were in attendance. The Western Kenya and Rift Valley region of District 9212 came together to celebrate the efforts of its members towards contributions to The Rotary Foundation.
The Mara Foundation not only had members from Western and Rift region, but we had guests from Nairobi too, led by our even own District Governor Azeb Asrat aka DG Pendo together with District Governor-Elect Leonard and Rotary District 9212 Rotary Foundation Chair Protus Lumiti.
The Narok County government recognised our presence in the Mara and joined us during the event. The county was represented by Deputy Governor Engineer Mathew Kipkorir Kirui.
A total of $5,000 was fundraised on the very night. Clubs with highest contribution to the foundation were awarded and the highest individual giver was also awarded. About 16 Rotarians got Paul Harris Fellow certificates
The dinner had lots of surprises and fun. There was entertainment from the Maa Community, popularly known as the Maasai. The Maasai are not to be missed. on such a day, despite their way of life they still had time for us and one another. You could also describe them in two words, happy and blessed.
Traditions are important to them, and you can immerse yourself in their dances and singing. Rotarians were not denied this incredible moment. What is eye-catching is their clothes. They wear colourful garments in sharp contrast with nature there. The Maasai village some few kilometres from the park are something you don’t want to miss, but it will be a story for another day.
