Dear Mom and Dad,

…It seems that the small rains are not going to come this year. They are well over a month late. On the mountain, the people still have water but the plains below are in real trouble. The Maasai boma to which I go once a week to teach is typical. It’s a walk of at least ten miles to water the cattle and to get water for drinking, cooking and washing. Most of the cows have dried up and what little milk is left is given to the small children. The older people buy a little corn meal and cook it with a small amount of milk. They are really feeling the effects of hunger. Over the past two months all have gotten noticeably thinner and have lost a great deal of energy. An old man, an elder of a place about sixty miles from here across the plains came in about three days ago and said three people have died in his area. He was looking for government help. The old men say that if there is no rain until the big rains in March, many of the Maasai will die.

Love,

Ned