NewsLab

3 months ago, I met an extraordinary man, in Athens. His name is Tobias Nyabola, he comes from a small village in Kenya, Bama. Tobias is a retired teacher and the elected leader of what is called a CBO in Bama, a community based organisation. He was coming here to be awarded by the Greek President Karolos Papoulias on the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights for his great contribution to his small community.

It was his first time outside his country.

With the eyes of a small child who sees everything for the very first time, he was trying not to lose a thing from his journey. His first experience in the tube of Athens, in the street-car, his walk next to the sacred rock of Acropolis. And I was impressed by his determination and his kindness. His smile and his positive energy, even if I knew that many kilometres away, in his country, his life was an everyday struggle.   “In my compound, there is no minute that passes without HIV. I have orphans who are products of HIV, my own children are themselves suffering from the virus, so this actually energised me to mobilise the village…” Tobias knows the impact of AIDS all too well. 4 of his 19 children, biological and adopted, are infected with the disease. Despite his personal suffering, Tobias never forgets his oath. “Whoever lives in Bama must be supported to live in a human manner”.  So should do Bama’s 568 orphans. Tobias’ goal is to empower each orphan to own property, starting with a goat. “This system gives orphans food security in terms of getting goat milk, second the orphan can get some money for fees and school fees and blankets as a result of selling some of the animals”. But his most remarkable achievement was a profound change in the community’s mentality. In this part of Africa, women are not allowed to own land, animals, not even themselves. When their husband dies, they are given to their family in law with all the belongings of their husband.  There is only one solution for their survival. A young widow has to marry her dead spouse’s brother. But this custom is proven deadly. A woman, usually already infected by her husband, is bound to transmit the Virus to her brother in law who will in turn transmit it to his first wife. The young adult population is decimated. Through Tobias’ educational efforts, over 100 widows have refused to be inherited. They have acquired the right to own land, so they could survive. A driving force behind Bama’s success story was “Action Aid Hellas”.Tobyas Nyabola found strength and courage to transform tragedy into hope, changing for ever the lives of his fellow villagers. He dreams of a day when there will be no hunger or poverty, aids or malaria in his Kenyan village. He dreams of water pipes, electricity poles, a small cheese industry and an educational centre with library and Pcs for the children of Bama. He is afraid his dreams will not come true… The achievements of his people, who have taken their fate in their own hands, prove the opposite.     

Share on Facebook