I traveled to Kenya in 2013 with Eagle Projects as part of a missions team that was doing medical clinics to villages in northern Kenya. It was one of the best experiences of my life.
We packed up and headed on a drive 13 hours north of Nairobi through the desert. It was very remote and we had to have armed security with us for most of the drive due to the possibility of thieves. We didn’t encounter any problems other than a few mechanical issues with the vehicle.
We set up home base at a guest house for mission organizations in Marsabit. From there we would go out daily to villages and work with a local church to set up medical clinics to help those that do not have good access to medical services. The services that are provided are very basic, but can make a huge difference in their lives. My role is always to document the clinics and to capture a sense of the culture. I always feel in my element when I’m wandering around the dirt roads of a village and meeting people and photographing as I go.
One day we went to a very remote village and set up the medical clinic. We were working with the Samburu tribal people and it was one of the best days of photography I have had in my life. The clinics were set up in an old church with concrete walls that had natural light coming through a couple windows. It was the perfect portrait studio for the day and I got some of the best portraits I have ever captured.
One of the surprise highlights of the trip was going on a half-day safari upon our return to Nairobi. Even though it just on the outskirts of the city, we got to see a lot of local wildlife including giraffes, lions, a huge rhinoceros, gazelles and many more.
I truly loved visiting northern Kenya and look forward to many more trips to remote areas of the world! – McCory
