A Blog Post by Matthew Cole: Mobile Money

In the US, the whole process of mobile money has really come onto the scene in the last 5 years, with more and more people buying smartphones and with more and more service providers upgrading themselves to be able to use this technology. But, what if I told you that there is a country which has been using a form of mobile money for almost 15 years, and all you need is a cellphone and a cell phone connection. No smartphone. No special hardware. And you guessed it, that country is Kenya. Kenya’s largest cell phone provider, Safaricom, introduced its mobile money system, called M-Pesa (m for mobile, pesa means “money” in Swahili) in 2007.

The Samburu ProjectFebruary 21, 2020Comment

A Blog Post by Matthew Cole: Plague

In the moment, the 3 year old child in me was so in awe of a big machine at work, that I failed to comprehend the emotion of the moment. Looking back, I realize that for the members of the community who were there to observe, the moment must have been of monumental emotion. Seeing the water explode out of the ground, like a ray of hope sent from below, showed this community that their lives would be just a bit easier.

The Samburu ProjectJanuary 31, 2020Comment

A Blog Post by Matthew Cole: Wanderings

Pole, nimepotea. Sorry, I have been lost. It’s been a while since my last blog post, and that has to do mostly with the fact that I have been incredibly busy this past month. Between traveling for work and pleasure and the festive season, I haven’t had the chance to just sit down and write.

The Samburu ProjectJanuary 8, 2020Comment

A Blog Post by Matthew Cole: Lemaiyan

While I will avoid the obvious Bon Jovi pun (sorry Christie), I should inform you all that I have officially passed my halfway point of being here in Kenya - a fact that I truly cannot believe.

The Samburu ProjectDecember 10, 2019Comment

A Blog Post by Matthew Cole: Culture Shock

A fact that many Westerners do not know about Kenya is how diverse it is. Due to it’s equatorial and coastal location, it has been at the confluence of trading routes from all over Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia…

The Samburu ProjectNovember 18, 2019 Comment

A Blog Post by Matthew Cole: The Rains and Surveys!

It does rain here, albeit only for a short period of time throughout the year. When I arrived here in July, it became very apparent that is does rain here, even as the sun beats oppressively down on your face. You look around and there are gullies, valleys and dry riverbeds that dot the landscape.

The Samburu ProjectOctober 23, 2019Comment

A Blog Post by Matthew Cole: Blood on the Leaves

I mentioned in the previous post that there is an additional ceremony after a month in which the circumcised boys fully become morans. This ceremony is called “lorora” or the bird throwing ceremony. I had the pleasure of attending the lorora at the manyatta where I witnessed the circumcision last month on this past Sunday.

Matthew Cole Blog PostsThe Samburu ProjectSeptember 26, 2019Comment

A Blog Post by Matthew Cole: How to Become a Man, Samburu 101

A week or so ago, I had the honor and pleasure of attending a unique tradition in Samburu culture. Before I begin, I will preface by saying that out of respect to Samburu and this emotional day, I did not take any pictures. To start, one must understand a little about Samburu culture and society.

A Blog Post By Matthew Cole: "Colors"

I have been in Wamba, my “home” in Kenya for a few days now. One thing that becomes quite clear when you arrive in this area is the vast array of colors that dot this landscape.

The Samburu ProjectAugust 15, 2019Comment

JOIN OUR MAILING LIST: