Thank you, Lord, for giving us rain

As I am writing this post, I am listening to the splashes of heavy rain hitting African soil. Being from Bergen, the rainy town, this might seem quite obvious and even obnoxious. Here in Kenya however, every drop of water that finds its way to earth is celebrated. The reasons are overwhelming:

For several years, Kenya has been stricken by on-an-off periods of drought. Many of us might remember the East Africa food crisis in 2006, which was caused mainly by lack of water. Scarce resources and sky-high pricing on basic foodstuff led 10 % of the Kenyan population into a state of dependence on food-aid from the government and organizations.

This year the rains again marked their absence. Due to a general lack of water the government has implemented rationing, and some areas have been left completely dry. As the smell of wet dust now reaches my bedroom window, I am hoping and praying that a change may be on its way. I can imagine the consequences:

1: Water rationing would stop and we would now be able to shower and flush the toilet daily, as opposed to being limited to thursdays, fridays and saturday mornings.
2: We would no longer struggle for hours to get red dust out of our clothes.

but more importantly...

3: My sister Nana would no longer have to carry a 20 kg jerrycan one kilometer each way to have water for cooking and cleaning.
4: A lady, like many others, who used to earn her living selling water in Mathare slum, would again have an income to sustain herself and her daughter.
5: Thousands of Kenyan farmers would be able to grow their crops, keep their animals alive, and in turn have the security of waking up every day knowing that they will have something to eat.

Knowing all this, Bergen autumn rainfalls seem like such a waste...