Millions of Corn Kernals

Celebrating Me, You, and Sharon - Part 1 of 3

An International Women’s Day Series - Part 1 of 3

Every year, when March 8th comes around, I wake up to learn its International Women’s Day. Forward-thinking people (not me) have, in advance, prepared a lovely post celebrating all of the amazing women in their lives.

This March 8th was no different. Like many of you, I woke up thinking how far behind I am. I’m a mother (with two kids home from school sick currently), have a full-time job (that I can thankfully do from home), and prefer a house that is at least one or two stages away from complete sty (it’s sty-level right now).

I imagine many women around the world are in the same boat, today and every day. Feeling behind, under water, overwhelmed, and over-subscribed.

I’m choosing not to think about that today. Instead, I’m going all in. I’m dropping everything for a moment to celebrate. I invite you to join me! Take a moment: grab tea, coffee, a snack, draw, write, walk, run, dance. Or stare into the middle distance, go blank, meditate, or lay down. Do what you need to do to just level set and relax.

In honor of International Women’s Day, part of my “drop everything for a moment” strategy is to write this post, the first of a three-part series, celebrating three women half way round the world who are doing incredible amounts of work today and every day.

Women who are literally picking millions of kernals off of thousands of corn cobs. Right now. Wow.

Women at K5Village picking millions or gazillions (to my eye) of corn kernals which will be ground into flour to make chapati or ugali or sold at market.

Side note: I’ve recently increased my commitment to supporting three community-based sustainable agriculture organizations in Western Kenya, on the shores of Lake Victoria. As a result, my head is wrapped up in the work of these projects and the people - especially the women and children - in these communities.

When I asked for a picture this morning from one of these projects - K5Village, a picture that represents how women contribute to the farm’s operations, I received the above picture.

They are picking millions of corn kernals off of a thousand corn cobs… at least. And, this is just one day.

Immediately, I got a fresh dose of perspective and appreciation for what women do day in and day out.

Let’s get to our first amazing woman, Sharon. Like so many women around the world, Sharon is working to make her community a safer, more loving, more hopeful, economically sustainable, more nutritious and joyous place.

Meet Sharon Akoth of K5Village Project

Sharon is from Kisumu, Kenya (western Kenya near Lake Victoria) and is married to Omito Abraham Owuor who is Project Director at K5Village, a sustainable agriculture demonstration farm that provides vocational training, food, shelter, and other supports to orphaned children and widows as well as other vulnerable community members. Sharon is the youngest from a family of five. She is 29 years old and has two beautiful children with Omito: Rhyan and Ashley.

Sharon getting her relax on in the background - woot woot! Her children are Rhyan left and Ashley right. In the middle is r-year old Talia Lea who is one of the orphans living at K5Village.

Sharon is a warm-hearted person who welcomes all ages of children into her home. According to her husband Omito (because maybe she was to busy to come to the phone, LOL), “the orphan children at K5Village love her so much due to the love she gives them. Sharon is very active in church, loves to sing, and is responsible for teaching Sunday school to children.”

Like many women in the village, her life is shared between parenting, housework, cooking, and farming-related responsibilities. In this part of the world, where maize is both a cash crop as well as a staple in the daily diet, removing kernals from corn cobs is one of the tasks that Sharon along with other women in the community (including widows and elderly who receive support at K5Village) engage in daily.

When it comes to preparing foods, Sharon (unlike me) is an expert and facile cook. Her specialty is cooking “Managu” or African Nightshade, an indigenous plant grown widely in western Kenya. A relative of the eggplant, Managu can be dried, creamed, boiled, steamed, sauteed or fried. It can be prepared with milk or not and is often served with ugali (cooked corn meal). Remember those corn kernels?

Managu and Ugali from Nomadic Vegan

Another commonly prepared vegetable full of nutrients and beneficial properties is the “Spider Plant” otherwise commonly known as “cat’s whiskers”.

Because of its anti-inflammatory properties, it is sometimes used as a medicinal herb. The leaves and shoots form an important part of diets in Kenya and it can be found in most open-air markets and supermarkets. Source

Approximately one-third of Kenya's population suffers from food insecurity according to the IPC website. In Homa Bay County where Sharon lives, the percentage is closer to 50%. Additionally, two-thirds of residents live in poverty, compared to the country-wide average of 50%. Indigenous vegetables have been identified as a crucial source of income for farmers since the farmers do not need to be dependent on multinational seed companies. You can read more here about how K5Village is using sustainable agriculture, animal husbandry, and other techniques to empower and lift up the vulnerable in their community.

Happy International Women’s Day, Sharon! I hope you get some rest today!

What activity do you engage in daily that feels like picking a million kernals of corn off of a cob?

We all live in different areas of the world. We all have access to different levels of resources, supports and help. And, while the challenges we face may pale in comparison to those faced by some around the world, they are still valid.

Whether you are young, middle-aged, elder, married or not, with kids or not, there is likely something in your life that you do day in and day out because you have to… or else. So, what is your “million kernal” task that if you didn’t do it things would fall apart (literally or figuratively).

I’ll go first:

• Washing dishes (I don’t have a dishwasher) in a very small galley kitchen.

• Picking parsley to make tabouleh. I only do it every three days but if my ten year old had his way it would be every day; and there is usually hell to pay if he doesn’t get homemade at least twice a week (he does help pick the parsley and my other son dices the tomatoes). If you need a tabouleh recipe and instructions, hit me up. I’m an expert (but I’m not Lebanese, so not an expert expert).

It’s never ending. Parsley picking and dishes.

Wishing you a glorious Friday, Ladies!

Get some rest. Take care of you!

Thank you for reading!

Emily