A group of Young Comboni Lay Missionaries serve in the harsh yet beautiful West Pokot region of Kenya. Despite the challenges they face, they build hope and dignity by trusting in God. They talk about their experience.
The sun stands still above the dry, thorny plains of Kitelakapel, a remote region located in the heart of West Pokot in Kenya. It is a land of contrasts: harsh yet strikingly beautiful. Goats and cows roam freely along dusty paths, sharing the roads with the occasional passer-by.
Life moves slowly and rhythmically under the blazing sun. Now and then, two people meet under the sparse shade of an acacia tree and exchange the Pokot greeting “Poghisio-nyi?”, meaning “Hi” or “How are you?”.
Continue up the road from the local centre and you’ll find the Comboni Lay Missionaries, a small but vibrant community living and working among the Pokot people. Love and vocation are what bring us here. We are here to live out Saint Daniel Comboni’s vision of a missionary family, consecrated and lay, reaching the world’s most remote and neglected places.
Our community includes Marzena Gibek (Poland, physiotherapist); Pius Oyoma (Uganda, teacher and pastoral worker); and Linda Micheletti (Italy, education and youth ministry). We are joined by Belinda Awino (Kenya, lay missionary) and others will join us soon from Kenya and Poland.
We arrived in Kitelakapel in October 2022, and since then, we’ve dedicated ourselves to serving in the fields of education, healthcare, pastoral ministry, and community empowerment.
The challenges here are many and deeply rooted. Clean water is scarce, health services are insufficient, and hunger is a daily reality for many. Malnutrition among children is widespread, and job opportunities are almost non-existent.
Easy access to cheap alcohol and drugs is a problem for the Pokot community, which is already poor and desperate. Education is a new value. Polygamy and early marriages, especially for girls, are common. This leads to school dropouts and teenage pregnancies. Many children are sent to boarding schools from a young age.
Without adequate support, these students face immense challenges, including peer pressure, gender inequality, body image issues, emotional isolation and sexual exploitation. Often, girls seek financial help from older boys or men in exchange for favours simply to afford basic school supplies or hygiene products.
The use of physical punishment is common. This fosters fear and silence, especially among children and women. There is little confidence and self-expression, and women have little role in leadership and community decisions. The area also suffers from high rates of alcohol addiction, HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, which go untreated due to stigma and a lack of resources.
In response to these complex realities, our work takes on many forms, guided by a simple goal: to serve, to accompany, and to empower.
Pius and Linda focus on “Life skills education” in three local secondary schools: St Bakhita (Kacheliba), Holy Trinity (Serewo) and St Paul’s (Kitelakapel). These co-educational schools offer a Life Skills curriculum that addresses vital themes such as personal development, emotional management, conflict resolution, sexuality, relationships, addictions, peer pressure, self-esteem and goal setting.
We aim to help these students discover who they are, who they want to be, and how to live with purpose and dignity. We believe education must go beyond academics; it must form strong, conscious individuals ready to lead and thrive, even in the face of adversity.
Marzena, a dedicated physiotherapist, works with children recovering from disabilities or injuries, but her work has expanded rapidly. Today, she is one of the most trusted health workers in the area. People come to her with a wide range of medical needs – from back pain to emergencies. She also assists pregnant women at the Kacheliba dispensary and runs developmental activities for children at the Kitelakapel nursery school every week.
Our pastoral ministry is both diverse and vibrant. We teach catechism and Sunday school, lead YCS (Young Christian Students) groups in the schools, and offer pastoral programs for primary school students. We also support parish life through workshops, liturgical animation, choir, and meetings with various church groups.
On weekends, our mission compound comes alive with the laughter and energy of children playing games and simply enjoying the privilege of being together in a safe space.
We are particularly proud of two community-driven projects: The Reusable Sanitary Pads Workshop. In this initiative, women learn to sew reusable sanitary pads. This helps to address menstrual hygiene challenges and creates a source of income for the women involved. It also ensures that girls can attend school regularly, even during their periods.
And the Kitelakapel CBO (Community-Based Organisation): We have launched a community savings group, bringing together women and men to support one another through micro-business ventures, savings, and cooperative development. It is a small but powerful step toward economic self-reliance.
In the health sector, we hope, one day, to expand into more structured care: perhaps a small dispensary, a mobile clinic for remote villages, or even a centre for children with disabilities. We know it is a big dream, but we trust in God’s providence and the power of community.
As evening falls in Kitelakapel, the sounds of life change. Goats return home. Children’s voices echo from huts as they prepare for the night. Lights flicker in the school, where boys study late. A motorbike hums by and from a distant home, laughter and music rise, perhaps a celebration.
Girls twirl in their traditional lorwa skirts beneath a starry sky. Above them all is a starry sky, reminding us that even in the most forgotten places, God is here, tender and present. Those deemed the ‘most abandoned’ by society are indeed the most beloved by Him. (Linda Micheletti) – (Photo: Comboni Lay Missionaries).
