L.K. Nathans
It is easy to lose faith in humanity. There is so much injustice surrounding us that sometimes letting go of love and kindness is the only option. It is hard to love in world engulfed in wars and hatred. It’s even harder to love and show humanity when you’ve been hurt before.
Despite of this, we should not forget that humanity has not entirely gone to the dogs. There are still people feeding the homeless, giving orphaned children hope, rescuing endangered animals and invariably reminding us that we are not on our own.
There are the little actions that still make big differences. These subtle actions are what continuously breath life to humanity. If you are giving up on goodness, these 13 photos from Kenya should help you restore your faith in humanity.
1. The story of Wanja Mwaura who saved a childhood friend, Patrick Hinga, from the dangers of drug addiction and extreme poverty and transformed him into a healthy and respectable person. Patrick later died but Wanja’s actions will forever remain in our hearts.
2. This photo of Ali Kombo, a GSU officer who bravely put his life in danger during the Dusit D2 terror attack to save other Kenyans. The constable was later awarded for this heroic act.
3. This photo of businessman Abdul Haji who risked his own life to save that of an American child during the Westgate terror attack. Abdul had gone to rescue his brother who was in the mall during the attack and ended saving the lives of many other people.
4. This photo of Humanitarian worker Anja Ringgren Lovén giving water to a starving 2-year old Nigerian boy. The boy who went to be famously known as ‘the Nigerian witch boy’ had allegedly been thrown out by his own family because they suspected he was a witch. Anja found him roaming the streets of Nigeria and rescued him. She was named in 2016 as the most inspiring person in the world ahead of President Obama and Pop Francis. He named the boy Hope.
This is Hope later in life. Healthy and alive.
5. This photo of KWS soldiers and members of the local community saving an elephant that had been trapped in the mud at the Kilenyeti River in Kenya for three days.
6. This photo of Kenyan athlete Simon Cheprot who sacrificed a top position during the Okpekpe 10KM race in Nigeria to save a fallen competitor, Kenneth Kipkemoi. As they say, he lost the race but won the hearts of many. Simon was awarded KSh 1 million for this humane gesture.
7. And then there is this photo of another Kenyan athlete Jacqueline Nytepi Kiplimo who risked an obvious first position during the 2010 Zhengkai International Marathon in China to help a disabled Chinese man drink water. She came second and lost $10,000 cash prize but walked out a hero.
8. This photo of an Orphaned elephant having an intimate moment with the KWS officer who rescued her from an angry mob in Kimanjo village, Kenya. The young elephant was separated from her mother after angry locals attacked a herd of elephants that had allegedly killed a woman.
9. This photo from Zagreb University in Croatia where 147 students lay down for 147 seconds to pay tribute to the 147 students who lost lives in during the Garissa University terror attack. They formed a Kenyan map with the word ‘KENYA’ in the middle.
10. In Kenya, Boniface Mwangi led other Kenyan artist in paying tribute to the students by creating 147 masks bearing names of each student killed.
11. This photo of Inayat Kassam who selflessly risked his life to save other Kenyans during the 14 Riverside attack at Dusit complex.
12. And then there is this British SAS soldier who despite being off duty braced himself for a deadly task and saved a lot of lives during the Dusit attack.
13. And finally this photo of a Kenya Air Force soldier Corporal Fredrick Onyango rescuing an old man from killer floods in Kilifi county.
