From Cuba with love for the needy

Fr Jorge Fernandez

Samburu; Kenya: The first word he learnt when he set foot in Samburu land was Injoki, which means “give me.”

Right away, he knew the people who lived in Barsaloi area of Samburu would need his help — probably for as long as he will be with them.

Nevertheless, Father Jorge Fernandez, a catholic priest from Cuba, stayed put, maintaining his zeal to help those who could not help themselves.

That is the purpose he strongly believes God created him for.

“I did not like the fact that all they told me was injoki. I wanted them to realise that they are just as good as any other person who does not beg to survive,” he says. “But it was clear life in Barsaloi was not an easy one. I wanted to help as long as help would be needed, only that I hoped the situation would improve.”

To meet Fr Jorge in Barsaloi, we travelled for three hours — up the hills and down the valleys that give Samburu its characteristic undulations.

We found him sitting on a pavement within Barsaloi Catholic Mission which he runs with another priest and three nuns.

It is a superficially furnished building designed for good enough sleep but void of any kind of luxury, and can pass as that the only ‘motel’ in Barsaloi.

AVAILABLE AMBULANCE

“Welcome,” he muttered. “I hope you will enjoy your stay for the night.”

Since he came back in 2010, Fr Jorge has been driving the only available ambulance which serves the residents of Barsaloi.

The place is remote and the amenities are below what would be considered adequate for human survival. He has had to answer very many distress calls, and saved a number of lives too.

“There is only one ambulance to ferry patients and I am the driver. Sometimes we are lucky and successfully ferry patients who need emergency care on time,” he says.

HEARTBREAKING MOMENTS

“But there are moments we are heartbroken. When the roads become impassable or when we lose the patient. There are times when women in labour have delivered in the ambulance while we are on the way to the hospital.”

From Barsaloi, the nearest town with improved health facilities is Maralal.

To get there, the driver needs not only skill, but an innate desire to undertake the treacherous journey through thickets of dry shrubs and thorny acacia as there is no definite route that connects the two places.

“When it rains, the driver has to manoeuvre his way through the bushes. There is no road — on the ground or on a map — that connects the two places. I drive through the bush and I have to be concise with my directions.”

Before 2010, Oreiy — as the Samburu call him — had stayed in Barsaloi between 1994 and 2001.

Together with a colleague, Father Carlos Alberto, they interacted with the people and got integrated into the community.

Sometime in 1996, Fr Carlos was down with malaria for a week.

He died since there was no vehicle to take him to the hospital.

Such is the state of destitution in Barsaloi.

“I chose to come here when my mission group asked me to,” he says. “I wanted to go to a place where nobody goes. I am not after saving the world but I want my life here on earth to have meaning to the people in Barsaloi.”

He is not afraid of the life in Barsaloi, an area without running water nor electric power.

He views life as an adventure, with benefits as well as risks.

“When I left in 2001, I went to study,” he says, and adds “that was not me giving up. When I finished and was required to go somewhere to continue my mission work, I asked that I come back here. Samburu has taught me how to live a simple life.”

The ambulance Fr Jorge drives is chaperoned by Yarumal Catholic missionaries, under which he serves.

Having dedicated his life to being a priest, Fr Jorge has no financial muscle, and never did he think that his simple driving skills would make the difference between life and death.

“I pray for everyone who needs God to help them in any situation. I also drive them to the hospital so they can get treatment,” he says, as he adjusts the sombrero hat he uses to protect his light skin from the blistering Samburu sun.