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Ensoha—clay pot used for storing
water and keeping it cool.
Hans Homan with Bridget’s family
Bridget on left in brown dress.
Ensara Maizi by Wandia Kagondu Seaforth
My cousin was crying silently in
her pillow and though we could
all hear her, we pretended to be
fast asleep. Nobody intervened
to ask what was wrong. The
truth was that we had a pretty
good idea why she was crying
and it was a reason for which she
could get into trouble. Obviously
she was already in trouble, other-
wise she would not have been
crying. But if my mother had
found out why she was crying,
she would have gotten into even
hotter soup!
That morning we had been at the
bottom of the hill in our farm.
This place was in a valley where
there was a wetland and a small,
barely discernible stream. The
wetland had water reeds and
other plants that grow in swampy
areas. It was also planted with
Nduma (arrow root) that seemed
to thrive in swampy land. Farther
from the water, there was maize
and sweet potatoes. Farther up
the slope, for the land slopped
right up to where we had our
house, there was grass that the
cattle ate.
A precious gift from Hans
In January, Hans Homan, a
tourism expert who volun-
teers with the Netherlands
PUM Foundation was in
Uganda to help establish Koi
Koi Village, a cultural centre
near Fort Portal, Toro in west-
ern Uganda, the home of
Ensi Women. The centre is a
joint project between Nya-
kairu Estate and Ensi Women.
During his visit, Hans kindly
offered to pay school fees for
Our assignment was to keep the Kikuyu means “that moves
grazing cows away from the about.” Catching one was no
maize and sweet potatoes, food mean feat, but we were deter-
which the cows liked much mined to get them at all cost.
better than the grass. This as- Why were they of such interest
signment often landed us in to us? Well, it was common
trouble. We might decide to knowledge among adolescent
light a fire and roast maize: the girls that if you put a njururi to
danger was a fire getting out of bite your nipples, it made your
control. We might also go dig- breasts grow.
ging for sweet potatoes which
We would get beatings from our
we ate raw, despite my mother’s
mothers for “this nonsense,” but
warnings. Even though raw
that was not all the trouble the
sweet potatoes are perfectly
njururi landed you in. After you
edible and quite tasty, we could
had managed the incredible
get stomach worms and other
achievement of catching one
bugs, from eating them un-
and putting it to bite your nip-
washed. However, the two
ples, you were in terrible pain
things that landed us into the
and really worried. However,
hottest pot of soup were: letting
your dared not tell your mother,
the cows stray into the maize
lest you end up with more pain
and sweet potato patch, and
on your bottom – from a spank-
going into the stream to catch
ing.
njururi.
The morning after my cousin’s
The njururi were the reason my
nightly sniffles, she was still in
cousin was crying in her bed.
pain, but her breasts had grown!
They were small water bugs that
There was great excitement
darted across the surface of the
among the girls - that is I, two
water, where the stream was
sisters and the visiting cousin.
slow and still. It was their con-
Wow, so it really works!
stant movement that earned
them the name njururi, which in ... Page 2
Bridget and her brother been struggling to find
Fred. enough money to continue
their children’s education.
Bridget, 8 is a bright girl in
With Hans’s help, their chil-
her second year of Primary
dren are assured of a better
School. Her brother Fred,
future!
who aspires to be a veteri-
[Tooro needs more young peo-
nary doctor, is now in his
ple with the right education and
third year of secondary
training. Education in this
school. He too is extremely
region is crucial for economic
clever and always among
development, helping youth find
the top three in his class!
jobs and reducing poverty].
Bridget’s parents, farmers
with two other children, had

2 | Ensi News
…Ensara Maizi
Ensara maizi - the Rutooro
name of the water bugs liter-
ally means ‘that which cuts
water’
Photos by Mwelu Foundation
(www.mwelu.org) a youth organiza-
tion that teaches photography and
film making in Mathare slum, Kenya.
How can you help?
Sponsor a poor girl’s education at an
average cost of $150 per year. Ensi
ensures 100% of your contribution is
used for school fees and provides
progress reports.
Contribute financially or in kind to
Ensi’s core activities or to Mwelu
Foundation.
My cousin was the centre of
attention and envy, and managed
to hide very well the fact that she
was still in pain. My mother
suspected that the girls were up
to some mischief, but left us
alone.
Unfortunately, the newly ac-
quired breasts had a short chest-
life. By noon the pain was still
there but the breasts were deflat-
ing… by evening my cousin was
still in pain but the breasts were
gone completely back to where
they started. That was the prob-
lem with the njururi thing, it was
plenty pain and no gain. Why
the truth never got around that
the njururi bite did not really
work baffles me to this day.
Fifty years later, this wetland no
longer remains – at least not in its
original lushness. Deforestation
up on Tumutumu hill and other
surrounding areas has reduced
the flow of water to the valley.
Some of the water reeds remain
but the stream and the water
pools that harboured the njururi
are all but gone. It often troubles
me that a lot of our intangible
A historic month for Ensi Women
January was a historic month
for Ensi Women. The dream
of establishing Koi Koi Vil-
lage, a cultural and commu-
nity center in Fort Portal is
much closer to becoming a
reality.
Architectural plans and engi-
neering drawings were finally
presented to the town council.
The centre is designed by Mr.
Vetle Jorgensen an award-
winning Danish architect
based in Kenya.
Meanwhile, Hans Homan,
tourism expert with the Neth-
erlands PUM Foundation,
provided valuable advice on
info@ensiwomen.org
culture – like the folk lore – is
dying because the natural envi-
ronment linked to its is fast
disappearing. How would you
explain the njururi cure for
girls’ flat chests if the njururi no
longer exist?
A few months ago, I went to
visit with a colleague at her
home in Fort Portal, Uganda.
On a tour of their farm, I noticed
a wetland very similar to the one
from my childhood. It had all
the vegetation I remembered as
well as a stream and water pools
that contained njururi. On en-
quiring, I was informed that in
Rutooro, the local language, the
small creatures are known as
ensara maizi which means
“cutting the water.” This is a
different description of their
action of darting on the surface
of the water – the same action
which gave rise to the name
“njururi” in Kikuyu.
Imagine my excitement on see-
ing njururi after so many years,
and the flood of childhood
memories in my brain. I was
astonished to find out from my
services to Nyakairu Estate
which works with Ensi to
establish the centre. He also
designed the landscaping
www.ensiwomen.org
Ugandan hosts that adolescent
Tooro girls have a similar rela-
tionship with the ensara maizi as
the Kikuyu girls! The Batooro
and the Kikuyu share common
Bantu roots. I had been amazed
at how much I understood when
my hosts conversed in Rutooro.
But the story about the njururi
and adolescent girls’ breasts,
this was too fine a detail to ex-
pect to find hundreds of miles
away.
I want to return to this place –
not for the ensara maizi, for
with the passing years, big
breast have moved very low on
my list of priorities. I want to
return because here I found a
piece of a pristine environment,
the type of which had nurtured
part of my girlhood folk lore -
and the unexpected discovery of
similar girls’ lore. I want to
return also because there is a
wonderful plan to preserve some
of this rich heritage.
[Ensara maizi are also used
by girls in Zimbabwe!]
for the centre whose features
include a beautiful lawn,
play area, vegetable and herb
garden, and orchard.