Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah’s Story: A Vision of Compassionate Diplomacy
Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah first came to the U.S. following the publication of a Washington Post story about his extraordinary academic prowess as a youth, despite his challenging circumstances. The article inspired the University of Oregon to offer Wilson an "International Cultural Service Program” scholarship covering his studies. Additionally, the story motivated a complete stranger from Florida to send Wilson a plane ticket to America. By that time having been made a full Maasai warrior, he enrolled at the university.
While taking courses in Oregon, Wilson learned that then-First Daughter Chelsea Clinton had selected Stanford University for her undergraduate studies. He decided to follow suit. It took a couple of semesters to get his grades in transfer shape, but eventually he was able to move to Palo Alto. There he met Stanford President John Hennessy, who had heard of Wilson’s journey from Africa to the U.S. Says Wilson, “President Hennessy asked to use my story for his first commencement address in 2001. The Clintons were present for Chelsea's graduation. Later, they asked to meet me.”
On a break from his studies in the fall of that year, Wilson called on the Kenyan ambassador to the United Nations in New York. His visit happened to coincide with the horrific attacks of September 11th. So affected was he by the events of that day that when he returned home to Africa several months later, he pleaded with his fellow villagers in Enoosaen to come to the aid of his adopted country. “I stood there and cried, and told everyone what had happened to America,” Wilson recalls. “They didn’t understand everything I was telling them. But they felt the pain in my voice. And when I asked the elders to bless my first – and only – calf, so I could give it to America, they all wanted to help. Within one day, my one calf multiplied into 14 cows!"
The Grandest of Grand Gestures
As a traditional Maasai village, Enoosaen had no electricity or running water, and its residents were largely without formal education. But, Wilson says, “There are three things for which a Maasai is prepared to give his life: a child, a cow, and the community's land.” Clearly, the offering of cattle from their communal herd was the Maasai’s ultimate sign of generosity and respect.
Wilson sought out the U.S. embassy in Kenya and announced his village's sacred gift, whereupon the State Department quickly dispatched the ambassador and several U.S. officials to Enoosaen to accept the cattle. Dozens of international news agencies, including CNN, the BBC, the New York Times, and L.A. Times, came to witness the unique ceremony. The gesture was quickly deemed “the gold standard of global philanthropy,” and motivated many international dignitaries to visit the village to recognize Wilson’s symbolic gesture of compassion.
The SunPower Connection
As he worked towards a Masters degree in molecular biology, Wilson became a regular at the Whole Foods grocery store in Los Altos. There he met Barrett Raftery; the two quickly became friends. Soon afterward Barrett accepted an internship at the Solar Institute in Hopland, CA, where he met fellow intern Kevin Myers (who was later hired at SunPower). “Wilson and I talked a lot about his village. He stressed to me that his school had no power, and that he wanted to bring in solar-powered electricity,” Barrett says. “He asked if I would help him make that happen.”
In the interim, Wilson returned to Enoosaen and helped put in a filtration system that revolutionized the village: for the first time, residents had clean water. He also assisted in the construction of a cinder-block structure that replaced the original mud-and-sticks building which had housed Emprukel Primary School when it was established in 1983. And in his “spare” time he established the American African Nuru Foundation (Nuru is Swahili for “light”); today the organization accelerates health, education, and technology access to Africa’s needy.
Creating a Global Village
In forecasting the potential impact of solar power on Maasailand’s future, Wilson is compelled to describe its past. “When the British colonized Kenya, and the Germans colonized Tanzania, the Maasai were regarded as ‘noble savages,’” he explains. “No one wanted to try to enforce colonial rule, because we were too fierce. We became very insulated and isolated from the rest of Africa. That worked well for us then; we didn’t want schools or any of the other parts of foreign culture.
“But at the present time,” he continues thoughtfully, “those rules do not apply. The world has changed, and Africa is not the same: The Maasai want education, and we know that change is inevitable … so the best way is to embrace it while honoring and respecting our cultural heritage. But we have to open our arms to each other: This is what it means to be a ‘global village.’”
One Voice, A Global Audience
It would appear Wilson’s arms may well stretch far enough to encompass the world: In July he will travel to the American Library Association in Chicago to sign advance copies of Carmen Deedy’s children’s book, 14 Cows for America, which was inspired by his post-9/11 gift to the U.S. The book has been selected as Georgia’s “state book” in the Pavilion of the States at this year’s National Book Festival, which will be hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama in Washington, DC on September 26th.
Add in the commendations that continue to flow in from the likes of former President Bill Clinton, former Kenyan President Arap Moi, and Oprah Winfrey, and it’s a sure bet that Wilson’s message will soon be echoing around the globe. “My hope is that someone will read this story, be moved, and want to give their support,” he says. “I think the idea of ‘compassionate diplomacy’ is where the planet is headed.”
