Sambait has lived with Iparo since she was three. She is one of several “foster” children Iparo has helped raise while rearing her own 12 biological children. When I asked the family what had happened to Sambait’s parents, they said, “Nothing.” Raising children among the Samburu is considered a communal activity. Children don’t “belong” to their parents in the sense that we know it. There was just a natural attraction between Sambait and Iparo and that led to the relationship.