Things have been quiet over here on the blog this summer but that is not because we have lost focus or desire. Behind the scenes, things continue to move along and in the upcoming weeks I will be sharing it all with you here.
However, the purpose of today’s post is to pay tribute to the 10 aid workers who were brutally executed in Afghanistan on Friday. It appears that they were ambushed on the road – lined up, robbed, and then shot. One of the harsh realities of working in developing countries is the dangers that are presented daily. I have great admiration for those who make the choice in spite of the danger to provide assistance.
One of the stories that has moved me over the last couple of days is that of Dr. Karen Woo, by all accounts she was courageous, brave, and committed. She worked hard to raise funds, awareness, and deliver care to those she felt had been forgotten in Afghanistan. She had been blogging about her experiences and was planning to be married in two weeks.
And while Dr. Woo’s story moves me, my heart and prayers go out to all of the families during this time.
Today, I thought I would focus on life in Marsabit, Kenya, and try to give you a glimpse into the commitment it takes just to communicate and get medical help. Next week I’ll be sharing with you some of the progress we are making even today along with our plans for the future. And I hope, you will be as excited as I am and want to partner with us. We are also working on some partnerships and new ways to garner support to end poverty and bring education to Marsabit.
As the first video cues, think about the craziest thing you have done just to get a signal on your cell phone. Or your greatest frustration in finding the right spot to make that call. But have you ever climbed a mountain?
The video above reminds me of when I was in Ngaamba on a hike with some of the community leaders to survey the village from the highest point. We were about half way up a mountain when all of a sudden their phones started to ring.
This next video gives you a view on public transportation inside Marsabit. The ARVs that are mentioned are the HIV meds that have revolutionized HIV treatment in Africa.
When was the last time you and everyone in your subdivision piled into a car to get a signal? Or you hopped a ride on top of a vehicle just to get to the doctor?
The last time I was in Kenya, I spent some time working in the preschools. The little ones stole my heart and absolutely amazed me. They walked to school every day without adult supervision and in many cases without shoes. Every day at lunch time the teacher would ask all of them to line up single file, then they would sing a little song and the teacher would make some brief announcements. It’s probably not unlike scenes played out in preschools around the world. It’s what happened next that moved me deeply and I think differs. After the song, the kids joyfully ran in opposite directions. About one-third of them ran to get their lunch, the other two-thirds ran to the playground. That’s right only about a third of the children had something to eat. This scene repeated every day and was increasingly difficult to watch.
It was hard to watch because some of the children never had a lunch. I asked the teacher and she explained that some of these children only eat one meal a week. I have three nephews, who at the time I was in Kenya, were about the same ages as the kids in preschool, 3,4, and 5. I cannot even fathom us letting them walk by themselves to 2-3 miles to school on on unmarked roads (and I use the term roads very loosely here), or them going days without so much as a piece of bread. But that is the reality for these beautiful Kenyan children. I spoke to my entire team about what was happening and how these children, so many of them were not eating. So we approached our leaders on the ground and with their guidance about what to buy and we provided lunch for children on our last day.
On the last day, the teacher started the line up, they sang, and right before dismissing the children to play and eat, the teacher announced: “Today, every one will eat!” The kids were so excited it was a great moment, many of them only ate half of their small lunch, as they wanted to take the other half home to share with their family. Our team was excited to be able to feed the children on this day. But that is all it was sadly…one day, one meal. Where and when will these children eat again? I worried about that as the days and weeks passed and candidly I still do.
Fast forward, recently, I was eating out with some friends and I hear a mother talking to her 4 year old son say:
“You will eat your dinner, there are children in Africa who are starving!”
And for a moment, her comments set me back, because I immediately replayed the scene of Ruth, David, John, Faith, Hannah and the rest of the children in Kenya who did not have food. You see for me starvation has a name, and it’s real. I have held a child who is starving to death in my very own arms and rocked him to sleep. That’s not something you easily forget, not do I want to forget.
One of the reasons, I am so excited about the work we will be doing in Marsabit is, yes we will be taking food to feed the people. More importantly, we are also working on projects to help them grow their own food, so that eventually they do not need us to feed them, they can feed themselves. Sustainable projects are critical and the ones we will choose to get involved in going forward. We bought land last week in Marsabit and the process of determining what and how to make this land a resource has already begun. I was excited when the opportunity to purchase the land presented itself, because I remembered the story of how a $2.00 micro-loan changed an entire village in Ethiopia. Today, that village is helping the surrounding villages become sustainable.
Next time you hear someone say “there are children starving in Africa” remember the faces here. Remember that poverty and starvation have a name. And remember, it’s possible to end starvation, we don’t need any fancy technology, just a few seeds.
What if we joined together to create a sustainable food source for one tiny village in Kenya? Can you partner with us so we can begin the process of ending starvation in Marsabit?
As many of you know,we have chosen Marsabit as the site for our first big projects in Kenya. Marsabit lies at the heart of the ancestral lands of the Boorana people. it is the last bit of civilization in the vast desert of northern Kenya. The Northern Kenyan population lives below the poverty line. The inability to provide for basic needs: clean water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. There are no roads that lead to Marsabit, and the trip will not be easy, but the work is important.
In August, Jaime and I will be going to Marsabit on a vision trip to scout for a site for the school, meet the community, and seek out micro-business opportunities. We are looking for sustainable projects, ways for the women and orphans to create sustainable income. As part of this trip we will be delivering much needed supplies that are basic to the survival of people in this area.
Yesterday we learned there are 18 double orphans in the area, meaning they have lost both of their parents, who are in dire need of assistance. They have HIV, are starving, and infected with jiggers. While our trip is a vision trip we have decided to deliver: Food for 1000 people: there’s no easy way to say this, the people are starving, HIV and jiggers has devastated this area and there are too many orphans and widows who are starving.
1000 Bed nets: malaria is rampant in these areas and the bed nets are critical, Medical supplies: 1000 people for medical camps, test 200 people for HIV/Aids, reach 2000 people with the message of HIV/Aids prevention through the what if? campaign
Food, medicine, supplies for the 18 double orphans until we can return Transportation of all the supplies
Farming supplies (more to come on this) we are looking to create a sustainable food source for the people
All of the supplies we want to deliver are basics, the need for food is so great that we have decided to fore go any other activities and focus on feeding. I have ideas about how the school can help provide food and we are starting a farming project that will provide not only food but employment as well.
We need you to partner with us on this trip, we are looking to raise enough money to cover the food and medicines necessary for this village. Every penny we raise will go towards the needs in Marsabit. As we prepare for the trip we will be sharing stories and keep you posted on the needs and progress.
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