This is the first chance I've had to update the blog -- I haven't had internet access since last Tuesday.
Edwin Angote wrote a post last week about my visit, please find it here.
Last Wednesday, I had intended to go to the clinic with Boaz to do a checkup on his eyes. Unfortunately, in truly Kenyan fashion, we were unable to make it because of the dozens of inconveniences and delays that pile up in a typical Kenyan's day.
On Thursday, we met with some Kibera children and visited the site of the land that is currently being purchased for the new school. The Collette Foundation has been our partner on this task and is completely funding the land purchase. They have been incredibly patient and steadfast through the many ups and downs of the past few years.
On Friday, Mama Margaret and I got up at 4:00 and caught a taxi to Kenyatta airport to fly to Eldoret. It was Margaret's first time to fly and she was a little nervous initially. We landed in Kisumu briefly before touching down in Eldoret. Now Margaret gives flying the thumbs up!
We stayed at Jennifer's place. Jennifer is a blind woman who is sponsored by a generous donor that enables Jennifer to have a suitable place to live. It's amazing what Jennifer can do despite her physical challenges. She cooks and cleans her place better than most sighted people. She's an inspiration to me. Another donor donated some great Braille materials (see picture) and the entire Bible on CD, together with a CD player!
The slums of Munyaka were the location of some of the worst post-election violence, and when we visited, we could still sense the after-effects of those horrible times. We saw the children of our sponsorship program there, including Monicah, Nancy, Loice, and Victor. We also met with Jane Waithaka who directs Eldo-Excel, the school the children now attend. Finally, we went to Lewa Children's center to visit three girls who are sponsored there. It's a wonderful place for abandoned and neglected children, and the three girls were doing great in the loving environment provided by Mama Phyllis.
On Sunday night and Monday morning we visited Lucy in Nyahururu and were delighted to see her big smile and bubbling personality. We visited her school which is excellent and she can now attend thanks to her sponsor (see photo in her class).
I also was able to see the progress in her wound healing. In 2007 she almost die
d from a huge gaping sore on the back of her leg, almost as deep as the bone. She had a skin graft and a few months ago some of the "permanent" stitches were removed (there were also some dissolvable ones). The removal caused the wound to reopen, but it's now about the size of a nickel. They can't restitch it, but it is slowly healing and the family puts honey on it daily so bacteria will eat the honey and not eat the flesh. It's been an incredibly rough road for Lucy but she always keeps smiling!On Tuesday, we visited Shadrack at the Treeside School, a boarding school that serves children with special challenges like those of Shadrack. They told us that Shadrack is well-loved by teachers and classmates and has made a lot of progress. They are trying to help him develop his short-term memory, which has been one of the things he sometimes has a hard time with.
Then we picked up Kitonga and his three children -- Shiro, Samwel, and Maggie -- who rode the bus from Eldoret. These children will now be living with Margaret and going to school at Tenderfeet (for Maggie) and a nearby school that is for older children (the same one where Alice, Faith, and Stephen go). Kitonga wants the best for his children, and has really struggled to take care of them. We believe the new environment gives us the best chance for their future. The kids are wonderful, and it is clear that Kitonga has given them so much love, even though he has had such difficulties.
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