A Prayer For Land

Elijah and I recently visited two different children's homes. The first was called Uganda Martyrs Children's Home sponsored by the Catholic church. We toured their facilities and spent some time talking with the kids and house mothers. I really enjoyed the day and was encouraged to meet people working in the same field. They had about 75 kids in the home. I took notes on what aspects of the home I liked and which aspects I didn't think were ideal. Friday, we visited Mully Children's Family (MCF) about 100 km from Nairobi. MCF is one of the best children's homes in Kenya and very sustainable. They have 150 acres of land, most of which is used for farming for income. There were over 600 boarding, but in their seven projects around the country they have over 2,000 kids currently in the programs. MCF was very developed as an organization. They had a primary and secondary school, vocational training centre for carpentry and metal work and they had a health clinic open to the community. They also export french beans to Europe. Elijah and I were very inspired by the project and Dr. Mully's story, a man who give up his riches for orphans. Their website is mullychildrensfamily.org. Dr. Mully also wrote a book called "Father to the Fatherless." The one thing I really appreciated about Exodus after visiting Uganda Martyrs and Mully's is that at Exodus we feel like a family more than an institution. Our two rented flats feel like a home, rather than bunks lined up in a large room. I worry about larger childrens homes, that the kids there might lose their sense of belonging and worth as a loved and special individual. The kids at Exodus are absolutely amazing and very positive, which I believe is due to the atmosphere of the home. Because we have fewer kids, we are able to keep a closer watch on each child and give each child attention.

Today I spent the day at Exodus, with the older kids. Every time I am there I am so impressed with them and I grow closer to them. I can say from the bottom of my heart that I love everyone at Exodus and I will continue to stand for our projects. One thing that Elijah and I are focusing on now is looking for land. As I said, we are renting two flats, which hinders us from growing as an organization and from becoming sustainable. Currently we have been offered 10 acres of land, not far from Machakos, for about $13,000. This land is prime and could have piped water and electricity. It is also near a fairly competitive school. The land is very arable and would be a great location for Exodus. With ten acres of land, we'd like build a home that can accommodate up to 50 kids. We'd like to have two fish ponds (raising Tilapia), which we recently researched as a practical and easy source of income. We'd like to raise poultry and keep a few cows for milk, which we can consume, as well as sell for income. On the land, we'd also like to have a health clinic and youth training centre so that we can reach out to the community. Obviously, these are long term plans, but they are not impossible by any means. In fact, I believe that Exodus could be self-sustaining with income from farming and training seminars. Land is essential for sustainable development. Rent costs are just being thrown away, rather than investing in property, which has an increasing value. I don't know how we will come up with the money, and we are negotiating with the seller this week, but I ask that you please pray for us. If you can help in any way, please let me know. USD $13,000 is extremely cheap for 10 acres of arable land and the seller is actually doing us a favor because we are a nonprofit organization. Normally one acre could be around $5000.

A second prayer that I ask from you is for staff members. We recently had two leave Exodus, and we will need someone to manage Exodus from September through December, as Elijah will be in Canada and I'll be home.

Be blessed and remember the orphans who are more vulnerable than I can express in words.

Remember to Dream with the Dreamers

Hello!
I hope all is well. I am doing very well. I feel generally content, satisfied, challenged, and happy. I can say that each week I am becoming more and more of a passionate dreamer. Although, I don't think I'm a dreamer exactly because I am optimistic that any goal we desire to accomplish is possible. It is my understanding that dreams aren't real or possible. I've been dreaming a lot about Exodus lately and today I was given hope when I spent some time talking with Elijah about our future plans to get our own land. There is a U.S. organization called Hope Without Borders, which will be sending some representatives to Kenya for two weeks in May. They want to establish an office in Nairobi and support various projects from there, including Exodus. Elijah and I are looking at land and writing an entire proposal for what we'd like to do on the land and how we'd like to reach out in the community. I'm super excited about the potential of Exodus. Dreaming is much easier when others can dream with you.

As for Liz, she is completely healthy now! Thanks for the prayers. Some of the kids went home the other day because they are on a break from school right now. Most of them will visit grandmothers or aunts and uncles for two weeks, before returning to Exodus. It was so cute to see them off as they all said goodbye to each other and climbed into matatus with their little backpacks. (The older kids are still around Exodus.)

I Trust He is Emmanuel

I was scared out of my mind. I thought Liz, at Exodus, was on the verge of dying at any minute. Saturday she laid on the bed groaning in pain as her body became very weak and she started losing feeling in her extremities. She complained of a really bad pain on her upper chest on the left side and she was alternating between feeling hot and cold. I was very worried, but tried to remain calm as I was in a position where I needed to make a vital decision. I didn't know what to do, but pray. Elijah called a taxi and we brought her to the hospital immediately. At the hospital, I still felt somewhat hopeless and helpless. I didn't really trust the hospital to tell you the truth. Seeing her in the state she was in and hearing the moans as she waited for a pain injection to kick in brought me to tears. I cried for this girl, who is the same age as me. We were able to get medicine the following day, since the pharmacy was closed that night (this took place between 9pm and 2am). She was diagnosed with pneumonia. I hope she gets better and I'm more content knowing that she has medicine now. I'll admit that I can never be a doctor, but I need to read more about community health. Pray for Liz (she's the one who sews uniforms and works at our new dress-making business) as she is struggling with pneumonia and other personal issues.

Otherwise at Exodus, things are going well. Thanks to my parents and some vistors we were able to purchase two bunks and mattresses for the kids, which we'll be getting this week. The girls, especially, are in need of beds. We have about 20 in one room of three bunks. You do the math. I climbed into a bed with three other girls the other night... and this isn't a double bed. (Usually I just share with Jessica in our own room though) We are moving those bunks into another room so that the girls will now be in two rooms. We are also working on getting textbooks and reading books for the kids. Sometimes I find myself dreaming about Exodus and our future potential, but for now, we work on little changes each week since funding is minimal. Last week, we spent a lot of time writing policy and contracts for the Centre; a task that was new to me, but something that is very important. I realized that I have a gift for assessing a whole situation, identifying the problems and dysfunctions, and forming and prioritizing attainable goals in search for a solution. I guess that's why I'm studying social work.

Be blessed.

Pictured above is Liz sewing in Exodus' new uniform and dress-making shop. She is so happy to be doing the work she loves in her own space.

To Paint A Picture With a Pencil

Hi Everyone. Just wanted to tell you that I am still alive and doing very well. I have been communicating through the internet a lot less frequently because I am busy in Machakos when I am not at school for class and soccer. I am becoming consumed with Exodus and I guess I have the title "Assistant Project Coordinator." Probably my first title EVER. I'll be moving to Exodus in about one month, where I'll spend most of the remainder of my time in here in Kenya (which comes to a close on JULY 17TH). I'm learning so much about non-profits and working with orphans. Right now we are working on getting enough beds for the kids, textbooks, and reading books. Here's a poem I wrote a while back. I'm not sure if it's done yet. Let me know what you think...


Painting A Picture With a Pencil

To craft a picture of reality through words
Seems impossible.
Refugees and IDPs, Mau Forest trees,
AIDS orphans, polygamy, corruption,
And poverty in its most absolute manifestation.
Diction fails truth.
Nimeongea, nimeandika, but umesikia kweli?
(I’ve talked, I’ve written, but have you really heard?)

To turn a blank page into a three dimensional exhibit
Seems impossible.
Did the belly bulge into the vision at the mention starvation?
Was rust seizing the house of corrugated metal sheets?
Did dust cloud the page’s emptiness at the mention of drought?
Was odor of burning trash real like a scratch-and-sniff?
Words cannot draw reality
As lead cannot speak colors.

Baby Steve Has More Hair Than My Dad

I’m back at school after spending five full days in Kisumu, Lwanda, and Matongo. I traveled with my good friend and roommate, Raija. Her family stays in Kisumu and in a rural area called Matongo, so I spent a lot of time with her at her home. I also visited Martin and Syprose and baby Stephen Otieno Arogo. Four of their other six kids are living at home at this time, so it was nice to see them too, especially because we are the same age. Steve and Syprose both seem to be doing well. Martin and Syprose are happy parents! They would sometimes call Steve “Lora’s Dad” in Swahili and tell me to greet my “dad.” At home in Lwanda, I spent lots of time talking with George and his new wife Lizzy. I got to spend an afternoon with a good friend of mine called Patrick. It was a relaxing week, filled with lots of laughter and chapati. Raija and I carried back with us sweet potates, avocados, pineapples, and matoke (green bananas, PICTURED ABOVE), which are very cheap and plentiful on that side of Kenya. Fortunetly for me, all of those are my favorite foods, and I don’t know what I’ll do in the U.S. when I have to pay $1.50 for an avocado that I can buy in Kenya for 10 cents.

Here on campus, I washed my clothes this morning, then prepared a nice lunch of rice, vegetables, and green grams (they’re like lentils). I’ll go to soccer this afternoon, and spend time with friends in the evening.

Not Just Another Number 58

Last week Monday I accompanied Jessica and Elijah on a child visit of a six-year-old orphaned boy. I shared with you about our last child analysis far in the mountains; however this visit was almost too much for my heart to handle. I’ll try to describe the situation to the best of my ability.

This child also lives in a beautiful rural area about an hour from Machakos. We arrived at his home, where he stays alone with his grandmother. We came to find out that this boy’s grandmother gave birth to seven children out of wedlock, something very counterculture. All of her children died (likely from AIDS), except one who is alive with a couple kids. The last one to die was this boy’s mother. She had three children, two of who survived her. After the mother’s death, this boy’s older (and only) sister, who was just starting high school, began to spend nights with different men, which resulted in pregnancy. The girl abused the grandmother and even sold her only cow before abandoning her brother and moving to Nairobi.

Arriving at their brick home, the first thing I noticed was the smell of animals: dogs and chickens. The home had a lot of maize stored inside all. The grandmother, looking quite fragile and old, was seated on a sack of maize eating chapati and drinking chai. She had few teeth, no use of her fingers and could barely talk. She said that she was born normal, but suffered from severe malaria, which would cause her to frequently die for a day and then come back to life. I myself could barely understand what she meant, but apparently this sickness caused the disabling of her fingers and tongue. She can barely communicate verbally. She is unable to do almost anything, including cooking. Thankfully, a neighbor (I believe she is actually her only granddaughter from her one living child) who is in high school comes everyday to bring them food. She is the only person providing for this boy and his grandmother, meaning they are completely dependent on her for survival.

To make matters worse, we asked the boy what he owned and about school. He had two usable notebooks for school and a ripped sweater, which is one part of the required uniform. When Jessica asked if he had a pencil, he said yes and returned with a pencil smaller than my pinkie finger. He didn’t have shoes. What made this boy’s vulnerability so real to me was that he is ranked number 58 out of 65 students in his first grade class. In the six tested subject areas, he achieved between 10 and 32 percent in each. This was no surprise considering his conditions. Who is there to help him with school work?

Jessica and Elijah asked that he be tested for HIV/AIDS, a request, which made the grandmother uncomfortable. This boy is very needy and I hope that we can support him from his home for a while and then take him into the Center. However, I don’t know what will happen with him. We have to go back for another assessment after some time. He has the right to an environment that is not only livable, but also healthy. I can’t describe the sick feeling I had inside of me after leaving this child visit. I can’t allow myself to forget that he is still there as I write this, just like millions of other orphans.

Baby Steve

Nowadays, the joy in my heart comes from my little brothers and sisters at Exodus. I spent Sunday evening and Monday at the Home this past weekend. On Sunday, there was a lot of rain, but when I finally reached the centre the kids were so excited to see me. I came in the gate and saw Baraka. He grabbed me by the arm led me inside where all the kids were quietly studying. He stuck his head in the door and said in a soft voice, “Lora’s here.” Immediately all the kids screamed and ran over to mob me! We spent some time around home and then all 25 of us trekked through the mud about 2 kilometers to the “kinyozi” or salon. Can you imagine what we looked like walking down the dirt road? Quite a lively crew… twenty-three kids between ages 4 and 15. It was a fun time though. I am so impressed with the discipline and good manners of each and every child at the Home. There is something about those kids that gives me the driving desire to give them all of my heart and all of the love and affection I could ever offer. Somehow at the end of the day when I think my heart is empty because I gave away everything, I find that it is still full and overflowing with love and satisfaction. As I get to know the kids and their stories, I am moved. Many of them are traumatized and have a lot of pain that requires more healing time; yet they are able to love others, work hard, and carry hope for the future. They are an amazing group of kids and they’re probably all that I’ll be blogging about from now on.

Some news from my OTHER family (the Arogo's): Syprose delivered her seventh child last night, a baby boy. She named him Steve after my dad! Martin sent me a text last night saying that if they have a girl, she'll be named Lora, and if a boy then he'll be named after my father. What a blessing! I didn't know what to say, but I didn't feel worthy to be named after! So, congrats, dad... Martin and Syprose don't even know you, but they respect you so much to name their child after you! I'll head home to Kisumu to visit in about a week and a half.

photos above: my friends at Exodus and the view from my dorm room window (in the self catering dorm I moved into)