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| Kids receiving uniforms |
Saturday morning, we headed out to Kaguwru to see the children there. There is a primary school there that MCOH supports. MCOH has a farm that provides food for the feeding program, which is self-sustaining and the parents of the children work in the farm land. That way the parents learn good farming methods, which crops to use for the specific season, and also support their children. MCOH also installed a water pipeline from springs up the mountain and built a kitchen and storehouse. This is one of the sites we’re most proud of, because the children were so impoverished only a few years ago, and now that they get two meals a day, are quite healthy! This year we arrived and provided them with new school uniforms. Since the feeding program, the school attendance has increased by 50% and children are coming from far around. They gave a demonstration for making coal and a tour of the farm, including a new magic tree called Moringa. It has amazing properties and is very fast growing. (7 times more Vitamin C than orange juice, grows 15 feet per year, draught resistant, etc).
It is neat to be immersed in the Kenyan customs. There were two school teachers talking to me, and holding hands. They were both male. In a country where being gay is illegal, it’s so interesting to see men walking down the street holding hands. You will never see a man and woman holding hands though.
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| Veronica in her study room |
We had a few complications throughout the day. On the ride there, the combis were overloaded so Adrian and a few others sat on a case of water in between two of the bucket seats. One of the combis stopped to visit a young girl Veronica who is friends with Nancy and Bill Allen. They met her the first year they were in Mikinduri, while assessing the need for dental extractions. They referred her to get her molars out. Every year since she comes to visit at the clinic. Last year she asked to get help into secondary school, and they said no, because she needed to get her marks up. So she retook 8th grade and this year her marks are great! She wants to go to provincial school, which is better than the district school, because then they have the opportunity to go to university. She’s very ambitious and hard working. Her mother has 4 children and her father went off to a younger wife, had six kids with her, and dumped his first family. Veronica has a study area where she can hardly see, and yet she’s so determined, her brother and sister in district school have been teaching her. She is studying 10 different subjects on her own right now and has saved every paper from school. Nancy is considering giving her a scholarship which they’ll fund through the MCOH scholarship fund, which comes with expectations for grades. Provincial boarding school is only 24,000 kenyan shillings ($300), plus uniforms, sheets, etc. The MCOH staff think her marks are really good in the standardized exams, but the most inspiring part of her story is that for a woman to get her education past 8th grade, it’s an inspiration for the whole community.
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| Isaiah, his family, Ted, a random little girl, and I |
I was able to see my aunt’s sponsor child while we were there as well. His name is Isaiah and his family gave me a chicken last year as a gift. The children in his family are so much more plump than last year and his younger sister Joy is nearly as tall as him. It just shows you that the whole family really benefits from sponsorship. I brought him, from my aunt, school supplies, clothes for his family, and a really cute book bag. It was fantastic to see him again and see the progress his family has made.
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| Baby who had heart surgery sponsored by MCOH |
While there we also saw a little girl that was now over a year old. The previous year we saw her while visiting the school and MCOH paid for her to have surgery to fix her newborn heart. The girl is alive and well, and quite happy! It’s so nice to see a success!
After handing out the uniforms, toothbrushes, school supplies, and toys, and feeding the children a stew with maize, pinto beans, and other fiber filled foods, the entertainment began. The children performed a song that was written by St Andrews that was translated to Swahili. It was a beautiful song! Then the dancing began. The women all collect in a few lines, singing and chanting. They wear large green leaves as a skirt, and use different musical instruments. They then grabbed a few of us and brought us into the circle to dance with them. It was fantastic fun joining in the local custom, and the women were thrilled to have us join in! Unfortunately, it was a very hot day and a few of our people needed a break because of the heat.
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| Thuuri Mountain Kindergarten |
Afterwards, we went to Thuuri. This is a mountain town where the children walk down the mountain 40 minutes to the school in Kaguwru and back up in the evenings. The children cannot start school until they’re 10 years old because in the rainy season it is too dangerous for them to walk to school. It was quite a hike, and as people started complaining, a 4 year old child walked by. Really puts it in perspective of what we’re used to compared to the life they endure from so young!
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| More uniforms! |
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| Charlie and Charity |
While there, Charlie shook the hand of a 90 year old woman, who was blind and had never touched a white man. She held on to his hand for 10 minutes and wouldn’t let him go, and was able to pull him around even though he was more than a foot taller and 100 pounds heavier. What a neat woman! She asked Charlie for coins to walk down the mountain and have tea in Kaguwru!
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| A different world |
We enjoyed sugar cane while on the mountain, as a refreshing snack for the walk back. It was fantastically sweet and filled with juice, but if you took a few too many chews, it was the most fiber filled, dry plant. As we arrived back at the combi’s, there was a little girl who was maybe 7, with a load of sugar cane on her head and a huge machete in her hand. I’m not sure if I was more shocked to see the large knife or heavy load she was managing! That evening we had a nice quiet time around the hotel and rested up for what we knew would be a busy week.
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| A big load of sugar cane, big knife, and a little girl |
You can get that sugar cane at HEB. Tiff and I used to get it!
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