Independence Day in Kenya

Saturday, July 3

Today, we saw some of the most difficult of living situations, and yet experienced incredible joy in the midst. When Team Moja (One) made home visits two weeks ago with the Salem Home Based Care group, they identified two families who were sleeping on the floor and so had ordered two bunk beds to be made before they left. We were notified that the beds were ready for pick up, and so we arranged our day to deliver beds to these families, which turned out to be an all-day event.

Just picking up the beds was an event! The furniture maker was located in the midst of the open market. The bunk beds were set up in his stall for our inspection, which were then dismantled as each of us made several trips traipsing through the market carrying out the various headboards and boards for the beds. It was quite a spectacle to see the wazungus (white strangers) managing their loads through the narrow aisles of the marketplace…and another sight to see the top of the vehicle loaded with the frames for four beds.

The first home we went to was that of Mikail, who had five small children – her husband had left to find work. It was situated next to a fish processing area, which essentially means that it was an open place where fish were hung to dry. We parked the car on the road and proceeded to take the bed parts through narrow passageways of mud homes, often with rivulets of sludge in between, all the while watching our heads to avoid the overhanging tin roofs. Rounding corners we were often met with curious children, open cooking fires, and wash basins. Again we attracted attention throughout the neighborhood as we weaved in and out of the maze.

After quite a walk, we arrived at a one-room mud home, about 10’ x 10’ in size, with one 15” x 15” window to light the room, that was often obstructed by the grazing cow outside or the heads of curious children peering in. Other than a small table, there was no other furniture in the room; a straw mat lay on one side of the room, which served as the family’s eating area and bed. We delivered the other bunk bed to a home in a more rural area and found similar conditions; this widowed mother of four buys and sells sawdust to try to feed her family.

After delivering the beds and getting them set up, we then went to the Nakumatt (Wal-Mart with machetes) to buy four mattresses, sheets, and pillows. We repeated the delivery process and the parade of white people filing through the village, where the children were jumping up and down in excitement and the mothers were shedding tears of gratitude as we completed their new beds.

While it was difficult to see the difficult living circumstances of these families, it was also good to know that the children would no longer be sleeping on a dirt floor.

After delivering the beds, we drove to St. Elizabeth Children’s Centre in a beautiful setting on a hill, where a primary school and church are also located. About 30 children live there, ranging in ages from three to thirteen. We enjoyed playing with the children, who were clearly well loved and brought up – we all commented on how well behaved they were. We brought jump ropes, soccer balls, and horseshoes, but the definite hit with the kids was the bubbles. This home has a nice dining hall; however it is void of all furniture. During the violence two years ago, all of the furniture was taken, and they haven’t been able to replace it, so the children must sit on the floor to eat. The home has a borehole (well), but it has dried up so they must buy their water for drinking and washing.  We left food and first aid supplies.

Sunday, July 4

While America celebrated Independence Day, we worshipped God African style at Pastor Bentah Moses’ church. Herself a widow, she pastors a church of mostly young widows as well as runs a small home for orphans. Her exuberant spirit was infectious, and three hours in a hot corrugated tin-walled and roofed church seemed to fly by. We rode home in a tuk-tuk – a three-passenger, three-wheeled golfcart of sorts and run by a lawn-mower type engine – which is Kisumu’s version of a taxi. We spent the rest of the day doing laundry, packing, resting, and visiting with our hosts.

As we prepare to leave Kisumu, just a word about the area and where Jack lives. As most of you know, Jack Mila is the Kenyan national we work with in Kisumu. He  is working with over 30 children’s homes and schools, not to mention the many village communities, which accounts for over 11,000 children, as he strives to empower the communities to take care of their own orphan population. After seeing that the children are fed, safe, and healthy, he strives to keep them in school.

Jack lives in the slums of Nyalenda. Leaving the main road, the vehicle winds around mud houses on a rocky dirt road, where the passage is often so narrow that one could reach out of the car window to knock on a front door or be scratched by a border hedge. It’s not uncommon for someone to set up a road stand in the middle of the road so that they must pick up their goods to allow us to pass. The air smells of kerosene, sewage, wood fires, and cooking. In the midst of this, Jack lives in a relatively nice structure, which is essentially a fourplex. His family (eight people) lives in one unit of four rooms while we stay in another unit. He is well known and respected throughout the community. He has his own school across from his home, which he operates for the neighborhood orphans.

Living in the slums, where people live in relatively close proximity to one another creates its own challenges. Although our alarm clocks may have been set for 6:30 or 7:00 in the morning, the rooster usually has other ideas. He insists that the wake-up time is around 4:30, and there is no pushing the snooze button! He crows non-stop until the sun comes up at 7:00. Trying to find a quiet moment at any time is difficult at best. It is impossible to sit by the window or on the front stoop without many children crowding around to get your attention. Evenings under mosquito nets, on warm sultry nights, brings out the sounds of the evening – blaring music, barking dogs, cheering from World Cup fans, the occasional domestic quarrel or crying baby.  And just about the time you get to sleep, the rooster starts in again. But in spite of this, staying with Jack is a memorable and wonderful experience. Jack’s wife, Evelyn, feeds us well and is a gracious hostess. We get a sense of Kenyan life that most never experience.

Sunset over Lake Victoria

Thank you for your continued prayers! We appreciate you!

Mungu Akubariki! (God Bless You in Kiswahili)

Team Mbili