Those of you who followed our journey to Kenya last year may recall that while on an outreach trip with an HIV/AIDS program, our van stopped in a dusty country area called Kabongo, in search of a patient who had missed an appointment. I stepped out to speak to a young girl washing clothes by the side of the road, asking why she was not in school. Though she spoke little English, she told me her parents had died and she had been sent to live with first one grandmother, and now another. This grandmother grew maize and millet on a small plot nearby and had no money for the mandatory school transfer fee, books, shoes and uniforms. By the end of the afternoon, I had enrolled my new little friend Veronicah in a private school just ½ km. from her house and taken her shopping for all her school needs. The next morning at 7AM Grandma walked her to the school gates; she had freshly sharpened pencils in hand and was ready to learn.
Three days later on our last day in Kenya, I decided to stop by Veronicah’s dirt home to say goodby. Much to my surprise, more children greeted me in the dark room (they have no electricity or water).Veronicah had 3 siblings! The oldest Sharon (approx. 13) had been sent away to work as a domestic for 2 years, her brother Kelvin (12) had worked the fields with Grandma and young Moses (8) had stayed with an uncle and had not attended school. We enrolled them all in the Patrician School with a supplemental 2x daily meal program, hired a tutor to teach them English (unlike Ethiopia, all classes are taught only in English, and they spoke only Kiswahili), signed them up for Scouting, bought 2 solar lamps for evening study and a phone for Grandma.
Since that time we have called them every month and we speak to all the children. We also write letters to them and they all write back. We have helped Grandma purchase fertilizer so her crop yields have improved, thereby providing her with more food to feed the family. It has been a long and glorious year, filled with a tremendous amount of hard-work (nothing happens easily in Africa).
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| First day at the Patrician School with Brother Paul in their new uniforms. Spring 2012 |
Since that time we have called them every month and we speak to all the children. We also write letters to them and they all write back. We have helped Grandma purchase fertilizer so her crop yields have improved, thereby providing her with more food to feed the family. It has been a long and glorious year, filled with a tremendous amount of hard-work (nothing happens easily in Africa).
None of this could have ever happened without the diligence and dedication of our dear friend Carolyne Mabeya, wife of western Kenya’s only fistula surgeon, Dr. Hillary Mabeya. Carolyne was a tireless advocate for managing the needs of this family and supporting our efforts to give these kids an opportunity to succeed. We have kept in weekly contact and Carolyne helps us resolve thorny issues about class levels, birth certificates and tutoring.
I was very excited as I watched our plane touch down in Eldoret, Kenya. And there to greet us was our dear, dear friend and “Bro of all bro’s” Brother Paul, founder of the Patrician School.
It had been just over one year since I had seen these friends, and I had missed them all so much. I could hardly wait to hug each and every one of them. I let my heart spill freely into theirs-
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| First stop Patrician :School and a meeting with the teachers. From left are Kelvin, Moses, Sharon, and Veronicah. Grandma Jane is at the far right. |
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| Sharon loves her new American Nikes! |
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| New shoes for everyone...those hot pink ones are for Grandma Jane! |
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Brother Paul (on left, oh please, that's my DAVID on the right!) met us at the airport and toodled us around in his absolutely essential 4-wheel drive. Rainy season was starting and roads were troughs of mud.      Kip Keino, World record holder and Olympic Champion *************************** Below are 3 very short videos: 1. Kelvin and Veronicah showing how they march at Scout meetings 2. Fun day at the pool, diving for coins 3.Kelvin reading. 4. Moses reciting his ABC's. He is now in pre-school and will start 1st grade next January, just several months shy of his 9th birthday. Unfortunately he had no schooling prior to this, so we started him with private tutoring. He is a smart little guy, admires his older siblings and we hope, will catch up quickly. |
