Kisima visit April 2010

Here's an online photo album of the visit...
(click on the photo)

Back home from visit to Kisima

Barb, our long-time friend and former back door neighbor, and I are home from our visit to Kenya, We had a great time and a very rewarding and productive visit to Kisima. Here the children are performing a wonderful welcome dance for us and for Bill Kring, Pat Boe, John Andirah, and Lilian who had come to visit Kisima for a day.
We toured the area, including the maize fields and the tilapia ponds which are near Martin's house. This was taken near his house looking across the river to Kisima which you can just see in the background.

We visited the classrooms where the children stood up and greeted us in unison...

and witnessed the kids' joy in having new textbooks. Here it's the Class 1 children. Class 4 also got some new textbooks.

It's amazing how much fun kids can

have with just a beach ball or a

jump rope.

Here we're saying good-bye. It was sad to say good-bye to such happy, lively children. They're such a contrast to the downcast, listless children we saw while driving along the roads. Seeing them reinforced the conviction that Martin and his wife, Margaret, are such a blessing to these 140 children. Because of them they have a chance at a future.

Emmanuel Nyongesa buried

Emmanuel Nyongesa died of sickle cell anemia. Together with the local assistant chief Martin was able to trace his grandfather--so at least whatever members of his family there are know about his death.
In better news, the vegetables are doing very well, the maize has germinated, the chicken structure is nearly finished, and Martin is planning the goat structure. Kisima is becoming a real farm with the capability of feeding the children a varied and healthy diet.

Good news and bad news

Very sad news. Martin wrote today that Emmanuel Nyongesa, the little boy who was abandoned at Kisima in the middle of the night, has died. I'm grateful that he was well taken care of and happy for the last few months of his short life.
In very good news, two friends of Barb's donated a goat each. They will be named Cindy and Jeannette after their donors. Wonderful friends!

Two weeks to go!

We're making final preparations and getting very excited about our trip. Just a little over two weeks to go! We're looking forward to being able to assess Kisima's needs and work with Martin to make plans for the future. We will be taking lots and lots of photos including one of each child with the aim of getting sponsors.
Great news--Kisima will have two more cows and money toward food and land thanks to Shiloh United Methodist's Endowment Fund. Many, many thanks to them. Likewise many, many thanks to Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church for their donation. Kisima has indeed been blessed.

Rotary grant

The Rotary Club of Vienna, Virginia, gave Kisima a $1000 grant for building supplies or farming equipment. Many, many thanks to them. On the left is Dr. Joe Pace, who submitted the application, and on the right is Jim Marshall, President of the club.

39 new children

In walking around the village Martin encountered a number of very small children in desperate need of care. Nine of them are orphans living with distant relatives who have little interest in them. Thirteen are children of unemployed single mothers who get up very early to look for daily work on farms. The children were left alone all day with nothing to eat until evening. The other 17 were from desperately poor families. All were ragged, hungry, and downcast. Martin has such a compassionate heart for these unfortunate children that he felt compelled to talk to their guardians and parents about having them coming to Kisima during the day. Now they are being cared for and fed. They are all in the preschool class which is being held in one of the old mud classrooms.