(Nearly) indestructible soccer balls!

Soccer balls at Kisima enjoyed only a very short life due to the barbed-wire-fenced fields surrounding their play areas.  Henry Edwards did some research into sturdier soccer balls and came up with balls developed by One World Futbol Project.  From their website: "In 2006, One World Futbol inventor Tim Jahnigen was watching news footage about traumatized refugee youth in Darfur playing soccer on dirt using a ball they had made by tying trash together with twine. In that instant, Tim saw that these kids had such strong, indestructible spirits and felt they deserved better. He realized there was a global need for a nearly indestructible ball that could withstand the harsh conditions often faced by youth living in refugee camps, disaster areas and other disadvantaged communities."  Sandra Cress at the One World Futbol office in Nairobi generously offered to donate some soccer balls for the girls' and boys' teams at Kisima.  Martin reports that the teams are very happy to receive them and that they have a tournament in a few days to try them out.  Many, many thanks to One World Futbol!  Check them out at www.oneworldfutbol.com.
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School uniforms donated

 Dennis Uniform in Nashville, Tennessee, donated several suitcases full of school uniforms for both boys and girls.  The girls loved their plaid skirts and jumpers so much that they asked if the official school uniform could be changed.  Thanks so much, Dennis Uniform!

August 2013 visit

Gerda:  A group of 11 of us returned August 12 from a successful and productive trip to Kisima Child Care Academy with a renewed sense of the value and importance of caring for and educating these deserving children.  The group included two old friends of mine, two doctors from San Francisco and their daughters, 11 and 13, two people from our church (Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church in Loudon, Tennessee), and my grandson, 12.  The focus of the group was the medical clinic.  Although the doctors were pleased by the overall good health of the children, they did see some serious problems, prominent among which was a fast-moving infection in a seven-year-old boy’s leg.  Had the doctors not operated the best scenario would have been that he never would have been able to straighten his leg; the worst would have been loss of his leg or his life.  What a blessing our timely arrival was.

The rest of us sorted and passed out clothing, did lots of crafts and lessons with the kids, worked with computers, and did what we could to support the medical team.  I brought a young friend of mine with us, a soccer player from Nairobi, to coach the soccer team and he was a huge help in all the activities.  He even preached a sermon at the Sunday service. The kids who came were a huge help also.  You can get a better idea of the activities by checking out the photo album--link on right to August 2013 Visit.