Kenya Orphan Dream Project

Well I am happy to report that we now have enough money donated to purchase our property in Kenya!!! Is that awesome or what??   A generous donor stepped  up to add to what we had collected from many of you and we now have enough to go ahead with the land purchase.  PLUS we have enough extra to start looking at possibilities of putting up a basic structure!!!  Our dreams and vision to  put up a building where our children and volunteers can meet regularly is becoming a reality.  We ask for prayers of wisdom in working out the legal work in purchasing this.  May God be our guide every step of the way!  Asante Sana to all who have given to make this a reality!

Poverty In Maseno Kenya

I had a discussion yesterday with a local lady that works with a summer food program. She commented "and isn't it sad to think we have 29 kids in this program that are hungry".  I said I was glad that people like her work with  programs like that.  As I drove home, I thought to myself about the book I read by Jeffrey Sachs "Ending Extreme Poverty" which is a great book to educate oneself on the different levels of poverty.  He mentions the first level, which is like this lady mentions. Poeple struggling to make ends meet, not always able to buy adequate food.  Sachs wrote how we can see that level of poverty now in the USA probably in every state. Then he mentions the second level, he said there is even some of that in our poorest areas in USA.  People lacking food for their children and very few resources availabale in their area.  Then he mentions the third level, which is what we work with in our program in Maseno Kenya.  He called it Extreme Poverty.  No food, no resources, nothing for the family to eat, and lasting for days or weeks. 

Imagine a shell of a hut, no beds, only corn stalks for blankets and "mattresses".  No money at all. No furniture or items to sell to get some money. No transportation to go somewhere to get help. No resources in community to help you with. No medical care at all. One cup of water to drink a day from the contaminated river you can walk to per person in your family.  No energy to do any of the work as you need protein for energy.  No protein meals at all. No money to buy seeds to try to raise some food.  No money for fertilizer to try to increase the yeild in the over worked garden areas. And on it goes. 

Yes, we have people in need in the USA, and thankfully we have programs to help them. But we must not forget those in Extreme Poverty who have NO RESOURCES and few fighting for them in many cases.  Become educated on these needs.  Check out programs to make sure they are credible. Consider working with us at www.hisarmskenya.org to help the world alleviate such suffering.  We cannot do it all, but we each can do SOMETHING!