kids who need help

I have been working on all that we did in Kenya and organizing stuff to go on our web site when I remembered the young people that we met that needed help. Bryan is 9 and lives with his mother and his grandmother in a small house. We met him last year when he was 8 and nothing has changed for him. He has severe cerebral palsey and of course his mother couldn't afford to put him in a special school. He has not learned to do anything by himself. His mother had him assessed at the school while I was there and he was accepted. The cost is only about $650.00 per year. He goes 3 months and comes home a month throughout the year. If anyone is interested in sponsoring him let me know. You only pay by semester.

Trevor is a 5 year old boy that we met at Kasavai village near Kakamega. We discovered that he is deaf and his folks are very poor. We had just come from visiting St. Anthony's School for the Deaf when we met Trevor. He is being assessed and hopes to begin at this school in January. Here he will finally learn to communicate in some way and be with children who also are the same as him.

This is a picture of Trevor and he could use a sponsor to help him go to this school.

Craft Sales

Want to keep people up to date on the craft shows that are coming up that we will participate in.

We have purchased many crafts from the groups that we help support and all the money we raise goes back to these crafts people.

We will be at the Davedi Club on November 5th and 6th and at the Unique Artisans Craft Show at the Best Western Hotel on November 13th.

Come out and see the wonderful workmanship of these fantastic crafts people.

First Presentation since returning

Today Kathy Hallett and I presented to a group of Anglican Church Women in Sturgeon Falls. It was a great experience although I find I am quite emotional when I first return from Kenya.

Everything is still fresh in my mind and all the food distributions that we did seem like just a stop gap although they will provide food for a month or so for each family. We gave out food to over 500 women and that would feed over 3000 children. We also handed out food to 4 schools that would provide children with a lunch. For many that is their only meal of the day.

I have just finished doing a write up with pictures that will hopefully be up on the web site in a week. It is always difficult choosing pictures from over 2500 that we took. I am grateful to everyone who donated to Hope2Kenya so that we could once again provide food for many, finish a school, help to complete work on another school, provide school supplies for schools and teachers, and provide uniforms so that some children can now go to school. Without the ongoing support that we receive we couldn't do what we do. A very heartfelt thank you.

To the women in Sturgeon Falls today, thank you for all your support and for being so receptive to our message.

Back Home

I don't understand why we couldn't get into my blog while we were in Kenya. We managed a couple of blogs and then the powers of the universe wouldn't let us in. We have been home a week and I think the team is slowly recovering. For the three who accompanied me, Steve, Ada and Kathy it was an eye opening experience. For me it was a very emotional trip, moreso than in past years.

I found it difficult to watch grandmothers have to come to the food distributions for food. For some it was very humbling and others held their heads high and knew it was for their grandchildren, but it was not easy for them. We gave out a very large mat made of milk bags, and when the grandmother realized the size of it, she literally bent her head in prayer. She and the children would now sleep on something other than the dirt floor. We also handed out blankets to many families so they could be warm in the cool evenings.

We won the lottery by living in Canada and not Kenya. There is really not much that we don't have and compared to the Kenyan women we met- we here are so rich. These women have such hope and faith and that is what sustains many of them.

The more blessed we are I think the more responsibility we have to help others in need.