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Show Page 12 The Ogden Valley news Volume XV Issue III January 15, 2008 KENYA IN CRISIS cont. from page 1 with its many destructive faces. She accommodates children who have been rescued from abusive homes; counsels pregnant girls, discouraging them against abortion; and has even helped break a child trafficking syndicate. In the slum of Huruma, she initiated a clean water supply project and worked to establish pit latrines in a slum that is void of central plumbing. There in Huruma, she has worked diligently to provide a source of respite amid a wretched environment. Since the uprisings in Kenya, Mama Lucy has been contacted. She stated that she had to flee Huruma with only the clothes on her back because of machete wielding men coming through the slum. Most of the slum has been burned, but, fortunately, the school was left standing. She says that she believes it is due to all of the prayers and fasting of friends. She also reported that she hasn’t been able to return yet to Huruma because it is still too dangerous. She is cold; she only has a sheet for warmth, and people are fighting over food. Pastor Fred and wife Alice at the Candle Light school they established outside Nairobi. There is George and James, our drivers and friends, who continually provide dedicated service to Reach the Children volunteer teams who work in Kenya, as they serve the Masai children on the Masai Mara. These children delight at the humble bits of fruit and other food they and volunteer teams deliver to supplement the meager diet of these descendents of African warriors who, today, still live out their lives on the African plains where tourists venture on safari. There is also Suchi, who is the RTC Kenya Country Director for Reach the Children. He manages all of their humanitarian programs on the ground in Nairobi. Also, Baresa, who teaches at Kenyatta University in Nairobi. He has spent con- Our driver James with Kenyan child. What little work was available to the poorest there has been all but eliminated as open-air shops and businesses have closed and daily activities and routines chaotically interrupted since the unrest began. Although Reach the Children is typically dedicated to building self reliance in communities, sometimes drastic circumstances require drastic adaptation. The non-profit organization has now set up an emergency fund for Kenyan relief—the 1106-K2 Kenya Emergency Food Fund. Reach the Children is asking that families give up one meal this week so that someone in Kenya can eat. Then, it is suggested that the funds saved from foregoing that meal be sent to Reach the Children. The organization will then ensure that the funds are used to feed orphans and families who ordinarily do all they can to work and provide for themselves, but, because of the RTC Program Director Jastus Suchi current political situation and crisis, have Obidiah with Karen Bastow of Liberty. been unable to do so. One hundred percent Reach the Children Executive Director of all donations will go directly to the feed- Mary Harris adds, “As news continues ing of African children and families. to come from our friends in Kenya, we see that though a relative calm is settling in, there are still many concerns and our innate understanding is that it will take a long time for things to get back to ‘normal.’ Many people are suffering from this tragedy and will continue to suffer without much needed help.” Please help with a donation to Reach the Children, which is tax deductible. Visit www.reachthechildren.org/donate and click on “Where Needed Most.” For credit card donations, place the account number/name “1106-K2 Kenya Emergency Food Fund” into the comment box. Funds can also be wired directly into Reach the Children’s account. Please email Harris at mary@reachthechildren.org directly for information on how to do this. You may also send a check or money order to: siderable time and energy in helping implement a new educational program being introduced to many of the nation’s school children in Kenya—a program designed by friends of Reach the Children from Utah County. Lilian also helps in this program. Also, Pastor Edward, who, when I asked him what was the greatest challenge he faces, replied, “Feeding Kenya’s children and families.” I remember Elizabeth, a teacher and principal, and the many additional men and women who teach with minimal resources and compensation. The hundreds of parents and church members from the Kasarani Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who we met—and the many, many faces of children I remember and see when I close my eyes at the end of the day, or when I begin to partake of one of my three dependable and well-rounded American meals . . . along with varied daily snacks. How abundant our lives; how sparse theirs. Personally, I worry, more now than ever Huruma slum where Mama Lucy works to since hearing news of the atypical violence improve the lives of the impoverished. and unrest occurring in Kenya since the nation’s recent presidential election where Even when I was there several months candidates have been accused of rigging ago in a more peaceful time, many parents the election. In numerous, angry upris- trying to provide at least one meal a day ings, it is reported that hundreds have been for their families found it extremely chalkilled, and an already precarious economy lenging; under current circumstances, I can in the region has been violently disrupted. only imagine how dire the situation is. MARY M HARRIS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR REACH THE CHILDREN 14 CHESHAM WAY FAIRPORT NY 14450 Harris concludes, “We certainly cannot do anywhere near what needs to be done, but maybe . . . collectively, we can help a little.” |