Maggie's School - An oasis in the desert

Some of the team members that visited Maggie's school

Some of the children walk 6 miles through the desert to go to Maggie:s School. Waking at 4:00 am they begin their journey early to arrive at the start of school at 6:30 am. And most have no breakfast at home. At 10:00 am they all receive what for most of the children is their first meal of the day uji- a nutritious porridge made from maize flour (corn.). We didn't intend for there to be so many children in the beginning but there are now 207 children at Maggie's School! There is one headmaster Fredrick, an assistant teacher, two cooks and a security guard. We plan to add more teachers soon. The children are so disciplined and have learned so much in three months! They followed the headmaster as they greeted us in English. And each child wanted to touch my hand!

The children greeting Connie

When school is complete for the day at 3:30 pm the headmaster and assistant teach 45 adults how to read and write. Life is changing in the desert of the Turkanas thanks to Maggie's School. My sister Wink not only built Maggie;s School in memory of her daughter Maggie but she ensures each month the school has funds to operate and food for the children. Each month the food is brought in on a truck from Lodwar - a two hour drive that can only be made by a lorry or a four wheel drive.. For many of the children this is the only food they eat all day. And we saw children carrying their little pots home from some of the food they were given for lunch. We knew they were carrying food to their parents.
Only the pictures can truly tell the story of Maggie's School. We will post them on the blog - www.partnersforcare.blogspot.com.
There is so much I know my sister will want me to do for the children. The first is this week I will wire Andrew our Partners for Care social worker funds to buy the children clothes! Imagine our surprise when we found some of the children come to school in their birthday suit! They have no clothes but still want to learn. Second, the containers the children held up to us as we served their beans and maize made us hesitate to even put food in them!

The children queuing for lunch

Some were fuel plastic jugs cut in half and still dirty inside. It was one of those moments when you try to decide what is worse - dirt or no food.

Njokie, one of the team members present during the visit,
serving lunch for the kids

We will send up on the missionary flight little lunch buckets with lids. There are no desks at Maggie's School and no place outside for them to sit when they eat lunch. They sit on the hot sand that burned our feet! Christ Church (Maggie's School she attended) has raised money for desks so soon the children will have desks. We will send funds for the children to have mats to sit on for lunch. Imagine how simple and basic these things are - clothes, lunch pails, mats, desks. And imagine that my sister is seeing these 207 children have these very simple things that change the lives of the Turkana children in the desert. Imagine.
Blessed so much to have seen the miracle of Maggie's School, Connie


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