I want to change like Issac

When we were in Eldoret on a sports mission several months ago we met Issac. Issac is from Turkana. He had heard about Maggie's School that we built in Turkana and he thanked us because he never had a chance to go to even one grade of school. He could not even write his name. He was drinking and was drunk most of time. He was lost with no apparent future. During the mission he accepted Christ. After he accepted Christ he wanted to be tested for HIV/AIDs. We told him he would need to be sober to test and if he came the next day not drinking we would take him to be tested. He came to the field early the next day - without drinking. We took him to Ampath VCT to test and praise God he tested negative. Over the next days of the mission he came to the field everyday to be with us. He told us he just wanted to go to school.
Bishop David made arrangements for him to go to Merciful Redeemer to go to school. He stayed there several months attending school. Two months ago he came to live with the team at the Partners for Care house. Issac told us he wanted to obtain a driver's license so he could drive for the Kenya Red Cross. He has been attending driving school and on Tuesday will take his driver's test.
Last week Sammy took Isacc with him to Eldoret. When people saw Issac they were amazed at the transformation. Yesterday I spoke with Tim from the A-Step program - a program that uses sports to help the youth in Eldoret. He told me many of the young people in Eldoret are saying they want to change and be like Issac. God is using Issac to transform other youth.
Issac will return to Eldoret after he has his driver's license. His sisters are in Eldoret so he will now be able to help them. From a drunkard to a young man serving Christ Issac has been transformed. He knows the Partners for Care will always be his family.
Blessed to watch the transformation of Issac,
Connie
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Partners for Care

I am leaving for Kenya in two hours. Once again I will travel to a world similiar to here in some ways and very different in others. This trip a team from Carrollton is joining me. They have raised funds to put an e-youth center in Mathare Slum for Community Transformers - Nick and Charles. The goal is to have enough income from this cyber to move the 34 children out of the CT Rescue Center to a house!
This trip I will be sending updates on our new Partners for Care Facebook. If you become a friend on Partners for Care Facebook you will see the photos, videos and be able to follow this team as they establish the e-youth center.
Connie
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What people are saying about what if?

The Partners for Care staff feel the pain of HIV/AIDS. While none of them are infected, all of them are affected by this disease. For some their. parents are infected, some their sister is infected and with Njokie it is 8 year Brian, her nephew who has AIDs. He lives with us in the Partners for Care house. Their ministry passion is to do their part to create an HIV-free generation. They do this with their what if? program. They use the music of the Temples of Worship to draw thousands of people together. Once gathered Pastor Omondi preaches PURE and how following God's plan can protect people from this disease. As they go deep into Kenya - to the villages they are reaching people with the message what if? there was no HIV/AIDS. I wanted to share with you what people are saying about their what if? program.
A woman from Mombasa wrote this of their recent tour:
Whenever I heard the words WHAT IF? I thought "What a strange phrase", but as I continued seeing the words on their t-shirts, bracelets and caps, the message slowly started sinking and hit home with a bang.
WHAT IF there was no Aids in the world?
WHAT IF everyone played their roles correctly in the society?
WHAT IF the young actually abstained? WHAT IF partners were faithful?
WHAT IF mothers took precautions in pregnancy
WHAT IF all of us knew our status?
WHAT IF teachers taught it in schools?
WHAT IF preachers told their congregations?
WHAT IF all musicians mentioned this on stage?
WHAT IF? WHAT IF? WHAT IF?
It started sinking so deep it became a tormenting effect in my spirit; the next thing I had to do was run to a VCT and get my status checked
Living in a village where prostitution is profession like any other, where drugs are abused openly, where underage girls marry their grandfathers and it's considered an achievement? Where people are dying of AIDS and the community still talks of witchcraft, there is the importance of the WHAT IF message being preached and drummed into people's heads on a day today basis.
The impact of the gospel coming from youngsters, who can sing and dance to their God and still tell the world we have a chance to eradicate AIDS has hit the youngsters of Watamu, and when I walk around and hear them say that was cool I feel good because I know its not just the music that was cool its not just the dancing the message of GODS hope to his people and the WHAT IF option has also struck them.
I want to ask each and every one of you to pass this question to your friends, let the What if Message reaches millions in the world.
The team behind The What If Message
Lady Njoki God bless you so much you have a huge task- iyour role so well played
Sammy May God lift you higher and higher your blessed hands does wonders on that Keyboard
Sam the what if? sermons were great- you are going far
George you are very special keep the candle burning dear
David you have a voice that can draw many to Christ use it well
Justus young and likeable take time to venture deeper you have what it takes
Franco always smiling keep it up, It's a blessing,i wish i could draw your smile
Pastor Omondi the spiritual father of this great group_ you have a major task-and sufficient grace to see you through
You will not only do this in Kenya, but all Africa and the entire world
WHAT IF there was no AIDS In the world? WHAT IF?

And a Muslim woman said:

"I am proud of you people, I am a Muslim but I liked the what if? message, it is so clear to the young people, it is wonderfull to see young people like you so passionate about creating the awareness and preaching the message of pure to the young people, we need you here in Mombasa! Please come again soon! I can arrange with the sheikhs who lead most of the mosque around here to help mobilize our youths to join you next time, please come and teach our children, please come! Our children are infected because no one is talking to them".

A pastor said:

Brethren, when I saw this team wearing the what if? T-shirts and caps, I was troubled within me what does it mean! But the message is very clear when this team is performing! As a pastor I don't remember any one time I spoke to anyone including my family about HIV/AIDS! I am so a shamed of my neglegence. Pastors let us wake up and reach our community with this what if? message. Pastors we can't afford to be silent about AIDS again, we must address it from the pulpit, it is in the church and we must face it!".
Franklin Grahm once wrote that HIV/AIDS is the greatest opportunity for evangelism the world has ever seen. The above testimonies from those attending the what if? concerts are demostrating he was right.
Attacking the disease of HIV/AIDs using God's word,
Connie

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Breaking News

That was how the Partners for Care staff told me about the good news - breaking news from the desert in Akatuman. Maggie's School passed inspection both by the the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health. They did an on-site inspection and were amazed there were so many children at Maggie's School! On Friday the district committee of the Ministry of Education approved Maggie's School. It is to be registered as a goverment school by next term which begins in May! People in Lodwar are amazed at this miracle. Surely the hands of God has guided this process and blessed all the little boys and girls of Maggie's School. From when my sister first made the decision to honor Maggie by building a school in her name there have been people involved in the miracle of Maggie's School. We give thanks to all of them. We give thanks to Bishop David Thagano who first went there following God's message to Him - go to Turkana. He planted a church under a tree. We thank Northpoint Community Church who sent money to the Bishop who used it to build the church there in Akatuman. We thank ILI who helped put the well in so there was water. Without water the children could not have the two meals a day they receive.. They even cpme to school on holiday break for the meals. We thank Peter Waguru and all who travelled with him when he went there in November carrying all the supplies necessary to open the school. We thank Andrew Kiirya, Partners for Care social worker, who sheperded the building and the operation of the school and Pastor Omondi who guides and helps Andrew. And we thank Rev. Chege and Rev. Perminus Kinyua with GOA who have played vital roles in the opening and operation of Maggies:s Schook. We thank David Gruber, co-director of Partners for Care, who did the first DVD of Maggie's School and Sam Wachira, Partners for Care Communication Director, who did the second DVD. These DVDs have allowed people to "see" Maggies's School and the children who attend school there touching the hearts of so many people and greatly enlarging the number of people who love Maggie's School. We thank Elly, reporter from Sayare Christian TV station who went with us to see the Maggie's School and wrote a 7-minute documentary on the school that aired on the TV station. We thank the parents in Akatuman who now say they want their girls to get an education as it will last a lifetime unlike the cow they get from the dowry. A real breakthrough for this unreached people group. There are 87 girls going to Maggie's School! And we thank all the financial supportors including Maggie's Christian School in Greenville, S. C. that she attended from primer to graduation - Christ Church.. The students at Christ church adopted Maggie's School in the desert and have raised funds to support the school.
What does it mean now that the school will be registered as a goverment school?
1. The Ministry of Education will now fund the teachers.
2. The school now can qualify for goverment lunch program.
3. It will remain a Christian School
4. It will always be called Maggie's School
5. We have requested the two teachers remain
We will still be involved in supporting Maggie's School. With this partnership with the Ministry of Education there will be more support for the school.
Now my sister is praying for the site for the next Maggie's School. We pray for the same miracle God has performed in the desert of Akatuman.
Reaching the unreached for Christ through schools,
Connie
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What if? a success in Mombasa

The five-day what if? mission in Mombasa concluded last night. Christian from the Milele gospel group and Martin Luther King, Jr. Were right - music can be used to bring people together and to prepare their hearts to hear the message. And, Rick Warren was right. The HIV/AIDS pandemic will not go away until the church preaches it from the pulpit and until the pastors test and call their congregation to test. And, he was right when he said it wasn't being preached from the pulpit! The what if? campaign is changing that. In the five day mission in villages near Mombasa 8,200 people were reached with the message of salvation and HIV/AIDs prevention, 597 signed commitment cards to test, wait and be faithful and 108 received Christ.
Hear from the team themselves and feel the passion they have to reach their generation to be HIV-free and to save their children from AIDS.
From the team:
Yesterday was just a success. We first attended church at Pastor Peter's church, which was fantastic. Everyone loved the service, and when the Temples of Worship were presenting You Are My Foutain everyone stood to their feet and couldn't stop jumping and shouting... they really love those guys.

The Temples of Worship singing You Are My Fountain

I was shocked to hear the Pastor call me to the front to "speak to his people about AIDS, doing what I do best", and I went. I told the church about living pure in Christ, and I was surprised that half of the members test frequently. They hung on to every word I spoke, and agreed with me that it's the church that can be most effective in eradicating AIDS, first by living by example.
In the afternoon the concert started, and this day I really was surprised at how many people turned up. We had a crowd of over 3,000 people, and particularly today they were very responsive and participating, especially during the presentations by the Temples of Worship. I spoke and referred people to the nearest VCT, which coincidentally was a few meters from where we were. 295 commitment cards were signed yesterday, and 16 people gave their lives to Christ after Pastor Omondi preached.

People giving their lives to Christ in Watamu

It was hard leaving, with everyone begging us to extend the concert till 11pm. When we were leaving all the people wanted to know was "when are you coming back?" Songs by the Temples of Worship were on everyone's lips.

The Temples of Worship

I walked by two drunkards arguing, and I laughed when I heard one ask the other one "because you are feeling so on top of the world, have you been tested?" and the other one replied "go to Watamu Maternity Nursing and VCT Center (the VCT center in the area), and you'll find my name in almost all the sheets". The team did an excellent job of distributing the commitment cards.
In this five day Mombasa mission, 597 commitment cards were distributed, 8,200 people were reached with the message of salvation and HIV/AIDS prevention and 108 people gave their lives to Christ.

Sam.

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Successful mission for Partners for Care Kenyan Staff

My daughter Mindy once asked me when I wouldn't be needed in Kenya for the work being accomplished by the Kenyan Partners for Care staff. I was clear from the beginning that God called me not to do the work in Kenya but to encourage, equip, empower and engage those God placed on the ground in Kenya. To do the work. I think this update from the what if? team on mission in the Coast answers my daughter's question. This update shows they don't need me to reach many with the message of HIV//AIDS prevention. If you take the time to read their update from the second day of their 5 day mission you will see how competent they are to take the what if? campaign throughout Kenya and Africa.

what if? Marereni
Today started with a meeting with the local pastors. The pastors' association here arranged for a meeting with us, which started at 10.30am. I, Sammy, Pastor Omondi and Njoki attended the meeting, and a total of 16 pastors were there. The pastors first introduced themselves and the chairman of the association invited us. Everyone spoke from our team and I must admit that at first I was a bit intimidated to speak to be speaking to pastors.
Pastor Omondi spoke about the whole what if? campaign and how pastors should be united in eradicating the disease from the church, and how they should be avoiding politics in church, which brings discord. Njoki spoke about pregnant women, and how we can avoid giving birth to HIV infected babies by having our women test. She gave an example of Brian and how he would not be suffering right now if his mother chose to test or even to abstain since the beginning. I spoke next, asking the pastors to test from the pulpit, and explaining how if from the start pastors were doing this, we would not be having majority of the 40 million people living with HIV worldwide being Christians. I asked them how many of them talked about HIV from the pulpit, and all the pastors said that they don't ever talk about this to their congregation. Sammy spoke next, telling them how ignorance of the disease results to deaths.
We were surprised when the pastor who was hosting us told us that he has never talked about HIV in his church. He told us that the number of people living with AIDS in this area made up close to 80% of the population. This owed to the fact that this area is where truck drivers who are travelling all stop here for the night, and sleep with the locals.
We closed the meeting and they begged us to come back again, or even to stay longer and continue with the concerts.
In the afternoon the concert started earlier than yesterday, and after the Temples of Worship presented a song the people begged them to sing more songs. They sang two more songs and after the local pastor introduced other pastors, I was called to speak. I spoke about the ignorance I had heard about in the area, that despite Marereni being the leading area with HIV in Malindi. I spoke for about 15 minutes and when I asked how many people were promising to test so that they may save their area from being destroyed by AIDS, very many hands went up. I didn't believe they got my question and thought they had misinterpreted me, so I repeated the question again and even more hands went up. I referred them to the nearest VCT center and talked about the commitment cards, before the team went round distributing them .

One of the Pastors leading by example, signing a commitment card

A very large number signed them, and Justus is still tallying so that we know exactly how many of them were distributing.
It's a good thing that we distributed them while Pastor Omondi was preaching, because many of them saw me passing by and were asking me questions concerning the three commitments, which I answered. I felt really sympathetic when two women called me and asked me "now if we commit to do the last commitment, what will we be doing when our husbands don't satisfy us?" I asked them whether they loved their children, and when they told me yes I told them to picture those children without their mothers, and at this point they quickly asked for a pencil to sign the committment cards, which they hadn't done. I went on to talk to them, and they promised not to be promiscuous. I was really impressed by the openness of the people of this area.
Pastor Omondi preached and about 40 people gave their lives to Christ. The Temples of Worship closed with Remember me and people still begged them to do "one more song", which they did, but still they asked for more, and because of time we ended the concert.
It was a very successful mission. A total of about 900 people attended the concert today, which brings the total number of people who attended the concert for the two days to 1700 people. 66 people gave their lives to Christ.
Can't wait to see what God will do through us in Watamu.

Sam.

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Food

This trip food was a major focus. From the trip to the Turkana where we found starving children and old people to the rescue center in Mathare to Beat the Drum everyone was trying to obtain food to feed the children. Even with the house I live in with Partners for Care staff obtaining food was an issue. Kenya is not food secure at this time. There is many reasons for this including the post-election violence when grain was destroyed and land was not planted, months and in some areas even longer without rain, political issues and even corruption has played a part. Kenya has been declared an emergency situation with people dying from lack of food and water. Kenyans are responding with food collection center set up by the Red Cross, a Mercy train carrying food is moving around Kenya, cabinet members are to "sacked" for corruption and Kenyans have been asked to eat two meals a day and donate the money from not eating one meal. If you feel God telling you to "feed my people" you can donate to Partners for Care and all of the money will be used for food. We went early Saturday morning to meet the trucks coming in from the fields carrying beans, maize and rice. It was chaotic and very crowded but we managed to buy maize, beans and some flour to take to the children in the rescue center. We gave Pastor John some emergency funds to buy food for BTD. The filming we did in Turkana became a six part series on the Christian TV station hopefully raising awareness that will bring some help. And, pray for rains. Kenya needs rain for water and for the crops.
Praying for food and rain, Connie
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Maggie's School

Maggie's School video is also posted on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDq-uRrzDk0&amp;feature=channel_page <http://>
Blessings, Connie

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Maggie's School

Here is the link for the video about Maggie's School. Enjoy these precious children!
The link is:
<http://> http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1031632118344&ref=mf
Blessings, Connie

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One of Temple of Worship singers injured

Last night about 10 pm we received a call that Moses one of the Temples of Worship singers was hit head on with a vehicle while coming home on a motorbike taxi. We feared for the worst but prayed for him on the way to the hospital. Praise God we found him counscious. He had serious wounds but no fractures. The doctor at the Kenyan district hospital was very skilled as he stiched the wounds closed. He should recover fully as long as the wounds do not get infected. His greatest disappointment is he will miss the Mombasa mission this week as he recovers.
Praise God for protecting Moses from serious injury, Connie
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Temples of Worship sing at the United Nations, Kenya

Today the Temples of Worship took the what if? campaign to an international level. Dr. PLO Lumumba was one of the sponsors of the International Young Leaders Summit held at the United Nations, Kenya. Other sponsors included the Youth Fereration for World Peace, Martin Luther King III Realizing the Dream and Universal Peace Federation. Dr. Lumumba is one of the most inspiring speakers in Kenya. He is the spokesperson for the what if? campaign. He gave a speech today at this summit to a standing ovation. He ended his speech with the question what if? He had asked the Temples of Worship to sing their new song what if? when he completed his speech. The audience loved the song and ask them to sing again after lunch. They received many, many positive comments from international organizations. The conference theme was "the role of young leaders in achieving UN millennium development goals and peace-building in Africa." . Other speakers throughout the day spoke of the work of the Temples of Worship in combatting HIV/AIDS. We thank the prayers of my sister's and Carey's bible group who prayed for the Temples of Worship that their message would touch the hearts and spirits of the young leaders from around the world. God heard and answered their prayers.
Praying for an HIV/AIds free generation in Kenya, Africa and the world, Connie
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Maggie's School

Yesterday we met with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education Professor Karega Mutah. He invited three other high ranking public officials to the meeting. We showed them the pictures of Maggie's School. They were very excited that over 200 children are receiving education in the desert of Turkana. They were also very happy 45 adults are receiving adult literacy classes. Some of them were suprised that some children come to school naked! They want to help the school and told us they will move quickly on registering it so they can to help with the costs of the teachers and the the food. And they all want to come when my sister visits the school in July.
As an followup to our visit we are doing the following:
1. Andrew PFC social worker is purchasing some clothes for the naked children
2. Andrew will purchase a bell, flag, and a scales for the schooll. All the children will be weighed and height taken monthly.
3. Andrew will take dewormering medicine for the children.
4. Rain quards will be put on the roofs of the school and teachers house to catch the rain will it does come.
5. Mats wills will be bought for the children to sit on while eating lunch. And my sister requests we build a shelter for the children to eat under to protect them from the very hot sun.
We are also talking with the Member of Parliament for this area about partnering with the Ministry of Health to build a clinic here as the closest healthcare is 20 miles away. And remember there are no cars or motorbikes there - only mode of transportation is walking.
Blessed to be my sister's partner in Kenya to help with Maggie's School, Connie
i
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RE: Who will feed the Turkana people?

Connie:

I can barely look into the eyes of the children without jumping across the globe to pick them up into my arms! Praise God He is there to love them and provide for them through us! The answer to your question is very simple...we are each to be His hands and feet. His word says in Matthew 10:42 "And whoever gives to one of these little ones [in rank or influence] even a cup of cold water because he is My disciple, surely I declare to you, he shall not lose his reward." We must all take this upon ourselves as CHRISTians (meaning in its original form little Christ's or followers of Christ) to be Christ's hands and feet!

Thank you for sharing with each of us so that we can be the servants that God has called us to be!

Stacey

Re: Who will feed the Turkana people?

Hello Connie:

Are you back in Atlanta? Very sad pictures, you raise a critical question that we all must answer and take some responsibility in Turkana. Give me a call.

Joe Beasley

Who will feed the Turkana people?

This is the link to the DVD we did on our return from Turkana - Who will feed the Turkana people? You can see the suffering of the people and how difficult it is in Turkana. And, remember this is not the only place ithe children are hujgrey.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ3UJXZazV4
Cinnie
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Oral testing in Kenya

I just spoke with Professor Orago, Director, National Aids Control Council, and he has informed me oral testing is now approved for HIV/AIDS testing in Kenya. That is good news. I believe more people will be willing to test using the oral method. I want to recognize all those who helped Kenya with accepting oral testing starting with David Whithers, Director, Recovery Consultants. He personally came to Kenya and conducted oral testing iniatives. And we want to thank Joseph our friend from South Africa. Nick and Charles from Community Transformers were involved in all the oral testing iniatives including the one in Marsabit. Many Partners for Care staff including Ann and Pricilla, VCT counsellors helped with the 14 oral testing iniatives conducted. Professor Orago said they are ready to run and want to test 8 million people. I told him Partners for Care is ready to help fight HIV/AIDS anyway we can.
Connie
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Link to photos

The pictures of the visit to the Turkana people and Maggie's School have been posted at www.partnersforcare.blogspot.com Pray for rain and food for Kenya. Many are suffering not just in Turkana.
Connie
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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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"I am hungry"

The little boy looked up at us and said the only words he knows in English "I am hungry". He was just the first of many who told us this.
We have come to Turkana to visit Maggie's school and to film for a documentary on the famine in Turkana. We are with four Partners for Care staff and a reporter from one of the Christian radio/TV stations in Kenya.
Our goals were to assess the situation "on the ground" and to attempt to identify the problem and possible solutions. We identified the key players involved in the famine relief - goverment officials, NGOs, relief organizations and church leaders. Yesterday we divided into three groups and spent the day interviewing key people who represent these groups.
Sometimes being white can get us in places that Kenyans have difficulty acessing. So first thing is the team asked me to go meet with the top goverment official in Turkana - the District Comminisioner (DC). (The member of parliament was to meet us in Turkana but had to return to Nairobi. We will meet him when we return to Nairobi). He was easy to see as I was white. We were taken directly to meet him. We were told in this meeting things were not that bad on the ground and there was maize to be distributed. We left somewhat hopeful that the reports of starvation were exaggerated.
While others went for more interviews I went with the group that went "to the ground."
We didn't have to go far. Less than a 30 minute drive from Lodwar we saw the effects of the famine in a small village called Natoot.
We saw children who are malnourished - the large belly, small arms and legs, sparce hair.

Faces of Turkana children

We saw the old people so thin that you could see their bone structure. Moms trying to nurse their babies but I wondered how they could have any milk as they were so thin themselves. They gave us the universal sign for eating with their hands to their mouth and their stomach indicating they were hungry.
We asked permission to take photos and they granted us permission.

This child was crying when brought to Connie,
but kept quiet after being given water to drink and a snack

We left and went to the area chief. Kenya is governed by a system of district commissioners, district officers, chiefs and sub chiefs. The chief told us he has not been given food since November to distribute. We returned to town to visit the district officer. Here we were told as we had been told earlier in the day that distribution of relief food has been delegated to the Kenya Red Cross. We went to talk to the officials for the Red Cross.

We were told by the Kenya Red Cross that one month ago they were asked to take over the distribution of the goverment relief food for some of the Turkana people. She told us it was true that the relief food for the central district had been in the storehouses since December without distribution and in the north since September. She told us there is not enough money to distribute the food. She showed us on her computer the costs of distributing the food. 1.8 million shillings.
While we know the problem is massive and needs serious intervention to even begin to solve this century old problem of the hunger in Turkana we knew God had shown us a small group of people who needed immediate help. We went and bought food and the team returned to the village to distribute the food. We parked under the same tree we were at earlier and soon they came to greet us for the second time in a day.
There was a church there and the pastor had joined us earlier in the day. We asked the pastor to pray for the people and the food. We knew it was important that the pastor be the person responsible for the distribution of the food.
As the team distributed the food the moms brought me their sick children. Children affected by the obvious malnutrition - sores on their mouths, listless babies, children developmently delayed, etc. There were also children with fevers. Possibly malaria. The best we could do is leave money with the pastor to help the sickest of the children with medical care. We left water for the baby with a high fever telling the mom to give the water through the night to prevent dehydration.
When a child dies in Turkana the child is buried in the village. There isn't always the collection of data about causes of death. I asked the pastor if he knew of deaths in the village. He said three last year - one a child that looked like the child we saw today with the "big tummy" - a sign of malnutrition. How many other children are buried in their villages who looked the same?
We make no assumptions that we can determine the reasons for the situation in the Turkana region and certainly do not feel we are in a postion to propose a solution but in interviewing people in positions that are dealing directly with this problem we learned some of the causes of the problem. These include:
1. There is a dispute over the number of Turkanas - .4 million to .6 million and when relief food is allocated it is on the . Million people.
2. Even if all of the relief food was distributed there is not enough to feed even .4 million people. We were told the number of bags of maize sent to the area and it is very little per person.
3. There is a District Steering Committee that has developed a plan that involved the goverment offices and the NGOs and they have divided the responsibility of the food distribution with Central and South - World Vision and North Oxfam. We were told there is fighting and disagreement among all the organizations. We heard many complaints from relief organizations and goverment official about other organizations. There does not appear to be a "team" effort to solve the problem of famine in Turkana.
3. Culture certainly plays a part. We were told by many people a Turkana man will starve before he kills his goat to eat.
4. There has been limited development in the Turkana area. Lake Turkana produces enormous fish. We saw a woman carrying in a 3 feet fish on her head in a restaurant we were in. We returned later to find the fish prepared.. We all ate the fish. Because Lake Turkana is salt water the fish is very good. Many years ago an NGO built a fish factory. It sits unused and attempts to vitalize the factory has resulted in lawsuits. Meanwhile the Turkana people go hungry and Lake Turkana remains under utilized. And there isn't even any irrigation from the small river that runs though Lodwar. There could be small "kitchen" gardens near the river with irrigation.
5. And as the priest from the Catholic diocese told us a major problem in Turkana is the sun and lack of water. It is a semi-arid area. When you visit here you wonder how anyone survives.
6. Another concern we learned about is the possibe conflict of interests in the distribution of the relief food that has been sent. We have no documented proof but we told by several people that high ranking public officials own some of the transport companies that have refused for months to move the food from storage because of demanding payment first and requesting higher rates.
7. The opportunities for education also impacts on both the immediate crisis and the continued problem of a lack of food. There are schools especially primary schools but not for every child yet. And the harsh living conditions and lack of consistent, well-balanced food has impacted on school attendance.
8. Unlike in the US there are no "sunshine laws" so meetings held by goverment officials that develop plans are not open to reporters or the public and minutes are not published. So most people we spoke with did not know what the goverment plans were for distribution of the relief food.
What did the people say were possible solutions if the people of Turkana are to survive? And can it be just more than survive? First, it appeared that there needs to emerge a leader to lead all the politcians, NGOs, relief organizations and well-wishers to develop and see to the implementation of a plan. All things are possible with God. But God uses strong leaders to accomplish His objective of seeing all worship Him. The Turkana people will continue to be unreached and the enemy will be happy as people argue and point blame. It was suggested an outside party be brought in to first assess the situarion ie. how many people are there? high much food is needed?. And someone needs to monitor the distribtuion of the word so it reaches the people.
Second there needs to be serious incentives put in place to encourage the Turkana people to be self-supporting. One should never do for a man that which he can do for himself.
Third schools need to continue to be built and enforcement of all children in attendance. No people have become fully self-supporting or fully developed without education.
If Americans want to help they could concentrate on trying to save a child or a small village. GOA has nine pastors in Turkana and Andrew with Partners for Care works from Lodwar. Later I will send the update about Maggie's school. Here PfC through GOA is feeding 200 children two meals aday. Not only are the children being educated but they are being fed.
The situation is serious and will take much prayer for Turkana people and the leaders, people, organizations and goverment officials to solve this problem.

What if there was no hunger in Turkana?

Praying for God's intervention for the Turkana people, Connie

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Returning to Kenya

After a week delay to complete work I had to do for my paid job I am returning to Kenya. This trip will be very busy with many plans over the next three weeks. I will travel with a team of Kenyans including a TV reporter to the Turkanas. With the world economic situation the Turkanas are among the first to feel the effects of a decrease of support. There are reports of Turkana people starving for lack of adequate food. The plan is to prepare a documetary for use in Kenya and the US to bring awaremess to the need. While in Turkana We will visit Maggie's School in the desert of Akatuman. I am eager to see first hand the miracle my sister Wink has helped create. I am also most eager to meet the children! We are also preparing for the team from Carrolton travelling in April. They are helping create a cyber cafe in the slums of Nairobi for Community Transformers run by Nick and Charles. This cyber will help with income to feed the children in the rescue center including Little two year Elizabeth and Baby Diamond - both who have AIDS.
And I hope to have the opportunity of attending a what if? event with the Temples of Worship and Pastor Omondi. There are also several requests for TV and radio interviews about the work of Partners for Care. The Kenyan Partners for Care staff have accomplished a great deal for the Lord and to promote a HIV free generation. My role is to encourage, empower, engage and equip them to continue what they are doing. They are anxious to show me their progress in meeting one of Partners for Care goals - community health including HIV awareness from the churches.
Blessed to support the work of the Kenyan Partners for Care staff
Connie
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