Asante"giving"

On Monday we had Thanksgiving- I'm not sure why we did it on Monday, but we are in Kenya, so it really didn't matter when we did it.  We ate until we were sick, and then like all good American's do, we watched "National Lampoons Christmas Vacation" (as you can see in the picture below).

It is easy for us to reflect on how blessed we are while we are here in Kitale.  Everywhere you look there is someone in need.  It is heartbreaking to see the 6 year old glue boys on the streets, and the poor mothers who are unable to provide food for their malnourished babies, and the children we visit everyday at Mattaw Children's Village who are orphaned or abandoned.  It is easy to feel blessed, but it is hard to see hope.

Today I met two young street kids, aged 7 and 13.  At first I thought they were boys, but after talking to them, they explained in the little English they could speak that they were sisters (looking like boys is a common defense mechanism for girls on the street- they are less likely to be raped if they are thought to be boys).  With their limited English, and my limited Swahili, it was difficult to have a conversation.  But I was able to understand that these two girls were from the town of Bongoma, had been on the streets for only a few weeks, and had to leave their parents because they could no longer feed them.  This is a common occurrence in developing countries.  When families can't afford food for their children, many times they are sent to larger towns to scavenge or beg for food.  After a few minutes of talking, I had to go, I had to leave these girls to fend for themselves on the street.  As I drove away I had a pain in my stomach like I had been hit with a sledge hammer- it was the pain of knowing that I should have done more to help, and I didn't.  I circled around the block to see if the girls were still there, but they were gone.

All day today I could not stop thinking about them.  Sending them home to Bongoma would only cost about $20, and providing their family with food would cost very little in comparison to what it costs to feed a family in the US.

After working all day today on the drilling equipment for our well project, I returned to town to try and find the girls again.  I circled the block I first saw them on, but was unable to find them.  I asked a few older boys if they knew them, but they did not.

My hope, for the moment, is that we can find these girls tomorrow and help them return to their family.  My hope is that it is not too late.


Phil