Sunday Treasure

Today we had a mass at the Nyumbani Children's Home. It was a great celebration as usual but the songs made me long for the Village. The readings were those about the Kingdom and treasure. Ah yes, I remember - the kingdom. The Kingdom is the reason for it all - to experience life in the Kingdom - now, but not yet . . . . here but not here yet. That is what I want, I remind myself. The Kingdom, as I was taught, is where God is King - not me. So I try today to relinquish control of my need to be in control, to be god, to be king. It's not that easy. I want quick answers, quick fixes. But I look again, around me, inside of me and realize I am close to the Kingdom and I renew my desire for it, for God.

I went to a very nice brunch with the WorldTeach folks as well as a friend Thomas who works in international development and with the UN. He is wise and has lived in Kenya for about 5 years. He has a ton of knowledge and experience in Africa - knowledgeable of Somalia, Tanzania, Kenya. It was a great meal in a beautiful British homestead.

Tomorrow, the WorldTeach guys go to the US Embassy to hear information on security and safety in the country. They'll talk with a guy from USAID, one of the funding mechanisms for the Children's Home and the Village. I think I will stay back and prepare to return to the Village on Tuesday. I may take a trip with George and Philip to the border of Kenya and Tanzania on Friday and Saturday. I'll head to the Village with Pascal and work on computers and setting up the lab for the school. Pascal is the IT guy for the Children's Home and Village. He hopes to network the computers (7 of them) at the Village. It is always a good time when Pascal comes to visit.

That's is about it for this trip to Nairobi. The visit was worth the rough ride here and I think it was wise to welcome the new volunteers, make some connections and bring them personally to the Village. They have no idea what awaits them - the lifestyle, the difficulties, the lack of water and sanitation but also they have no idea of the joy associated with the children and the grandparents. I can't wait to see how they react. It could be a long year for them or the best year of their lives. More to come!

Traveling a lot to Nairobi

After a great week at the Village I traveled back by Matatu to Nairobi to meet the three volunteers arriving at the airport on the 24th. They are from various parts of the U.S.and will work for one year at the Village. We are doing an orientation program that included teaching methods, Swahili, HIV/AIDS education and an orientation to Kenyan security and safety. Eric is doing the classes, I am observing and joining in when I can provide a context from the Village. I had originally thought of spending the entire week here in Karen but will probably head to the Village on Tuesday. The new volunteers will come next Sunday, the 3rd.

Back at the Village we have had many visitors which have become my responsibility. A group of students from the US came for a day and a night. Sleeping arrangements, food and connecting them to the appropriate people to talk and learn from was my job. I think things went well but I am exhausted. I had/have a bit of a bug we couldn't get a handle on but since I have been in Nairobi, I received some antibiotics and feel much better. Part of the problem is that Nairobi is very cold and damp these days. My ailments felt like strep. Who knows but I am feeling much better now and have just a little cold.

There have been some vehicle accidents, not involving me but involving my friends at the Village and the Children's Home.
one of the trucks rolled recently on a dirt road. No one hurt but the truck damaged. Two friends on the back of a motorbike went down on a dirt road. A head gash and some scrapes were all the resulted. The driver, a friend was hurt a little worse but will recover. Thirdly, a mom from the cottages who I befriended last year was in a matatu accident with her daughter. She has a bad head injury and a dislocation but three others in the matatu, including the driver, were killed. Travel in Nairobi can be hazardous.

Jeremy Hunt, benefactor of the school in the Village will come to visit us on the 1st of August. He is a Member of Parliament in London. I have emailed a couple times but we have never met face to face.

That is all for now. I want you to know how much I am enjoying the Village these days. It feels more like home than ever. I miss the US, the family and my friends but am so happy here - thanks for your support. I am continuing to work on a list of needs. So many have asked what I would need here. I'll repeat some of the things I would like to do:

Chairs for the library
Soccer Shoes and Shin Guards
Scout Uniforms
A Block making machine
Some Essential Medications for the Village
Solar for the Administration Building
The Masai Project - See WWW.mwep.blogspot.com
Thanks for any and all donations to IHM Mission Fund. I promise to use the money wisely. E

IN NRB

I am back in the city to meet up with Eric from Worldteach. All goes well with the planning for three grads from the US to come to the Village and spend a year working with the kids and teachers. I have found plenty to do at the Village. I have been working with the Sustainability Department to chart the progress they have made, using charts and graphs and researching some past patterns and yields from the farm and animals. Nyumbani Village is an organic farm and the hope is to sell produce to local stores in Nairobi and other places. So I have set up a database the does invoicing as well as recording all the product amounts sold. To you folks from California are here for six weeks to survey the acreage at Nyumbani for increasing water flow, etc. They are out in the bush daily with a tripod and some good equipment brought from the states. The outcome will be a topographical map of the entire village with gradation etc. Very cool and I have been out helping them (holding the stick!) I have transfered the books from the "old library" now used as a classroom to a small building we are using as the library and computer room. It is a mess and hoping to get to it soon. The majority of my time is dealing with guests and volunteers coming to the Village. There are now 15 volunteers - soon to be 19. It is a juggling act trying to find places for everyone and coordinate transport. I also want to document some of the village activities by means of a video cam Rchel got me for Fathers Day. They have also asked me to update the Nyumbani Website www.nyumbani.org. You almost have to be in Nairobi to do that, although they are beginning to use a cell signal modem in the Village - slow but some are getting email. I will prob just wait til I get to the city to get news and mail.

The kids are great. some of the secondary boys came home from boarding school for a couple days and I was totally suprised and happy. Benerd, John, Charles, Erastus, Mutuo all traveled long distances and it was SO GOOD to see these good friends. They'll have a longer break soon.

George and the staff are good. I traveled with George to NRB. I went with him and Phillip to a meeting about selling produce to a local grocery chain. If that would happen it would be great for the Village. We are also planning a trip to Nakuru to see his dad and travel to his Aunties to see the property you donated to buy for her. I can't wait to see her and the rest of the family. Kathy and Karen gave me a new camera for George and he uses it everyday, documenting the work he is doing in the shamba. Kathy also gave me a used laptop to bring and he uses that daily as well. THANK YOU!

As far as needs here - make sure to look at www.mwep.blogspot.com for the Masai project needs but also I need 30 plastic patio chairs for the libray so the kids don't have to drag their chairs in each day. They will be used for other events. They are about $6.00 each from Kitui. We are also looking for money for scout uniforms for kids we want to begin a scouting program with. There are about 40 in the group - boys and girls. I am also looking into solar for the new administration building. We installed solar in the clinic (which was also the Admin Building before the contruction). Money for Maasai school uniforms and school fees are also important but separate from my work with Nyumbani Village. Remember there are still Kamba baskets made by the gandmothers and other items for sale via IHM School and Kathy N.

Thanks for the emails and well-wishes. I can't tell you how much I appreciate your care and support. I am loving it in Kenya. I feel physically very good and have kept some of the weight on so far! I hope to add pics and write some more before I return to the Village. (And - the village is cool these days. 70s during the heat of the day and overcast. Nights are cool and beautiful. Thanks again and will write again soon.

In Nairobi

Made it to Nairobi on the 26th. Had a great flight on BA and got into town about 9:00 PM. All worked out for a ride from the airport to the Children's Home in Karen. I have been relaxing, getting a phone set up, playing with kids, etc. I plan to go to the Village on Monday morning if all works out for transport. I met with my friend Pascal here at the orphanage, visited with Sr. Mary and saw Nicholas (the manager of the Village.) It was great to see them. We had a visitor to the Children's Home today so I got to spend an hour or so touring around the orphanage with Teri Hatcher (Desperate Housewives, Superman, etc.) She was in Kenya with her daughter and parents. It was a surprise. So - all is well and I am so looking forward to seeing the kids in the Village! More later.

Last Day In London

I head for Nairobi tomorrow morning (Thursday). I'll get in about 9PM. The time in London has been great although pricey. The dollar still sucks in the UK. I managed to get to Wimbledon (only about 5 Tube stops from where I was staying. I got a ticket for the grounds and then got a ticket for Court One that was resold - only 5£ for the added match. I got to see Andy Roddick beat E Schwank. I couldn't believe I was sitting at Wimbledon watching these guys and others. In the other 19 courts you could actually talk to the players - you were so close. Amazing.

This moring I got nosebleed seats for "Wicked". Luckily there is a matinee so I can stay awake. All for good.

It's been a great beginning. I'll call George tonight, wake him up and let him know when my flight arrives. I will try to write more when I get to Karen. I should be there the weekend.

"I Love You, Too"

"I hope you’ve dared somewhere along your journey to say “I love you” to someone. We’re afraid to say it because we’re not sure it will be accepted and given back. If we say “I love you” and don’t hear it back, it’s as if we’ve dropped our pants and exposed ourselves. I use that shocking image because that’s exactly the nakedness of God on the cross. God said “I love you” to the world. God took that great risk of looking stupid, and we didn’t say it back. God hangs there naked and vulnerable before his enemies, who will not believe in the love of God. The fate of God, it seems, is to be poor, to be given and not received, to fail. We share as Christians in the eternal fate of God: not to succeed, to be poor and often to look foolish and defenseless. Once you say “I love you,” you stand foolish and exposed until the other says “I love you, too.” Such is the fate of God."

Richard Rohr, ofm

London

I made it to London. I got in this morning (Monday) and found a room for tonight but the place is really crowded, especially around Earl's Court where I like to stay. London is a good transition for me, good for the change in time, being away from home, driving on the wrong side of the road. It is a nice midway stop, although I gave myself too much of a cushion - in case I couldn't get out of cincy on standby. But - no problem. I am considering training out of the city and seeing what else I can take a look at while I am here. Or maybe just riding the Tube to places I've not been. We shall see.

The weather is great, sunny but a little cool around noontime. More to come. Need sleep.

NEWSPAPER ARTICLE from KENYA

KENYA: The little village that could

KITUI , 22 May 2008 (PlusNews) - The word 'nyumbani' means home in Swahili, and that is exactly what a pilot village in the eastern Kenyan district of Kitui is trying to provide for two generations devastated by the AIDS pandemic.

More than 250 orphans and 29 elderly people, all of whom have lost parents and children to AIDS-related illnesses live in the village. The children are placed under the guardianship of a grandparent - not necessarily their own - who is responsible for creating an atmosphere as close to a normal home environment as possible.

Most non-governmental organisations (NGOs) dealing with orphans and vulnerable children believe that placing children in extended family units in the communities they have lived in since birth is preferable to placing them in the unnatural environment of an institution, but many families are unable to cope with the additional mouths to feed and the orphans often end up homeless.

"Many of the children here were destitute, roaming the villages, begging or scavenging for food once their parents died," said Sister Mary Owens, co-founder of Nyumbani Village. "The village is halfway between an institution and the community. We try as much as possible to simulate normal village life, with grandparents and the children forming blended families." The village also tries to ensure that the children are brought up in the local Kamba tradition, and there is a separate house to accommodate older boys who have gone through the circumcision ritual. The village was opened in 2005 on 1,000 acres of land donated by the government of Kenya to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kitui. Its youngest resident is two-and-a-half year old Tito, and its oldest is Monica, who is well into her nineties. "Being with the children keeps me feeling young," said Malonza Malembwa, one of two resident grandfathers. He does not know his age, but believes he is well over eighty, having been born around the time of "the great famine" in 1920. Malembwa has eight boys in his care: four are his biological grandchildren and the other four were placed with him after he came to the village. Being with the children keeps me feeling young

"When my daughter and son died, I couldn't afford to feed the grandchildren, so the Catholic Church took them in and fed them; when the village opened we all came here," he told IRIN/PlusNews. "Before we got here my grandsons and I were casual labourers on building sites, but now they are all in school."

Although the HIV prevalence rate of 3.9 percent in Kitui is lower than the national average of 5 percent, the risk factors for HIV are high. Migratory labour is common in eastern Kenya's arid climate, and men are often away from home for weeks at a time, during which they may have several sexual partners, heightening the risk of HIV transmission to their wives when they return. Poverty and food shortages also sometimes drive women into commercial sex work. Competition for a place in the Nyumbani village is also high (the waiting list is currently 130), so the criteria for entry are strictly enforced. "The children must be double orphans [they have lost both parents] with no extended family; they must be destitute and the grandparent must also be destitute," Owens said. "We use a committee that includes a social worker, community leaders and religious leaders to help us make the choice and ensure only those who really have no other option are taken in." The younger children attend a primary school in the village, while older ones go to secondary boarding schools in the district. Extra-curricular activities in the village include HIV education and sessions on sexuality and relationships, and teenagers are trained in carpentry, dress-making and other trades. A clinic in the village, which is also open to people from the neighbouring community, treats minor illnesses, but more serious cases are referred to Kitui District Hospital.

Towards sustainability Nyumbani has livestock and grows its own food, using drip irrigation powered by solar panels. Solar electricity is also used to light the streets, and plans are underway to use solar power for lighting homes. The village uses water-saving eco-toilets and recycles bath water for watering the farm's fruits and vegetables. "We aim to be fully self-sustaining within 10 years," Owens said. "We grow organic food that feeds the families; we sell the surplus to organic food shops in Nairobi."

The village is also piloting the growth of 50 acres of jatropha oil - a vegetable oil used in the production of biofuel - as well as an agro-forestry scheme to produce timber and charcoal for cooking and selling. Most of the farm work is done by casual labourers from the neighbouring community. "I never thought I could sit around most of the day without really working hard," said Janet Kithika, one of the grandmothers. "But now my job is to care for the children, which is tiring but also rewarding." She is raising 11 children, the largest number of any grandparent at Nyumbani. A challenging start Helping grandparents to discipline and manage sometimes rebellious adolescent children has been a particular challenge, Owens said. "Relocating from their homes is sometimes difficult, as is adapting to the new village setting." At least three grandparents have voluntarily left the village since it started, unable to cope with the responsibility; a few of the older children have also left.

The village has an on-site counsellor and a several social workers to help people solve the up and downs of daily life. "We are experiencing some teething problems, but we are learning on the job; however hard you prepare, there are things you cannot anticipate," Owens said. New houses are being built and at least 150 new orphans and 15 grandparents are expected to move in during the next year. Future plans include building a voluntary counselling and HIV testing centre for the village and neighbouring community, as well as starting a community-based outreach programme to provide medical and social support to children in the community infected or affected by HIV. Ultimately, Owens' vision is to replicate Nyumbani village across Kenya, where more than one million Kenyan children have lost at least one parent to HIV.

Random Thoughts as I Prepare to Depart

I am sure there will be projects and activities that will develop once I return to Kenya but (apart from those projects) there are also some goals that I have for myself as I prepare to return in a week. I have tried to take some time to think about what I am doing, why I am going, etc.

I want to be more organized and systematic in doing projects. I want to incorporate an educational component in everything I propose to do. For example, even wiring for solar power can be a learning experience for the locals and neighbors.

I want to find a way to include the students back at IHM, my old school, when doing projects. I may be naive but I feel that they must have a sense of others in developing nations or their education will be incomplete and hollow. I think we all fail to see our privileged status. Rachel bought me a video cam! There is a possibility that I can either load some video on a CD and send home or upload to YouTube or something if I can get to a good computer hookup. If somehow the kids at IHM can meet the kids at the Village, even via video, I believe it will change how they think about their lives and their place in the world. I was going round and round wondering if I should spend the money for the camera. Rachel, on Fathers' Day, sure helped! Thanks!

This is what I am pondering lately . . . . I don't think that Kenya is necessarily a place which I was lead to by God. I hope this makes sense but I believe that I could have stayed in Cincinnati, moved to the southwest, stayed as principal - whatever - and still be following the Lord. It is not the destination. I think God works wherever you choose to plant yourself. The whole thing of "God told me to go to Africa" doesn't make sense to me. You go to a place and God is there. Where God is sought, God appears. I don't think I could have made a wrong destination decision. It doesn't matter, as long as you are looking to find God in them all. Maybe the same went for Moses and the Israelites. If they were led to the promise land by God, God did a lousy job of leading or maybe they were lousy followers. And Moses never even made it. What they learned was that God is faithful. "You will be my people and I will be your God." Trust Him, day by day - whether in the land of Egypt, Kenya, Albuquerque or Burlington! Let God be God. Kenya works best for me because it frees me from the stuff that kept God at a distance. Some might find God in other ways but in the midst of poverty and simplicity - I can see God easier.

Since coming back to the states I have had the weird experience of having good people say "Well you know, there are poor people in our own country." I felt bad, defensive, disloyal, and even unpatriotic. The folks telling me this had an "America First" mentality and live in a world that "takes care of our own first". But there are no borders when it comes to God and God's children. Where I am headed - there are millions of orphaned kids stumbling around trying to be adults and head households, find food and water for their siblings. They are dying of AIDS, TB, Cholera, malnutrition, neglect - millions of them. Masai women, an hour from the country's capital city, are selling their bodies to truckers for food and milk for their children. They have no good water, no latrines, no prenatal or health care. My "problems" shrink in embarrassment. We have no idea of what "a tough life" means.

"Being home for a couple months, what differences do you notice?"
People are bigger, rounder, fatter - especially the kids - sorry to say.

People seem to complain more here in the states - about meaningless crap.

No one walks anywhere. We ride.

The earth is more green here in Ohio.

Celebrity life is ridiculously opulent - embarrassing.

The longer I stay here, the deeper I long to return to Kenya, the village, the kids.

I called George in Kenya and caught him walking in from the farm. "Oh Ed, everyone awaits your return. We are so excited. Oh Ed, I am counting the days." Me too George. Me too.

Masai Women's Empowerment Project

I have a project I want to support that is distinct from work at the Nyumbani Village. Check out:

http://www.mwep.blogspot.com/

for information n the Massai Women's Empowerment Project.