News Archives - Page 17 of 17

Big Day Out

April 8, 2014

Kenyan women take their young children with them wherever they go, as access to babysitting or daycare are pretty limited. We try to take the babies out of the house as often as possible to have them experience what it would be like to grow up as a typical Kenyan baby. We also see that it is important for each baby to get one-on-one time with an adult caregiver whenever possible.

Most weeks, this is a trip to the grocery store or even just a ride in the car, but this time it was Caleb and Hassan’s turn for an outing, and we treated them to a morning of exploring at Paradise Lost, a nearby tourist attraction with caves, a waterfall, and boat-riding. They had SO much fun!! Just look at their smiles!

Christmas in Kenya

November 20, 2013

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Please help us celebrate Christmas with our children and guardians. A contribution of $38.00 (one additional month’s sponsorship), will assist in purchasing a new backpack for a child, some school supplies, a new school uniform, an additional set of clothing and new shoes.

You can make your contribution on our webpage by clicking DONATE and designating Christmas in Kenya, by mailing a check to Project 82 Kenya, P.O. Box 680003, Marietta, GA 30068, or by calling our office at 770-977-7114.

Letters to Our Children

August 29, 2012

We began working on a note to send out to our sponsors asking for letters for your children. We mentioned this to Mike Pennington who traveled to Kenya in July and he responded with this letter below. Mike expresses the impact of letters on the children in an incredibly moving and loving way. We hope you respond to Mike’s challenge to write your child. Thank you as always for your continued love, support and prayers.

From Mike Pennnington:

Thanks to the continued outpouring of support from families like yours, there are over 200 children in Kenya who now have a place to sleep, access to education, clothes, shoes, food … all of the basic necessities that we sometimes take for granted. Having recently returned from a trip to visit our Kenyan family, I can tell you first-hand that the other gifts you continue to give them are hope and love. There are genuine smiles on their faces when they see us coming – not smiles based on receiving handouts, but smiles of pure joy. It is difficult to describe the powerful experiences we had with the people we encountered in Kenya. They have virtually no possessions or assets, and yet they show a very real and pure joy when they worship the Lord. They see groups like us dedicate a tremendous amount of time and resources just to come and spend some time with them … four, sometimes five times per year.

Two of my highlights from the time spent in Molo were the worship on Sunday and the distribution of letters from sponsor families back home on Saturday. We began with an electric and vibrant worship service that lasted nearly three hours. They are excited to have the chance to come together and praise His name … to dance, sing, pray, praise and worship. It was a truly breathtaking experience. As for the letters and packages, this is a moment that I will never forget and will truly cherish for the rest of my days on this earth. Scores of children from birth through teenage years were playing, laughing, dancing, creating arts & crafts – they were just being kids. They were loud and they were active; it was an intoxicating environment. However, it was announced that the time had come to receive letters from the sponsor families in the United States. These kids went from loud, playful, joyful to giddy, nervous and anxious with anticipation. They quickly took seats and waited to hear their name called.

With each name called, there was no disappointment that the next package didn’t belong to them – they were happy that a friend of theirs was the lucky recipient. One by one, each name was called and every child there received a letter or package. They shared their letters with each other; they showed the gifts they had received; they wanted to have their pictures taken with the packages. This moment was what my children look like on Christmas morning! I was especially fortunate to be able to hand-deliver the package my wife and I had created for our sponsored child, Patrick. Patrick couldn’t stop grinning and saying thank you. He went so far as to take MY picture holding HIS letter! There was a very special bond formed there, where I could tell he knew that we loved him and would do what we could to take care of him. I cannot wait to write him another letter and fill that envelope with more goodies! Now I get to imagine the look on his face when he gets the next envelope.

THIS is where you come in. Quite often, our busy lives can make it difficult to take the time to write letters to our children. I will admit that I have had this happen to me before. Now that I KNOW the excitement and joy those letters and packages create, I will never, NEVER miss that opportunity again. That is exactly what it is – it is an opportunity to put a smile on your child’s face! Thankfully for the children of Molo, Project 82 staff and other volunteers spend countless hours writing letters to children before each trip. They do this for those children who will not be receiving anything from their sponsor families. The children are delighted to receive letters, but I can attest to the fact that they crave the relationship. They want YOU to commit to writing them a letter. You can even include some fun items in the envelope … stickers, crayons, etc – they love it all!

I have a vision and a goal: each and every sponsor family will commit to write a letter to their sponsored child for each time that Project 82 takes letters to Kenya. This is 2-3 letters per year! You can go further by adding treats to the envelopes as well, if you feel so led. But, please take a moment to consider the tremendous joy YOU can give your sponsored child, just by writing a simple letter. Will you make that pledge with me? Five minutes of your time can provide immeasurable joy to someone 8,000 miles away.

World Malaria Day – The Statistic of a Kenyan Child

April 26, 2012

As I reflect this day, World Malaria Day, I cannot help but consider our children in Kenya. Malaria in Kenya is an everyday occurrence, and it strikes predominately in rural areas with the greatest burden falling on lower income families. One of the wonder’s about the work that we do is that we are faced with situations in which our children in Kenya are struggling with diseases and circumstances that we fix here in the United States thousands of times a day. Malaria is just one of these examples, with hundreds of thousands of individuals suffering in parts of Africa, and next to zero cases in the United States thanks to vaccinations and good hygiene.

Let’s look at the numbers: In Kenya alone,

77% of the total national population is susceptible to this disease
34,000 Kenyan children under the age of 5 die each year because of Malaria
Malaria accounts for 20% of hospital visits in young children and pregnant women.
About 3.5 million children are at risk for developing severe Malaria

The United States has long recognized this danger and has for many years partnered with the Kenya government to help eradicate this disease. Averaging approximately $80 million a year, the U.S. has worked alongside the Kenyan government as a part of the U.S. Global Health initiative and a four part plan. The strategy is both to control the spread of the disease by controlling the mosquito population and reduce the risk of mosquito bite for the people of Kenyan.

The plan consists of:

1- ITNs – Insecticide Treated Mosquito Nets

2- IRS – Indoor Residual Spraying

3- ACTs – Diagnosis and treatment through medications

4- Prevention and treatment of Malari among pregnant women

Our children, Those we care for, and that you support and love have rarely seen this disease and are protected by sleeping under mosquito nets and spraying for mosquitos. Another element of healthcare your support provides coupled with semi annual thorough medical exams.

We thank you for your commitment to the children of Kenya supported through Project 82 Kenya. You truly are a part of a much larger movement. One that is saving lives, ensuring healthier living, enriching the children’s spiritual growth, and providing education which opens the doors to the future.

Masai Mara

March 29, 2012

We flew early from Maralal to Masai Mara, known to many as home to the Serengetti and the Great Migration of wildebeests, zebras and gazelles that occurs annually.

During the flight from northern Kenya to the southwest corner of the country, we saw the awesome beauty of Gods creation from dusty dry bushlands, to rich farm lands of the rift valley, the great Abedere mountains and the plains of southern Kenya. Then upon landing in Masai Mara we traveled 30 minutes into the park and saw lions laying in the cool grass in the shade of a tree. It is very unusual for lions to be seen during the daytime.

We have had the incredible honor to see lions, elephants, gazelles, elon, antelope, leopards, cheetah, vulture whose wingspan exceed 6 feet, giraffes, wildebeast, warthogs, jack rabbits, water buffalo, jackel, hyena, and guineas. Birds where God has beautifully painted their wings with colors that seem to be unknown. We witnessed elephants circling and protecting their babies from imposing onlookers.

Beyond the beauty of the animals, to simply take in the massive land expanse is overwhelming. Everywhere you look, one wants time to stop momentarily so you take in all there is to see. One wonders how God created such a wide variety of plants and animals.

In the midst of this incredible national park lives a tribe of people whose culture has barely changed over hundreds if not thousands of years. The Masai people where the bright red colors of their heritage. They are known for their skills in hunting and as warriors. They dress in elaborate bead necklaces and jewelry. Their homes are made of sticks and animal waste. Their young men are mentored to become hunters and warriors. This tribe of people seem to be unaffected by the politics of their country and our world.

God’s presence in our lives remains as constant as the Masai heritage. His love is beyond the great horizons of the Kenyan sky. His creation is beautiful and innovative as the animals in His kingdom. His face shines upon us every day just as the sun rises and brings life to this earth, we are so very blessed to be able to see, hear, smell, touch, and feel all the beauty around us. Thank you, great Father.

Anita Colley

Men in Kenya

March 28, 2012

What an amazing experience flying to Maralal. Ben sat in the jump seat and assisted the pilots. Great job Ben!

We landed in Maralal, were greeted by locals and Samburu tribesmen. We arranged Samburu guards for the plane and traveled the rough roads into town. It was fascinating to see the Samburu tribesmen, warriors and women engaged in conversations among friends along the road.

We visited Springs of Hope orphanage where we played with the infants and toddlers who were home and visited with Grace and the nannies. We went into town, purchased bread and bananas then arrived at Loikas, the slum area of Maralal. As we entered the area you could hear the word spreading, ” ‘Muzungos are here, muzungos are here.” we shared the bread and bananas with hundreds of children. They came to us with torn clothes, no shoes, filthy and very hungry. Yet they smiled, held our hands and walked alongside us. Our team began discussing the obvious absence of men in the towns, at orphanages and in families.

As we were distributing the Bibles to the children of Springs of Hope, 5 men were standing near the fence watching very carefully. We happened to have a few Bibles left over and Hugh gave them to the men. They immediately sat down by the fence and began looking and reading the Bibles. Several men on our team went over and immediately began sharing Gods love with the men. They talked for over an hour. It was amazing to see these men of two very different cultures sharing Gods word. As usual, we think we are called to minister in a specific way, and as only God can do, His vision is so much broader and deeper than we can even imagine.

Trent closed our day with an outpouring of his heart during devotion. He touched each of us and challenged us to pray for the men of Kenya and for them to embrace the Biblical principals for men as head of the households and owning the responsibility of their families.

Anita Colley

A Child Will Lead Us

February 6, 2012

Matthew 19:14

“But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t stop them, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to people that are like these children.””

It began as a normal January day. The office was churning about, hustling to complete the year end financials. There was a knock on the door, followed by a P82 patron and her daughter Virginia. Virginia is a beautiful, young lady with a smile that can light up a room. Virginia’s mom stated that young Virginia had something she wished to share with us.

Virginia, smiling brightly and holding an envelope timidly began telling us her story.

“I had been saving my money for an American Girl doll. When we were in church and learned about the children in Kenya I told my mom and dad I wanted to do something for those children. I continued to save my money,” Virginia told us. “Then on Christmas, Santa brought me an American Girl doll and a note that said I could give all the money I had saved to help the children in Kenya.” Her bright eyes sparkled and her face radiated joy. You could feel the love in her heart. Needless to say, this led us to tears. Our hearts were warmed and overwhelmed by the generosity of this young child.

We thanked Virginia and promised her that during an upcoming trip to Kenya, the P82 team would share her story with our children in Kenya. She smiled and responded “I have three loose teeth, so I may be bringing you some more money.”

Virginia’s gift of $114 will feed three children in Kenya for a month. It is indeed a beautiful world God has given us when one child can make an extraordinary difference in the lives of three children whom she has never met.

What is equally beautiful is Virginia’s gift to those of us around her. Virginia reminds us that God has enabled each and every one of us with the ability to make a difference in His world. As adults, sometimes we get caught up in the day to day demands upon our lives. We can end up feeling like we ourselves aren’t enough to make a difference, and can then end up not doing anything. Virginia reminds all of us that it is not about grander and big overwhelming changes, but rather taking one step forward and helping one child at a time.

The entire P82 team is extremely excited to share the story of this wonderful young girl with our children in Kenya. Our children in Kenya love to learn about our families, our homes and how we live. They will be so very touched by Virginia’s selfless gift. Oh, the things our children teach us……..

Defend the Cause of the Orphan and Widow