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Going and Doing in Kenya
The vision of village leadership, support from those willing;
Working together to Glorify God
June 20, 2010 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Greetings!
Before you go any further, please, send this to some friends. We need your help to get the word out about the work of GAD Kenya
Sometimes I think there should be an easy answer somewhere to the challenges and concerns connected to the efforts in Rionchogu Village to find a way out of a past which has held the people captive for so long. Much time can be spent looking back at failures, traditions and even cultural expectations which have anchored poverty for such a long time. Certainly significant changes must be incorporated in any effort to seek a different future. Our preference is to look forward, not back. While we must be sensitive to cause our focus must be on the path to sustainable change. Perhaps the greatest single approach to sustainability of Go and Do Likewise and GAD Kenya is the raising up of leadership from the local area to envision and lead the efforts. A significant ingredient of this change is the willingness of those of us here in America to let go of the need to direct and control.
With out a doubt this single change has opened the door for a different approach to mission. The leadership of GAD Kenya are the missionaries in place and are also life long residents of the village. These are the people who have been given the vision and who daily are seeking the direction and opportunity for the growth which must come if they are to be successful.
The needs are great and varied, the priorities are divergent depending on the group directly affected. All this is being directed by the leadership group, GAD Kenya. To say they are on a steep learning curve is an understatement. Each day there seems to be a new urgency. As the community becomes more aware of the potential of this vision so proportionally grows the "constituent requests'.
Never the less, our purpose is simple, Glorify God working together. Our focus remains three fold; Education, health and economic opportunity. The lines sometimes are not clear; for instance is the cow project health or economy, the answer, yes. Which of the three, education, health or economic opportunity is most important, the answer, all and none.
This link Support Rionchogu makes it simple and easy to begin your support. Just a little by a lot of people can do all that is needed to give a hand up to a sustainable future.
Bud Potter
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Nutrition, the physical foundation
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ While health and nutrition may not have been on my list of priorities for the new relationship between Go and Do likewise and GAD Kenya the issue of nutritional health has always held critical priority on the part of the GAD Kenya Board. Immediately after our very first visit in the village the leadership enlisted Hellen Moseti, a district nutritionist, to come to the village and begin the process of educating the women on improved use of agriculture for better health through better nutrition.
Inherent with better crops is the potential of economic opportunity attached to high value produce. It has been a labor of love for all involved. If you look at the video on our web site; Hellen on nutrition you will see her enthusiasm and her confidence in the village women. Success is not without trial and there have been setbacks but today, working together, the women of Rionchogu with the help of Hellen Moseti have reached a level of success that has others coming from some distance to view their success and attempt to duplicate their efforts. Most recently one of the families who have taken the lessons learned from Hellen in the community gardens and applied them at their homes have accomplished not only better nutrition for their family but economic success as one family has generated revenue in excess of a few months regular income by selling their excess produce. Hard work, yes, worth the effort, without a doubt. We can only praise the God we worship and say thank you for all the efforts which have gone into all this for two years. It is naive, though, for us to think that somehow this program will conquer the malnutrition problem which exists in the greater community in any short term if at all.. Recently GAD Kenya was asked to determine the extent of malnourishment both in their immediate village area and the greater combined area of Sengera, immediate multiple villages close by. Their very modest estimate; locally there are 350 severely malnourished children and almost 60 who are critically in need of better nourishment due to specific disease including HIV, malaria and a few others I can not pronounce. When they expanded their review to include the greater area the number of malnourished grew to 10,000 with 10% critical. The numbers help put the issue of proper nutrition in perspective.  Training the village residents to secure better nutrition for their families is part of the vision of GAD Kenya leadership. Eliminating malnutrition on a area wide scale is a dream. During a most recent trip through Oregon what I can only describe as the Hand of God moved to connect me with a representative of an organization which has the potential to make a huge impact on the issue of malnutrition. In a very short time I expect I will share with you the hopes and the specific connection between GAD Kenya and Manna Relief which carries the potential to bring the nutrition necessary to the 10,000 as well as the 350 in the village. I am constantly reminded of the Ephesians passage which says (my translation) 'to him (God) who is exceedingly abundantly able to accomplish more than we can think or imagine through His power that works in us'. Simply we are conduits for Gods grace, love and provision. There are efforts and ideas which are all part of His purpose which, in his fullness, come together for good. The connection with Manna relief is, I believe, one of these 'divine connections'. You can designate your support for this purpose support holistic effortMore will be coming soon on how you can provide support through this need for nutrition. |
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Education, expanding our hopes and our challenges
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Education, education, education . . .children, adults, parents, leaders and , yes, supporters, us too.
You may know the story but it is worthy of repeat.
The very first time I visited Pastor Kiefa in the village, during one of our times of private conversation, I told him of how people generally support hungry children through well established aide organizations. He turned to me and said "brother Bud, we cannot just feed the children we must educate them; for if we just feed them and do not educate them, we will raise up thieves and thugs and beggars". I have never, nor will I think, forgotten his face and voice and passion as he identified this critical link (education) to a future above that which was previously possible for the rural poor.
Education though has taken on a broad definition within the vision and the village.
On the left in the picture above is Salome, Salome is deaf. Education for Salome is not available even at primary level without fees being paid. The goal is education for every, EVERY, child if they are willing to work. Pictured with Salome is her sister who acts as her interpreter through sign and Eaar Oden one of our frequent travelers. Eaar introduced Salome to a co-worker through pictures and now Salome is sponsored by Eaar's co-worker. A person tells a person it is just that simple and such a blessing.
Take a moment right now and take the hand of a student you chose our student becomes your student
I hope you read through the article on nutrition. If so I hope you read a little between the lines and saw the education of the women, not just the technical learning, but the trial and error. The setback of defeat and the determination to go forward. The willingness to take mistake in stride and keep going. I hope you caught a glimpse of the dedication to their own future and their willingness to invest what they have. You would not read it but you will see it in pictures as the young girls are involved in watching and listening and a part of the education of the older women as well. It is EDUCATION in its complete form. Education about health issues, seminars for mothers about children. Seminars for youth about responsibility. Education for parents about the difference when your children are in school and the priorities of family commitment to that education. Education about the responsibility of taking a small loan and paying it back. About the responsibility to the next person who might benefit when you do pay it back and the loss if you do not.
Education about the proper care of the cows and the necessity for supplements to improve production. The safe care and protection and the use of compost pits to further the growth of the feed.
Education, education education . . .teaching youth to refrain from begging or asking for a hand out when that has been their only hope for such a long time. Teaching the adults that they do have the ability to affect the future in a positive manner if they work hard and apply what they learn. Teaching people to work together, even when they were, at one time, enemies.
The two young men above are Emmanuel and David. They are twins yet a year apart in school as grade level is determined by learning level rather than age. Emmanuel and David live in a village quite far to the south from Rionchogu. The closest town is Kilgoris, they live in the land of the Maasai. Emmanuel is one of the Maasai boys who applied for and received school sponsorship from GAD Kenya. Another one of our travelers, Julie, met these boys at their family home during our April 2010 visit. Julie has a co-worker who happens to have twins and was very quick to request she be allowed to begin to sponsor both boys, thanks to Julie and her friend David will be going to Secondary school. So it goes, as we know, a life touches a life, touches a life, touches a life and the ripples just keep going.
We still have 37 young people who need your help, we hope to increase the number of cows, we pray for help with the library which is soon to start. The list is inclusive 100% of your donation through these links go to the efforts in the village; chose a way to help
The model of mission that is GAD Kenya embraces and links together education, health and economic opportunity
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Change in trip dates for 2010
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For a variety of reasons, cost not being the least, we are changing the dates for our next trip to September. We will depart on the 15th and return on the 26th. We will be spending a longer time than usual in the village so this is a perfect time to explore Kenya Village life. A evening tour of London and a day trip Safari are on the agenda as is a visit to the largest western Kenya city of Kisumu on Lake Victoria. The cost is at our regular level of $2000.00 plus your air fare. We have room for you but don't wait too long. The air fare usually increases as the days draw near.
Just begin your visit of a life time right here; Trip to Rionchogu, Kenya
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Contact Information
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phone:714-231-4863~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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