*Childcare will be provided  

We would like to tell you about a new program Oasis is starting in the Bush region of the Trans Mara. Though not far in proximity from the Children's Home on The Hill, life there is far different.  A more traditional group of Maasai live there who still practice animism, use herbalists to treat sickness, and are unaware of many simple healthy practices such boiling water and hand-washing. In an attempt to build relationships with this suspicious and largely un-reached culture, Oasis is beginning a feeding and education program for vulnerable children in this area on the weekends. Our hope is to some day build another children's home to serve the many orphans in this area. 

We traveled to the Bush region two weeks ago with Pastor Joseph to announce the launch of this program and encountered a tragic situation that is all too common.  The story is shared below, but please be warned, this story describes one of the ugly sides of life in the Bush. It is extremely disturbing and you may choose not to read further.  We debated telling this story publicly, but we want you to understand the urgency of needs, as we are requesting your help with the day program through prayer for these people and financial support of Oasis.

October 8, 2011 - Ann Smith

I am still tying to process through the events that occurred last week when we traveled to the Bush. We travelled there for a community celebration to announce the day program. Right after we finished lunch and were walking toward the celebration, a group of about 15 women frantically ran up to us, screaming that a woman had swallowed some poison in an attempt to kill herself.  They pleaded with us to take her to the hospital.

Changing directions immediately, Rick, a local pastor, and I ran to the car and drove over to the woman's hut.  She indeed had poison spilled down the front of her shirt and was clearly becoming delirious.  We quickly loaded her into the car, along with her 10-month-old baby and a neighboring mama, and drove as fast as possible to the main road where there was a local clinic.

At the clinic, we were able to get her to throw up the majority of the poison but didn't have any of the drugs she needed to stop the effects and she seemed to be deteriorating rapidly. So we all climbed back in the car and Rick drove the 45 minutes to town in about 25 minutes. All the while, the baby girl was screaming for her mother.

As we reeled into the hospital parking lot, I again turned around and looked back at the scene behind me and my mind snapped a picture that will forever be with me:  The baby - a healthy, beautiful baby girl - had finally stopped crying, and her head was resting on the neighbor mama's shoulder that was closest to her own mama. Her searching black eyes were fixated on her mama's face and her small, chubby hand was extended to its limit as she desperately clung to her fainting mama's vomit soaked shirt.    

We left the poisoned woman in the capable hands of the hospital staff who assured us she would be fine and went back to get our own children.  As we did so, we were thanking God for the car and that we happened to be in the bush that day.

At about 10:00 p.m. that night, we received a call from one of the nurses at the hospital. She told us in faltering English that the mother had died. What? Died? What happened? What went wrong?  The questions flowed and as the story unfolded over the next few days, our hearts became sick. 

The rest of the story is that a beautiful 19-year-old girl, a child herself, had died at the hands of a 45-year-old husband who had beaten her to death. He had beaten her the day before the poisoning, when he couldn't find his cell phone and accused her of taking it. Upon returning to the hut the following day, he found her passed out on the floor. He knew she was seriously hurt, and in an attempt to cover up his actions from the previous day, he forced her to take poison so it would look like suicide.

The night she died, her family learned this truth and sent out 80 warriors, armed with bow and arrows, pangas (swords), and rungus (clubs) to 'take care' of the man. As they approached the hut, the elders from the community stepped in and calmed them down, insisting that two murders were not necessary. The warriors listened to the elders and instead beat him severely and hauled him off to prison where he was convicted of murder. He was hung the very next day.

The image of that precious child with outstretched hand reaching out in love to touch her mother one last time keeps playing over in my mind. She is an orphan now, as is her two-year-old brother, at the hands of a wretched, horrible and sinful situation. Is there redemption in this? What is our role in this? 

Here it is a week later, and the community is still reeling from this event. They buried the girl and the children are currently living with the grandmother who doesn't really have the means to provide for them.  This community clearly needs a Savior...

We at Oasis, feel called to make a difference in this community.  We feel the best way to do this is to reach out to the children - the next generation - and begin to develop them holistically.  We know the community is desperate for their children to be educated, is excited about this opportunity for their children, and that by partnering with the community in this way, we can make a difference. 

If you would like to join us in this endeavor, we are seeking donors to join Oasis or increase their involvement by contributing $50/month toward Oasis expansion. 

If you would like to be a part of this effort, please click on the link below.  Once on this page, click donate.  Then, put your donation amount under "General" and in the comment box please put "Oasis Future Sites". 

Click here "Oasis for Orphans Future Sites"

Thank you for your prayers and commitment to vulnerable children in Kenya.

The Oasis Team