Where is Virginia? Notes From Africa
June 16, 2009 4:53 am Africa TripGreetings From Molo, Kenya
Sorry I have been so long in posting. I have been in Africa for almost 2 weeks and the internet connections are painfully slow.
Let me tell you a little about my experiences so far. I did some organizational consulting at Watoto Wa Baraka Orphanage in Makuyu about 1.5 hours north of Nairobi. This orphanage www.WatotoWaBaraka.org has about 37 children and is working hard to improve its physical facilities and volunteer program. They have many volunteers from all over the world! I made a number of suggestions about orientation, policies, health care, facilities etc. The thing I liked most as usual was playing with the children. The director of WWB Geoffrey Ngunda (check him out on face book) is a generous man, so he asked me to come about 3hrs north to a town Called Molo. Here some friends of his are struggling to help the many local orphans.
Molo was a town where many fled to after the post election violence that occurred in the farms surrounding it. (by the way the post election violence is said to have been started by politicians to take the pressure from the world off the unfair elections. I agree with this) The acts of brutality were horrible. Molo became a village overrun with homeless and orphans. There was a large refugee camp in town.
Chazon’s Children’s Centre (CCC) was begun in response to the numerous orphans in Molo. Samwel and Lucy Njihia, local pastors sold some of their own land and built a school to try to provide a place of safety, food and learning for as many children as possible. They will be getting their first volunteers soon and am helping them plan for this. I am doing a variety of things (including picking sukumawiki (kale) to help feed the children. These are amazing people who are spending all their personal resources to help as many children as possible. Their dream is to open an orphanage. One of their first volunteers will help them start a website and a fundraising campaign. Again the children are so beautiful and hopeful despite being so traumatized.
I will be in USA on 7/11 again and will write more and post pictures.
Blessings to all, Please send thoughts, prays, good vibes whatever suits you
Virginia
