Everywhere I go people continue to ask me about our friends in Kenya and especially the need in West Pokot. I appreciate that so many people are aware of this and continue to pray and give to help us rescue so many people who are in great need in that part of the world. It is truly a human catastrophe with many people dying and a great need to help them build a new economy.
I met last week with someone who is attached to a development agency that is already in that area of Kenya, in Turkana right next door. They help tribes address the five basic needs to build a society: water, food, wellness, education, and generating income. The work with the tribe to help them identify their most pressing need and then begin to act as a tribe to help fulfill that need. They they take on the next one. The plan is that in five years the tribe will address each of those needs and with outside training and resource be able to build a sustainable economy. They have had great success throughout Asia and Africa and I’m set to speak with some of their people tomorrow. I hope this will provide an approach that will let us wrap our hearts around part of the need and move it beyond relief to actually develop a future and hope. They do it for a cost of $15,000 per year for five years and the people are left with their needs addressed and resources for their culture to progress.
While I’m hopeful this might be an answer, I continue to hear of the great need in West Pokot. This morning I heard from one of the people we work with there:
“Last week I had a call from the doctor that elderly and the children have camped at the dispensary in large number since yesterday. The hunger has drived them from the village. If there is anyway to support them for the food it will be highly appreciated because it has affected the dispensary budget. I went to the dispensary this week and brother Wayne, the situation here is extremely bad. Many people have migrated from the village and camp to the hospital environment, because of the hunger, it has forced even the doctors and nurses to be overwhelmed due to this crucial situation and I met the doctors when they have started cooking the maize and beans to safe at least the situation for both the sick and those who had camped, many children women and Old were more totally affected, the old who are strong had tried to come in the hospital thinking that they will get meal and some who are not able to walk they have remain at their home helplessly. This situation has become worse and worse every day. The cry of doctors and Nurses is that if we can be able to get estimated 600 bags maize and beans it can help to save the situation for breast mothers, children and old aged, this can save a bit for about two to three months in this surrounding hospital village. If not we may lose the lives of many.
So immediately we start distributing as you may see in the pictures, this has help a bit the congestion from the dispensary. You have become, the father to the fatherless and the comfort to those who don’t even deserve, we urge you to support where necessary in this point.
Pray for us….
I have attached some of the other pictures below. These are all huge challenges, and I’m always blessed by the Kenyan people we know in Kitale who are spending of their time and resource to help these impoverished people. If any of these needs interest you and you’d like to underwrite it, please let me know. If you’d like to help with offerings that we can share, that would be great blessing as well. Our best guess now is that we’ll be putting about $40,000 into Kenya over the next few months as God provides. If you have extra to pass along for the people of West Pokot you can direct it through Lifestream as contributions are tax-deductible in the US. As always, every dollar you send goes to the need in Kenya. We do not (nor do they) take out any administrative or money transfer fees. If you would like to be part of this to support these brothers and sisters and see the gospel grow in this part of Africa, please see our Sharing With the World page at Lifestream. You can either donate with a credit card there, or you can mail a check to Lifestream Ministries • 1560 Newbury Rd Ste 1 • Newbury Park, CA 91320. Or if you prefer, we can take your donation over the phone at (805) 498-7774.
Here are the young children gathering early in the morning at the dispensary hoping from some food, more people gather hoping for help, and distributing what little grain they had from the truck. Not everyone in line got food this day. There wasn’t enough.
