Heart issues

This year for Christmas, a family's children decided they didn't want gifts; they wanted instead to send help to children and their families in Kenya.  Others in the extended family heard and did the same.  I'm stunned.

We have about twenty families with whom we are directly connected in Kenya.  There are about fifty kids in the village on our education project; more than a dozen are orphans.  There are a couple of goals:  

• If the kids stay in school, they eat.  The meal the school provides is all some kids get most days.
• School equips them for employment later on, we hope. 
• Work with families focuses on small projects for income.  Buying and selling, raising vegetables, making clothes.  A little start-up help goes a long way. 

Corn and water in a Kenya school kitchen; pretty much life and death issues, unfortunately.

 It's been a really difficult year.

Poverty is a tough cycle to break.  Progress from generation to generation can be excruciatingly small, and a bad year can take it all back.  

In the most difficult of areas, water and food, shelter and sanitation, education and healthcare (of any kind) are in short supply.  Simple skills like avoiding contaminated water require community action and support. 

Thank you Father for the chance to know and help.  Thanks for the generosity of children that makes today's efforts possible.