RAY OF HOPE 2014: Empowerment!

Kirsti with the workshop participants

Kirsti:

Today was a day for me to dig in and work hard. Part of the work I am doing in Nairobi is with two small non-profits, eMentor and Youth Banner. Both programs support entrepreneur’s by giving them training and mentoring to start their own businesses. The work I am doing this week is with individuals who have gone through training programs, and have been out running their own businesses for a period of time. The workshops I am leading focus on how they can build a solid foundation for their businesses and how to grow them.

Kirsti teaching skills to empower!

We had everything from rice and potato farmers, to caterers, clothing merchants, tailors, graphic designers and hawkers.  We did a lot of the work that I would normally do with clients – defined their core values, their SWOT analysis, what their brand promise is and how they will measure their success.  We spent time practicing their “pitch”, developing their messaging and putting together their execution plan. A lot of work for one day, but so valuable.
 
So, what did I learn,~ you ask. Very simply that the gifts I have been given to do this work, need to continue to be given. Plain and simple. The last two days of being immersed in the school system gave me a strong foundation to work from in offering examples and suggestions. The ability to tell stories from local organizations made all the difference. I’m grateful to the schools we visited earlier this week, who shared their visions with me. As well, I am grateful for the amazing women I continue to meet, who are building their communities, one step at a time.


Karen:

Hendrika and Evelyn teaching Karen how to correctly use
a toilet

Coming to Kenya will either put you in a faith crisis tailspin or make God more real than you ever thought possible. And sometimes you experience both within hours of each other.

Today I heard stories of corruption and greed that cause so many to suffer. I saw hungry and sick adults and children. From the safety of a car, I saw people sitting on garbage heaps, hawkers accosting passers-by, and shanty-town after shanty-town. I saw gorgeous deluxe housing shadowing the tin shacks of people living in a 12 by 12 room with entire huge families. I saw a sink drain with no connecting pipe once it passed through a wall, so the dirty water just fell to the floor of the next room.

How can people have so little when there is so much wealth in the world? Where is God in the midst of this injustice and suffering?

One acquires quads of steel when using
the toilet here

And then I see the resilience of the people. People who are doing so much with so little! People with dreams deeper and wider than mine. People who live in the midst of suffering every day and meet it with joy. People whose hearts keep opening up to others in need, to share what little they have with no sense of scarcity.

And it is there, right there in the laughter of these resilient people, that I see God.

It's always great to connect with folks from home: Kirsti and Karen had dinner with Glide member Josh Biddle, and San Franciscan Mike McCaffrey and his girlfriend Sara Quinn. Mike works for MicroSave and has set up and institution to do research and training on the use of cell phones for financial services and Sara works the International Potato association which  promotes sustainable agriculture

RAY OF HOPE 2014: School Days

Kirsti:

The first time I traveled to Kenya, I was taught (in an oh-so-loving way) that it was important to not force my Western standards on a country whose culture is quite different than mine. The lesson has been a difficult one to learn, and today I found myself really questioning my own assumptions of how “things should be.”
 


Josh, Teacher Alfred, Kirsti with three students

We visited five schools today, where children that formerly went to the Ray of Hope Learning Center, now attend. We saw a public school that looked and felt like it could be the twin to Ray of Hope. The classrooms were made of tin, and the rooms were filled with children as young as 2. The facilities themselves were minimal, but the children were working hard. We could hear the teachers with their styles that are still the model brought by the British. Lots of repetition and very strong, stern voices.
 
We visited the Kawangware Primary School, which is a public school, in the heart of Kawangware. The school is run by Milliam Kelonye, who proved to be not only a strong advocate for education, but also a strategist, financial officer, counselor and chief advocate for 1500 students, 23 teachers, and many, many families. The first thing I noticed when we walked into her office is that there is a large poster with the schools core values on it, a very specific “report card” to measure the success of the school, and a large SWOT analysis that had been done for the school. I was in heaven! A school with a plan! And a headmistress who clearly cared about her students and could speak of our 9 children from Ray of Hope by name. We also had a chance to visit with the Ray of Hope kids, all of whom seemed happy and thriving in the environment. It was an amazing testimony, again, to the vision and persistence of a woman who is determined to make the best of a hard situation, and bring the highest standard of education to the lives of the children in her school.

Today's lunch at the Little Ray of Hope was a Glide team favorite: Green Grams

Karen:


Today, Kirsti, Josh and I travelled throughout

Karen, Teacher Alfred, Teacher Evelyn, and Josh

Kwangware to visit Ray of Hope students in their new schools. These students' academic journey began at Ray of Hope--a place where orphans and other vulnerable children found safety, love and family. It was where they learned how to sit at a desk, hold a pencil, and begin to discover the world beyond the slum. Once a child had a financial sponsor, the student moved to a formal school.

It was very moving to see these students: we at Glide first met them five years ago--now many are young men and women! They were proud to be met at their school and tell us what they liked (or didn't like!) about their school.

Children at the Little Ray of Hope

The Ray of Hope staff worked hard to place the students in schools near their homes.  Still, every morning at 6am, the students come to Ray of Hope for breakfast (most would not have had anything to eat since lunch the previous day). Once they downed their porridge, off the students go, walking to their schools. Many return to Ray of Hope after school for tutoring and other guidance.

Evelyn, Alfred, Hendrika, and Agneta have created a family for children. This family helps children who would otherwise be without the emotional and physical support to continue going to school. One of the schools we visited had 1500 students. The headmistress shared with us the struggles of providing education for children in the slums. Malnourishment, abandonment, HIV/AIDS, abuse and a lack of funds to adequately staff a school are all issues that impact a child's education. She told us that more than half of the children who live in the slum are not in any school--with no family support or financial resources, the children are left alone in the streets. Many turn to drugs.

Sure enough, as we left the school, we passed literally dozens of young boys with bottles and bags to their faces, sniffing glue. Stumbling, faces contorted, they called out to us, some banging on the car as we drove by. This is my fourth trip to Kenya, and I have seen so many heart-wrenching things, but seeing all these young boys high in the street right outside the school yard was devastating.

RAY OF HOPE 2014: Sabbath Conversations

Karen:

Even Mission Teams go to church! This year, we attended the Kwangware Methodist Church, which is not a United Methodist Church (like Glide) but is part of the Methodist Church Kenya, which was once a part of the British Methodist Church. We had visited this church the first time we came to Kenya in 2009. We made it in time for the Youth Service. When the preacher began, I was a little nervous about his stated sermon topic, but was surprised to hear his interpretation of "Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand." It was about the radical turning to and living into God's realm. At one point he said, "Faith is not democratic." Hmmm, where is he going with this? "Faith is not democratic because in a democracy majority rules, which means there are always losers. In the Kingdom of God, all are equals."

A street scene in Kwangware

We were joined by former Ray of Hope teammate Josh Biddle (see yesterday's blog for more info) and had a long lunch at a Chinese restaurant. We made it back to the Methodist Guest House in time for tea (a ritual that remains post-British colonization). The three of us talked for hours. There is so much we don't understand about Kenyan culture. Having time with Josh, who has been living here since October, helped somewhat, but even he says that there is still so much to learn.

This is why we are here. There have been changes to the Ray of Hope organization around structure, funding, and staff. The impact of these changes are striking. Before we bring another group here, we are trying to learn from our Kenyan friends how we can best support them as they care for the most vulnerable ones in their community. Tomorrow, we will be out in the community visiting schools where the older children are now attending. It will be another day of listening and learning!

Please continue to keep us in your prayers, as well as the staff and children at Ray of Hope!

Kwangware

Kirsti:

This morning, we were fortunate enough to attend the Methodist Church of Kawangware. And when we arrived, they were singing “Our God is an Awesome God”. I couldn’t help but think that the world is so enormous - and yet, here I was 9,072 miles away, singing a song that we sing at Glide. I am reminded again, that my community is made up of people around the globe who I care for and love. What a gift I have been given.

Ray of Hope 2010--The Journey Begins!

Today, the Glide Ray of Hope team 2010 leaves for Kenya. The team includes Craig Wood (team leader), Naima Bryant, Katie Burke, Kelli Jew, Benita LaScola, Robin Ridenour, and Pastor Karen Oliveto.

This year, the team will be providing supplemental educational programming for the Ray of Hope Learning Center in Kawangware, one of Nairobi's largest slums. Those of us who were on the last trip will never forget the teachers telling us how they couldn't understand why the lively children they sent home from school of Friday came back on Monday so lethargic, until they realized that many of the children don't eat from Friday lunch until Monday morning when they return to school.

We will be setting up a computer learning center as well as providing a range of educational activities. We are sure that even though we are there to help teach, we will be learning so much as well.