This is the ministry of our good friends, Martin and Ruth Shikuku. As seen on our Projectspage, ReACT and TI has come behind the Shikuku’s by supporting the extra OVC’s in their home as well as encouraging them in their small business ventures. Over time, this household has grown so much that their present home is no longer adequate.

Presently there are up to 36 children living in a home more suited for a maximum of 10, but this is about to change.

We are excited to announce that in the summer of 2010, 4 teams of 15-20 people will be visiting Kenya over July and August to build them a new home. You are invited to play a part. Click here for more information: http://reactkenya.com/Wordpress/johabeto/

The Hope 2 Kenya team and TI interns got the unique experience of mudding a traditional African hut used in village communities.

Hope 2 Kenya provided the funds to build this hut that will be used for guests and the TI staff who want to stay for a few days at the Hope Bright Future Children’s Home in Kiminini.

The teams got their hands and feet dirty as the community looked on in surprise at the mud covered westerners making mud balls and piling them to make the walls of the hut. The team finished the walls in an impressive 2 hours.

Thank you Hope 2 Kenya for the funding for this hut and for being willing to get dirty…

The Interns also spend much of their time building community and relationship with each other and the TI staff.

Within only two weeks of the web page post talking about the current food crises in Kenya, TI received more than $7,000, almost half of what is needed to cover the maize cost for all TI projects in 2010.

The TI staff and team in Kenya was overwhelmed with people’s generosity and kindness and amazed at how people come together in the midst of hunger.

To date TI has received $8,700 to buy maize this coming year for TI projects. Total needed, $18,800.

Thank you everyone who gave, you played an important part in making a difference in the lives TI reaches.

Another day, same plan, different place and most definitely a different group of people.

Shimo La Tawa is a slum known for its local brew, prostitution and overwhelming number of teenage mothers. Because of the desperation and poverty, people don’t have much self worth. Mothers push children to the ground so they can get to the front of the line, drunk people seek to cause any disruption possible and young men taunt and threaten to get their piece of the food. These are only a few of the things we encountered while trying to distribute food and conduct a medical clinic.

The team was shocked by the stark difference from the respect and gratitude shown the day before to the sense of entitlement and selfishness expressed today. None the less, 75 widows received food during the distribution and each widow was so thankful for the new hope given to them, hope that a little food easily brought.

The medical clinic was well organized and 550 were treated.

The team finished the day with their eyes open a little bit wider as to the effects of extreme poverty.

Thank you to those to donated to Hope 2 Kenya to make these food distributions and medical clinics possible. I’m convinced that lives were saved by the treatment given out during these clinics and by the food distributed to the widows. You may never fully know the impact your contribution made.

Maili Saba (the 7^th mile) is an area known for its extreme poverty and exorbitant number of widows caring for their children and grandchildren. It is also known for hunger and AIDS. As TI and Hope 2 Kenya has become more involved in this community, our hearts become deeper enmeshed with the people. Now over 4 families and 20 children are supported in this area through TI and a very successful widows project started by Hope 2 Kenya where 5 widows are fully self supported by the sewing project started a year ago.

But the many other widows can’t be reached monthly so Hope 2 Kenya chose this area to distribute food and do a medical clinic. 156 widows were pre assessed by the TI staff and chosen to receive food that would help feed their families for a few more months.

The mass number of widows was overwhelming as they gathered on the grass with their children and grandchildren, all waiting eagerly to see if their name was really on the list. Joy spread across their faces as their name was called and they joined a seemingly

never ending line to get their bag of maize and beans. After receiving their food, they were taken to an area where they were prayed for by the TI interns.

After gathering their food, the women and their children joined another line, eve

n longer, to be treated by the Kenyan and Canadian nurses. All the TI team, interns and Hope 2 Kenya team were needed to asses, treat, and give medication to the growing line of sick people. By 4:00pm the line had to be cut off as once again, the medication was running out. Over 330 people were treated in Maili Saba.

The team left very tired after a long and hard day of work, not only treating the sick, but feeding the hungry, comforting the desperate and loving on the fatherless.

Sometimes we forget why we are here, but today’s event reminded, refreshed and renewed a passion that will carry on for a long time…