TOP 10 - Missions of Hope

TOP 10 FACTS

1. The orphans are all of the Kalenjin tribe and live in villages near Kericho in the Rift Valley. The people in this area are mainly Kalenjin and speak the Kipsigis language.

2. Basic food of the Kalenjin people is Ugali made from corn.

3.Basic foodstuffs we must buy: flour, oil, rice, sugar & tea leaves. Cost of basic food listed above is now about $14 US per orphan.

4. Other daily food needs include: milk, green veggies, sometimes potatoes when they can be planted. It is expensive to buy all this so better to have cows & plant veggies.

5. Meat & fowl for the diet is something we do not often have. We mainly eat stewed goat & chicken when we do have it.

6. Things we buy when we can: bar soap, toilet paper, toothbrush & toothpaste, blankets, shoes, school uniforms, school supplies, doctor & medicines when children get sick. Monthly $55 US will cover much of these needs for orphans & their caretaker families. Currency rates have fluctuated about 10 KSH on every dollar over the past year. Post-election violence has doubled & tripled cost of basic needs.

7. Most of the villagers live in mud huts with tin or thatched roofs. Mud must be repaired on a regular basis as it falls off.

8. Mud huts do not have electricity or plumbing. Kerosene lamps & candles or more environmentally friendly, solar lanterns are needed.

Homes in the Village

Traditional round mud hut of the Kalenjin villagers

More contemporary version of the Kalenjin mud hut

9. Basic sanitation and hygiene needs of hte villagers must be met (pit latrines, fresh water for drinking & bathing, clean air (jiko stoves, solar lanterns) and other things.

10. Basic bedding must also be provided to most households: beds, mattresses and warm blankets.

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Kericho, Kenya lies in the highlands west of the Great Rift Valley. It was colonized by the British who established great tea plantations.

Tea Picking in Kericho

Now that I have told you what our list of daily needs are, I just want to share with you on personal level that it is very challenging here for us to meet our daily needs and help others in our villagers. We are doing the best we can. By God's grace, we believe that He will provide helpers to work with us so that we can glorify His name.

We encourage you to pray about your part in these Missions of Hope. We also invite you to look at our Projects and pray about a possible role in making these projects happen. God bless.