Kirsten's Updates about the H.C.C. in Kenya

I have a heavy heart. This week I learned that the HCC Board is disbanding because of conflicts with Zablon. Bishop Mambo has stepped down as chairman, and although I think he and the other board members have tried very hard to create more accountability with the management of HCC, ultimately that has proved elusive. I'm not sure if the political situation in Kenya exacerbated an already challenging situation between Zablon and the other board members, or if Zablon never was willing to take direction from a board of elders. The situation was complex and confusing at times. Much of what I know is through an email that Jim forwarded to me earlier this week from Bishop Mambo, which is in itself disheartening. I wish that Bishop Mambo had sent it to both of us, but it is a patriarchal society (on both sides of the globe), and I'm a woman.

I wrote Bishop Mambo earlier this week and asked him for his recommendation of how to best utilize the funds I had raised from the latest card sales. He said he was stepping away from HCC but he would recommend anti-malarial medications, disinfectants and other more generic medical supplies. Dr. Jeremy stepped away some months ago to work on second degree in epidemiology, so I do not want to send the money to directly to Dr. Jeremy. I did not get any sort of reassurance from Bishop Mambo that medical supplies would actually go to the orphans. From the other email Jim forwarded to me from Bishop Mambo, I think there are things going on with Zablon and the HCC Board that have jeopardized the HCC Board's authority to assure us of where our money is going.

So, it is with a very heavy heart I have decided to step away from HCC. I feel disillusionment and betrayal, of course. I think trust is fragile thing and easily broken from 10,000 miles away. I'm trying to see that our efforts were not in vain for these kids. I know that when I was in Kenya the past three years the work I was able to do with the children was real, the medical care I was able to secure for them was real, the games, books and soccer balls were real, and the joy they felt when they painted was real. I tried my very hardest to keep their world safe and healthy. I hope I was able to do that, but in the end it is the people in Kenya who were caring for the children that may or may not have been honest. I'm not sure I will ever know all the answers. I do know that I helped to make a lot of children smile and their art work was beautiful.
I thank those of you who supported me in this effort, and gave so generously of your hearts and your funds.

The funds ($150) that I raised in April and May from card sales cannot go to people I no longer trust to provide care for the children. So I have searched my heart and prayed about what to do. I decided to send the money to other organizations that I trust to do good work in Africa. I have sent $100 to Africa Bridge, a grassroots Portland-based organization working in Tanzania run by a friend. I know they are doing some amazing and creative work and have somehow overcome the community politics which make this all so difficult. I sent $50 to AIDS-Free World, an organization that Stephen Lewis runs. It is my sincere wish that I could somehow give it to the HCC orphans, but with Jim also stepping back (he is going to Kenya in July, but to work with churches) I can not feel trust that the money will be used for what it was intended.

If you have any questions about this, please email at kirstencarpentier@hotmail.com

All of this grieves me in ways I cannot describe on a blog. My heart was deeply touched by these kids. I trust and pray that their resilient spirits will somehow get them through their childhoods.

With sorrow,
Mama Kirsten

The past several months my graduate studies and my internship have kept me going at a hectic pace and I've been unable spend any time on the blog. This afternoon has a rare moment when I can do a little catching up and share what has happened at HCC in recent months.

The first news is that Milka has had surgery on one of her ears and I believe Dr. Jeremiah Kiponda was going to take her back to Nairobi to finish the other ear. I'm hoping to hear an update about her situation soon. Rose, the child with sickle cell anemia and a hernia, was scheduled for surgery on April 8, but at the last minute her surgery was canceled because of a hemolytic crisis due to her sickle cell condition. She has been on a special nutritional diet for months and Dr. Jeremy seemed confident that she was strong enough for surgery until the blood tests reveled that she was not strong enough yet. She will be re-evaluated in a month or two for her readiness for surgery. Her situation is complicated by the fact that she is in Malindi which has rather antiquated medical facilities by modern standards and funding prevents her from going to a more sophisticated hospital.

Meanwhile Jim has been sending his monthly food funds to HCC and also sent funds from his church which helped the children get new beds and clothes via Bishop Mambo's wife's women's organization. Jim and I are both studying in intense programs and we haven't communicated as much as we used to. The communication to me from Bishop Mambo, Sophie and others has been a bit spotty. I told everyone that I was not going to be able to spend much time on fundraising between January and June, and I'm sure that some of their silence is due to this. But also there have been power struggles between the HCC board and Director Zablon, and I do not think they have wanted to share how challenging that is. The past few months have been difficult ones for Kenyans because of the political uncertainties, and people are feeling the pinch of food and fuel prices, although their margin for such price hikes is non-existent. Power struggles are part of the outgrowth of scarcity.

Mostly I worry that the kids are feeling a bit neglected. Since I won't be able to afford to go to Kenya this year (unless a miracle happens!) I won't be able to give them the sort of personal attention that feels like it gives us all a lift. I also won't be able to do art with the kids and I know that has given them a lot of joy and pride. But the past three years' trips have been from my own pocket and I can't afford to go again because of grad school expenses. (If an angel wants to send me, let me know. I do have time this summer!) It grieves me but I hope that Jim will be going back to Kenya in July and will give a report of what he sees and experiences.

On the home front there are some activities that are showcasing HCC. At the beginning of April I gave a presentation at Pacific University for the students who were doing an AIDS in Africa awareness campaign. The students were very gracious and generous and bought some of the orphans' cards. They also made cards for the orphans which I plan to send on to Kenya soon. I will be sending their money, along with funds other funds I have collected this past month to HCC after the upcoming Stephen Lewis Event. These funds will go towards the continuing medical care of the orphans.

My church is hosting Stephen Lewis (www.stephenlewisfoundation.org) who has been an outspoken and inspirational leader in world awareness of AIDS issues in Africa , first through his work with the U.N. and then later through his foundation and many speeches. It has been a long term goal of the Portland Unitarian Universalists Global AIDS Coalition to have Stephen Lewis speak to us and in no small measure his work inspired my first trip to Kenya in 2005.

As part of the Stephen Lewis event I will have an exhibit of the HCC orphans' art and smiles up at my church fellowship hall. May 7th is World AIDS Orphans' Day and this exhibit and Stephen Lewis' visit is part of our honoring of the various programs at First Unitarian Church which are helping AIDS orphans and their families in Africa.

Bishop Mambo and Dr. Jeremy have both let me know that Malindi continues to be safe from the violence that has rocked so much of the rest of Kenya, although food and fuel are expensive and this has impacted everyone, including the orphans. Internet access and speed, as well as telephone connections have also been difficult the past few weeks. Mombasa, which is about 70 miles south of Malindi and also on the coast, has had unrest and violence. The HCC school re-opened earlier this week and hopefully with its opening there is some sense of normalcy. The ongoing political and tribal struggles are a concern for the whole of the country, and Malindi's economy is particularly vulnerable and tourist-centered, so the conflict is felt everywhere and the longer it goes on the deeper the economic impact for everyday Kenyans.

On a happy note, the HCC residential orphans actually had two celebrations recently, one on Christmas and one on New Year's Day. Both celebrations were a result of our donors' generosity. For Christmas dinner the children had a meal of pishori rice with chicken, fruit salad, eggs, biscuits, sweets, and fruit juice. They also had a special breakfast of tea and chapatis. The orphans received new clothes and took a walk on the beach with Zablon. (Malindi is a coastal town but the beach isn't close to the HCC residence, so this was quite a treat.) For the New Year's Day party the children had goat pilau, which is a favorite of the Kenyans (and me!) With so much turmoil that has happened in the country since that time, it pleases me to think the children have had these happier moments.

Dr. Jeremy has informed me that he is stepping away from caring for the orphans, with the exception of Rose, because he has to resume his studies and will not have the time. Bishop Mambo and Dr. Jeremy are working together to find a replacement for Dr. Jeremy's care. It may be that Dr. Lughanje (who worked with the children last summer during my visit) or Bishop Mambo's nephew, who has just graduated from medical school, will continue with the children. Some of the funds that I sent to them earlier this month had to be used for food for the orphans. Jim just sent some food funds yesterday, so hopefully some of his funds will be able to replace the medical funds that I sent that had to be diverted to buy food. However, it does not appear that the money that I sent in early January will be enough to pay for medical care for as long as I had hoped. How long the funds will last will depend in part on the overall health of the children and if there are any emergencies. Of particular importance is maintance of medication for the two epileptic children, as well as other kids with chronic conditions. Bishop Mambo will keep me well-informed, I'm sure.

The news from Kenya this past week is terribly tragic and I see places in the news that I have been to in flames with mobs in the streets. As many of you know the election that was held last week is currently disputed and the country is in turmoil. I am worried about my friends and colleagues. Desperate people do desperate things and certainly my three visits to Kenya have taught me that there is much desperation, poverty and anger there. The government has been corrupt and there are tribal issues and cronyism. It is a dangerous place and ripe for the kind of eruption of violence that we are now seeing. Tomorrow there a big demonstration is planned by the opposition and hopefully that will not erupt into all out civil war. Unfortunately, there has been some talk of that in the news.

Yesterday I sent funds to Bishop Mambo, the HCC Chairman, to provide the HCC residential orphans with a Christmas party and T-shirts. The party will include a high protein meal of chicken pilau, milk, eggs and sweets and it was made possible by a very generous donation from an American woman who lived in Kenya at the time just as Independence from the British was achieved in the early 1960's.

Bishop Mambo and members of the HCC Board will organize and put on the party in the next few days. The residential children need so many things, but hopefully receiving a new T-shirt and the party will let them know they are remembered at Christmas. I asked Bishop Mambo to take pictures and send them to me and I asked him to have the children sing the song "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" loud enough for me to hear it from here. It is a song that I taught them back in July. Jim's congregation is also going to donate some money for bedding and other things the kids need, but those donations may come after Christmas. The party is important as the orphans have very little in the way of special treats and Christmas is a difficult time when you are without parents or other family. Health is as much emotional/mental as well as spiritual, and being remembered at during the holiday is important for the children's emotional health.

The sales of the orphans' holiday cards has been very successful and since October I have raised enough money from the cards' sales for the orphans' ongoing medical care for the next five to six months. Dr. Jeremiah continues to provide excellent care and reports on the children. I want to particularly acknowledge the First Unitarian Church of Portland for letting me sell the HCC cards for four Sundays during our "Alternative Gift Market". The congregation enthusiastically admired the HCC orphans' creativity and talent, and purchased many cards. I am very grateful to the many others who bought cards as long ago as July and I hope that the beauty of the children's artwork is admired in many homes this holiday season.

Thanks so much to everyone who contributed to HCC or bought cards this past year! You have made a direct difference in the lives of these orphans and you brought them smiles as well as hope!

Sophie (tall and in green) visiting the HCC orphans on Sunday, September 30...the kids love seeing her but only a handful posed for the camera

To see images of Holiday cards and ordering information, please go to the July 18 entry on this blog or contact me at kirstencarpentier@hotmail.com

Sophie sent me a very nice email yesterday after her visit to HCC. She said the kids are looking healthier and they were about to have lunch when she arrived. (See the lunch picture below.) She has been assisting Zablon with food shopping and finances at the HCC board's direction. Jim's congregation continues to send food money which she is helping Zablon to manage better. Sophie also brought some of her teenage daughter's old clothes for some of the older orphan girls and those were a hit. I know the children cherish Sophie's visits and the girls look to her as a role model. Sophie owns her own cyber cafe business and is educated. She also isn't under the control of any man and has made it on her own. In her parting remarks to Jim and me in her email she said that the orphans send their greeting and miss us both very much. I cherish seeing these photos as it already seems like a long time since I was in Kenya in July! I miss them, too!!

Yesterday I wired $320 to Dr. Jeremiah for continuing medical care for the HCC orphans. I am very grateful to all the donors and people who bought cards that made this possible. Dr. Jeremiah is in weekly communication with me about the various health issues of the orphans, and the children are lucky to finally be under his wonderful medical care. We are still waiting for Rose's health to improve to the point she can survive surgery (she has sickle cell, malaria and has been a very sick child needing a hernia operation), but I was encouraged to learn she was well enough last week to be in school. Dr. Jeremiah tells me that Emmanuel's testis/urinary tract infection is still persistent and he will undergo further tests to determine when he might be ready for his surgery.

In my last couple of emails to Dr. Jeremiah and Bishop Mambo I have asked them to discuss with the HCC board and Zablon ideas for generating ongoing support for the orphans' medical care there in Kenya. While I hope to continue to raise funds for the HCC orphans and I have a particular concern that their medical needs be addressed, I also think it is really important that the HCC board sees this as something that needs to be consistent. Unfortunately fundraising isn't consistent and while donors have been very generous, I can not predict how and when funds will be generated. The card sales have helped a great deal and so have surprise gifts to the HCC, but none are predictable.

What has become apparent to me after Dr. Jeremiah first examined the 93 residential orphans is that there are serious ongoing health problems that do need to have ongoing care and monitoring. I feel like the seed has been planted and watered with the money Americans have provided for the orphans' health care, but the Kenyan community also needs to find ways to continue the support. Dr. Jeremy has suggested that a small medical charge could be levied with school fees from the HCC day scholars who have relatives, and those funds would go to cover the residential orphans and the day scholars' medical expenses, as well as the medical care of the teachers' children. The HCC board will meet soon to discuss this idea and other community mechanisms to keep the care of the children constant. For now, though, Dr. Jeremiah has enough funds for 3-4 months (barring any emergencies) as well as the two surgeries. I am grateful, too, to have someone like Dr. Jeremiah being an advocate for the children's total well-being.

Milka, the child with chronic ear infections, still needs surgery to close her damaged ear drums and although no one has come forth to help with that rather expensive operation (probably about $1,000) the Danish organization will be coming back to Kenya in November, so we are praying. Milka just went through another ear infection in the past couple weeks, but fortunately she was treated right away because of Dr. Jeremiah's care.

Thanks again to all that have helped with medical care for the orphans! I had this dream to make this happen last summer, but I never concevied of just it might play out nor how complex the children's health problems might be. But I also know that there was a Divine hand bringing Dr. Jeremiah to the kids and letting me be a link in that process.

HCC orphans lining up for Sunday's lunch--yes, it looks a lot like ugali with beans!