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

Endings

2008-05-18T21:23:00.000-07:00

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

HCC Exhibit and Update

2008-05-01T16:42:00.000-07:00

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.

Update on HCC and the Town of Malindi

2008-01-19T08:58:00.000-08:00

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.

Funds Sent Despite Kenya's Crisis

2008-01-02T11:24:00.000-08:00

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.

Dr. Jeremy has written me expressing his concern for the orphans' safety and possible food shortages, but he says that there has not been any violence in Malindi and that all is calm in that area. He expressed concern that medicine and food should be stockpiled in case the situation becomes even more out of control. I pray that this is not necessary and that peace will return soon. Today I sent the last of the money that I raised in 2007 from the sale of holiday cards and donations. While I had hoped to send the $600 I had remaining from this last fundraising effort in two chunks spaced three months apart, I decided that if things do get bad for the Malindi area, it is better for them to have access to the money now so they can plan for the worst. I sent $300 to Dr. Jeremy and $300 to Bishop Mambo. I have told them that the money is earmarked for the orphans' medical expenses, but that if they need to spend it on food for the children, then to do so. Children are so often the innocent victims of the madness of warring adults.

I have not heard from Bishop Mambo about how the HCC Christmas party for the orphans went or their receipt of T-shirts, but the presidential election was just after Christmas and things have been very dicey in Kenya since. Hopefully I will hear an update from him very soon.

Please hold the HCC orphans and all of Kenya in your prayers. This is a difficult time for them and they need our friendship and encouragement to find their way through the challenges of standing up for democracy (as do we!)

On a happier note, little Rose Chengo, who has been trying to get stronger so that she can have her surgery has gained some weight because an Italian donor bought her special food supplements, milk and eggs so she has been eating better. Dr. Jeremy will be re-evaluating her for surgery soon (depending, of course, on the state of the country.) I have not heard back from Bishop Mambo about how the HCC Christmas party for the orphans went but the election was just after Christmas and things in Kenya have been very difficult.

Thanks very much to everyone who bought the orphans' holiday cards and sent donations in 2007!!! You have made a big difference in the children's lives!!!

Here is a recent picture of Rose that Dr. Jeremy sent to me.

A Merry Christmas at HCC

2007-12-19T19:14:00.000-08:00

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!

Underpants and Medical Care

2007-12-07T09:53:00.000-08:00

Recent images from Sophie's and Bishop Mambo's visit to HCC. Milka (child with ear problems) is standing to the left of Bishop Mambo. Most of the kids were not at the school/orphanage when they visited.

If you are interesting in purchasing holiday cards, please go to the July 18 blog entry to see the images or contact me at kirstencarpentier@hotmail.com. Thanks!!

For the past two and a half months I have been very consumed by my master's program and I haven't been able to spend time blogging (too much other writing to do!) but I have been in communication with Dr. Jeremiah, Sophie, Bishop Mambo and my colleague, Jim. They have been sending me updates and letting me know some of the needs of the children. The past several Sundays I have been selling the children's holiday cards at my church and that money has been earmarked to help to continue the medical care that Dr. Jeremy has been providing. However, right before Thanksgiving Sophie contacted me and told me that some of the girls were in dire need of underpants and "boob tops". So I sent $65 from a donor to Sophie to help cover some bare bottoms, which seemed pretty important for a variety of reasons. Sophie reported back to me that the girls were very happy to receive their underwear!

We are still waiting for Rose Chengo to be strong enough for her surgery, and Dr. Jeremy has her on a high protein diet. An Italian woman is sponsoring Rose's special food and she is helping to make sure Rose receives what she needs. When Dr. Jeremy last wrote me about a month ago about Rose, he said Rose was gaining weight, but she continues to struggle with malaria and sickle cell issues. She will be re-evaluated for surgery in January and hopefully at that time she will be well enough and will have gained enough weight to have her surgery. Her case has been particularly challenging and I am very grateful for Dr. Jeremy's ongoing care.

The other HCC orphan who needs surgery is Milka, who has had chronic ear infections and needs to have her eardrums repaired. She is such a cheerful kid it is hard to imagine the pain of these constant ear infections that she has had much of her life! Dr. Jeremy said that he treated her about three weeks ago for another one, and he is trying to find other sponsors that can help with the cost of her surgery. So perhaps with a sponsor or two from the U.S. and a couple from Kenya or Italy her ears can be repaired with the Danish surgery team next comes to Nairobi. That might be awhile, though, since they were just there in November.

In the meanwhile Dr. Jeremy has been checking on the children regularly for upper respiratory illnesses, chicken pox, ring worm and other more minor childhood illnesses. The kids with chronic illnesses such as epilepsy are receiving their medication daily and are having fewer episodes. Under Dr. Jeremy's ongoing care the past six months, the children's health has improved a lot and he has visited them many times. This care has cost about $125-$150 per month and he has basically been on call for emergencies, as well as more mundane issues. I am very grateful for his ongoing care and concern!

Jim's church has been sending funds monthly to help feed the residential orphans and he plans to take up a special donation to help provide new clothing and new mattresses for all of them by the end of the year. However, it would be really good to be able to provide the kids a holiday celebration of some sort (we did this last year) because the children really have very little in terms of joyous celebrations or special foods. But at this point the money that I have from the card sales so far needs to cover next quarter's medical care. Of course feeling joy and feeling loved and remembered is part of keeping healthy, and I think it is particularly important for these children, who often feel forgotten. A party for all the children would cost about $200-$250. Please let me know soon if this is something you'd like to help make happen.

Funds Sent Yesterday and Photos from Sophie!

2007-10-01T23:19:00.000-07:00

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!

One Surgery Completed, Update on the Others

2007-09-17T08:48:00.000-07:00

Dr. Jeremiah Kiponda has been very good about keeping in touch with me as to the children's medical situations. As with many things in Kenya, nothing is easy or straightforward, and this has been particularly true of the orphans' medical issues. A good part of this complexity is due to the general lack of ongoing care that they have experienced over many years. My thanks to the donors who have helped to make medical care available to the orphans now through their gifts and purchase of the holiday cards!

Jemima, the daughter of one of the teachers, finally had her tonsils out about two weeks ago. Her surgery was sponsored by Jim's congregation and she needed to be on antibiotics and nutritional supplements prior to surgery to be strong enough to go through the surgery. I am happy to report she is recovering well.

Rose, the orphan who has sickle cell, malaria and also a strangulated bowel which needs surgery, has not been strong enough for surgery. A few weeks ago she went to specialists in Kalifi where more tests were run on her blood, and they determined that the surgery needed to wait until some of the other issues were addressed. This morning I got an email from Dr. Jeremy saying that her condition will need to be reviewed again in two weeks.

Emmanuel, the orphan who needs surgery because his testis never descended, went through ultrasound scans last week. It was determined that he has orchitis, an infection of the testis and the tubes that go to the testis. So once again, his surgery is delayed as Dr. Jeremy and the surgeons wait to see if that clears up.

Milka, the orphan with the chronic ear infections, needs surgery on her ears which can only be done by specialists. She went to an audiologist in Mombasa about three weeks ago, but her situation can't be corrected by a hearing aid; her ear drums are torn and need to be repaired. There is a Norwegian organization that comes to Nairobi a couple of times a year and they are able to do this surgery for a pretty minimal cost. But because the hospital where they do this is in Nairobi, there will be considerable expense for Milka's transport, plus both Dr. Jeremy and a relative (probably Milka's sister) will need to go with her. She would need to stay in Nairobi about a week at the hospital. All of this will cost about $900-1,000 and so far I haven't raised enough money just for her surgery.

Since my return from Kenya in July I've been able to send Dr. Jeremy about $580 for Rose's and Emmanuel's surgeries and the orphans' ongoing medical care. I have another $260 that I plan to send him soon and I am hopeful that a few more card orders will come in soon. I would really like to be able to raise enough for Milka to have her ear surgery in November, but that will take some doing. Besides individual orders, I've sold cards at the Forest Grove Farmers' Market and at my church as well. However, I start graduate school next Monday, and after that my time to make cards will be very limited. If you are interested in ordering cards made from the orphans' artwork, please look at the July 18 blog entry for images and prices, and contact me at kirstencarpentier@hotmail.com

Ongoing Medical Care for HCC Orphans

2007-08-27T10:33:00.000-07:00

Milka (left) and Rose, two orphans with challenging medical problems.

Thank you to all of you who have helped the HCC orphans in recent weeks by buying Holiday cards!! Your generosity is making a very big difference in the lives of these children, but there is still a lot they need and I have plenty of cards left for those of you who would like to purchase some. The money I raise from the sale of these cards is directly impacting the orphans' health.

I am pleased to be able to report that I was able to send Dr. Jeremy the money for Emmanuel's and Rose's surgeries and I sent some additional funds for Milka to visit an audiologist to determine the best course of action to help her regain her hearing. Jim gave Dr. Jeremy funds for Madame Antonia's daughter's surgery and Jim is now back in the States after being a month in Kenya. I'm hoping he and I will have a chance to talk soon so I can learn more about his experience.

I am waiting to learn when Emmanuel and Rose will be scheduled for their surgeries, and for Rose it might be awhile as she has severe anemia and malaria. She went with Dr. Jeremy to Kilifi, which is about 50 km south of Malindi, for further testing last week. Dr. Jeremy is concerned that she also has sickle cell anemia, but definitive tests are not back yet. This may complicate her surgery although her herniated bowel is a pretty serious situation, too. I will keep you posted as I learn more. The cost for her surgery may also be more than we expected because of these additional medical expenses and complexities.

Dr. Jeremy also took Milka to Mombasa last week (about 2-3 hours south of Malindi) to visit an audiologist. Milka has had chronic and very severe ear infections for most of her life and she is quite deaf. Dr. Jeremy treated her with antibiotics for her chronic infection, but we hope to help her hear again. It turns out that her eardrums are torn and she is not a candidate for a hearing aid at this time. There is a Norwegian organization that comes to Kenya to do ear surgery in Nairobi at certain times of the year, and they are in Kenya now. Dr. Jeremy is trying to determine if Milka is a candidate for this surgery. If she is a candidate, the cost for the surgery, transportation (including a relative to stay with her) and about 5-7 days in the hospital will run about $900-$1,000. I sent Dr. Jeremy all the funds I have raised and so to do this for Milka would mean generating additional donations. Please let me know right away if you might be able to help Milka. She is an orphan I interviewed last year and she has struggled at school because of her hearing, but she is a very upbeat and gregarious girl of thirteen.

Milka with her angel painting 2007.

Since I left HCC in early July, Dr. Jeremy has worked closely with Zablon, the teachers and the HCC board to care for the orphans' various ongoing medical needs. Today Dr. Jeremy sent me a list of everyone he has seen and all of the treatments he has given. It was a bit staggering!! He has examined 100 of the HCC orphans, and of those, almost all had some sort of medical need, the most common of which was intestinal worms. Worms are very common in Kenya and come from both the food and the soil. He has also treated the children for eplilepsy,malaria, anemia, diarrhea, upper respiratory illnesses, ear infections, fungal infections, tonsillitis, chicken pox, accidents and more. Of the 100 kids he saw, only about 20 were without some sort of ailment! Dr. Jeremy has been using funds I left him for the antibiotics and other medications he has needed the past two months, but that is all used up now. He goes up to HCC to check on the children and has been very communicative with Jim and me. Needless to say he has given a great deal of his time without charge and we are extremely lucky that he has been so generous and caring of the kids. Thank you, too, to the generous donors whose gifts made it possible for me to engage Dr. Jeremy's help in the first place!!

Health is something we take for granted in this country, especially the health of our children. It is such a daunting experience growing up in a developing country where clean water and healthy food are not guarenteed or taken for granted. To be an orphan in a place like Kenya means that you will most likely suffer some sort of health problem, despite your caretakers best efforts. Once I started down the path of helping the HCC orphans with their medical needs, it has become clear that this is going to require more funds and a plan from the HCC board for their ongoing care. But at least we have started the process and chronic problems that have been festering for years have begun to be addressed. We are very grateful for all of you who have generously made it possible to make a difference, one young life at a time!

Updates From Dr. Jeremy and Jim

2007-08-12T10:18:00.000-07:00

Since my return to the U.S. a month ago, I've heard from Dr. Jeremy several times about the status of the orphans' under his medical care. I am deeply appreciative that he has been so communicative and willing to help these children. I left him a bit of money before I left for their ongoing care for a month or two (medications, mostly) but funding their long-term care has not been worked out, and this needs to be something the HCC board addresses.

While most of the orphans' health is improving with the medications that Dr. Jeremy prescribed (de-worming medicine, antibiotics, anti-malaria meds, blood builders for anemia, meds for epilepsy, etc.), there are several that need further treatment. One little girl, Rose, needs surgery immediately for a "strangulated bowel". I believe she also has sickle cell anemia, and I have asked Dr. Jeremy how that might complicate the surgery. I am in the process of trying to raise about $250 for that surgery (a bit more might be needed if she needs to have a blood transfusion) and I am ear-marking the card sales I make this next week for that cause. (See the previous posting on the blog for how to order cards and for image selection.) There is also another boy, Emmanuel, who needs to have testicular surgery because his testis never descended before he was born. His surgery will cost about $155-160. Milka, a teen with chronic and severe ear infections, needs to see an audiologist to try to help her regain her hearing. This specialist, transportation and perhaps a hearing aid will probably cost about $130-140. Obviously the price of Kenyan medicine is very different than the cost of American medicine!!! But it is far out of the reach of the HCC in its current financial state, and I know that helping these kids now with their medical crisises will have a profound effect on their future.

Currently Jim is in Kenya for almost a month and he has been sending me reports of his meetings with Zablon (the director), Bishop Mambo (the chairman of the HCC board), Dr. Jeremy and others. Jim is my colleague who lives in Colorado and his church congregation has been sending food money for the orphans since last September. One of his donors helped with funding the surgery for Madam Antonia's daughter, who needs to have her tonsils removed. Madam Antonia is the loyal teacher that has stayed the longest with HCC through thin and thinner months, and her child has been sick a long time with infected tonsils. Dr. Jeremy told me that the daughter cannot have the surgery right now because her hemoglobin count is too low, so he is giving her medication to build it up and he hopes the surgery will be in about three weeks time. Jim has reported to me that he also sees a big improvement in the health of the orphans from last year and that he has been told that their health has improved even since I left because of Dr. Jeremy's care. It is really heartening to know that we have made a difference in these children's lives, although there is so much more that needs to happen that it can feel overwhelming or discouraging.

This past month I have gone over the list of 93 residential orphans and looked through their photos from this year and last. I've identified the orphans (sometimes from their artwork) and then matched their photos with whatever family and medical histories I might have on them from 2006. I asked Jim, too, to provide the histories that he and Miles took last year. But there are about 35 orphans that Dr. Jeremy saw this year that neither Jim or I have any information on, so Jim is working to interview them now. I made individual sheets on each orphan, with their history and a photo, and sent what I've done by mail to Sophie, who has a secretarial service. While all of this may sound pretty straightforward administratively to Americans, it is actually a big step for the Kenyans. Not only do they not have the technology available to them that we do (digital cameras, easy use of computers, etc.) but the HCC board and Zablon have struggled to get this sort of basic record-keeping in place. Actually, it took me many hours despite all the technology I have! Part of this has to do with the orphans names and ages, which sometimes have varied a bit from one record to the next. It is my goal to have a baseline of records that the HCC board can work from and to which they can then add further information.

Jim is spending a lot of his time with various pastors under Bishop Mambo who live in the villages outside of Malindi. Jim has the goal of working with them to eventually develop home residences for the orphans and he has a link to a Christian organization that might help administer this. Some of the orphans actually come from these villages, but the likelihood that a home residential program will happen soon is slim. There is a lot to work out.

Right now the HCC school is on vacation, so only the residential orphans are at HCC right now. There continues to be the issue of completing the toilets and both Jim and I are pretty frustrated with this problem. But we are encouraged that the HCC board had a meeting a week ago and put in place some new mechanisms by which funds from donors or school fees will be handled and distributed so that the process is more transparent to everyone. It will now take the signature of three HCC board members to release any funds and we hope this will help us with our requests for receipts and accountability, which at times has been spotty. Both Jim and I have given the medical funds directly to Dr. Jeremy and I probably will continue to do so until the HCC board maps out how they will address the long term care of the orphans.

I am very grateful to Jim for helping develop the HCC board last January, but it has created some challenges. The board that Zablon had before January 2007 was more a "rubber stamp" and this board is not. Zablon is learning that as the director answerable to a board, he no longer has direct authority to make any decision he wants. He needs to consult his board and they need to make a decision together. This is a major switch for him and it has taken time for him to learn what his new role is. There is a saying in Kenya, "Slowly by slowly things get done" and it does take a lot of patience to work through some of the differences between our two cultures. While we Americans feel strongly about the priorities and about the welfare of the children, the Kenyans have to work through their community consensus building, and this can be a slow process as it is a complicated society and I cannot begin to understand all the layers of personal, community and political complexities. There is the urge to tell them what to do, and then there is the knowledge that this urge is also part of the problem because it feeds into colonialism and expectations of us, the foreigners, to solve their problems. So both Jim and I are still finding our way with how to balance American expectations (our own and that of our donors) with Kenyan self-empowerment. One thing that is clear to me...the children need our voices and they need to be the ones that we focus upon when the relationships between the adults, both Kenyan and American, become messy.

HCC Holiday Card Images and Ordering Info

2007-07-18T10:41:00.000-07:00

Below I've posted images from the orphans' paintings to create cards for sale, and all of the proceeds will go back to Happy Children's Centre. These handmade cards are a true labor of love and work wonderfully as Christmas or Holiday cards, or they can be used for other occasions as well. The children were very excited to create these paintings because they knew they would become cards, so you will see a lot of expression and detail in their work!

(See card photo to the left) The cards have a photo of a child's painting on heavy watercolor paper with a deckled edge in a matching color. On the back there is a blurb explaining that the image was created by an AIDS orphan at the Happy Children's Centre in Malindi, Kenya. People who have purchased HCC cards in the past have loved them.

You may mix images in your order but please clearly label your choices. Please email me at kirstencarpentier@hotmail.com to order or ask questions. I'll be working on making the cards this summer during my free time before I start back to school, so please order early. If you want to see even more choices, then please contact me as I have more than a hundred images.

Prices are as follows:

Single cards = $3.00 each

4-24 cards = $2.50 each (no limit to choice of images)

25 or more cards = $2.00 each (limited to 5 image choices per order)

Note: Shipping and handling is extra and will be determined after your order is placed.

Please refer to image number and title when ordering. Thanks!!

Image #1 Angel with Bird of Peace

Image #2 Pink Winged Angel

Image #3 Praying Angel in Purple

Image #4 Praying Angel in Blue

Image #5 Black-Haired Girl Angel in Yellow

Image #6 Bird of Peace Facing Left

Image #7 Bird of Peace Facing Left Enhanced

Image #8 Bird of Peace Facing Right

Image #9 Bird of Peace Facing Right Enhanced

Image #10 Angel with Trumpet

Image #11 Black Haired Girl Angel in Green

Image # 12 Black Bearded Angel 1

Image #13 Black Bearded Angel 2

Image #14 Angel in Red with Bird of Peace

Image #15 Angel with Two Figures and Bird

Image #16 Angel with Mary 1

Image #17 Angel and Mary 3

Image #18 Angel and Mary 5

Image #19 Angel with Baby Jesus

Imgage #20 Angels with Vines

Image # 21 Red Winged Angel Enhanced

Image #22 Black Haired Girl Angel 2

Image #23 Black Haired Girl Angel 2 Enhanced

Image #24 Butterfly Angel

Image #25 Angel Medley 3

Angels, Pilau Feast, and Learning New Songs

2007-07-13T12:10:00.000-07:00

I'm back now from my travels to Kenya and I'm just now able to access the blog as it was impossible while I was gone, despite my best efforts. Sometimes technology can be so frustrating in the developing world and we take the ease of communication here very for granted! Prior to visiting the Happy Children's Centre in Malindi on the coast I was in Nairobi working with a PSU professor to help develop a HIV/AIDS research project at Kenyatta University and plan a student trip for 2008. While that was an interesting opportunity, my real passion still is working directly with people, particularly kids, affected by HIV/AIDS and learning about their lives.

The six days I spent with the Happy Children's Centre were intense because I tried to accomplish a lot with the resources and time I had. Bishop Daniel Mambo, the HCC board chairman and Sophie, also a board member, were absolutely invaluable and took time away from their regular work lives to be with me and help to accomplish everything. Last January they were enlisted by Jim to form a new board for HCC and they and the other board members are trying hard to help Zablon with the administrative duties of running an orphanage and school. The week I was there Zablon was teaching the Class 1 kids (like First Grade) because a teacher just quit, so his time has been stretched even thinner than before.

I was delighted to be able to teach the kids two American songs, which they learned quickly and with great zeal. Hopefully when Jim comes later this month he will hear "This Little Light of Mine" in English and Kiswahili (as translated by one of the teachers) and "He's Got the Whole World In His Hands". The kids particularly liked the part of the last song where the body gesture is the rocking of "the itty bitty babies"...it always made them laugh when we did that together. I took a lot of video of the children singing their own Kiswahili songs and I marvel how the teachers use music, movement and the joy of singing together to settle down the kids, work off their extra energy and teach them stories as well. Kenyan culture is very much an oral culture and much of what is learned is taught through music, poetry and singing, which is very important with such scarce material resources.

My goals for this trip were as follows:

1. Watercolor painting again with the children. I showed the kids and teachers examples of the cards I'd made and sold from their previous years' paintings, and that really inspired them. This year we worked on a theme that will be used for Christmas cards and the results were absolutely fantastic. Most of the kids painted angels or birds (or a combination) and these angels graced the walls of their classrooms and gave them a lot of color and cheer. Some of the angels are whimsical, some are powerful, some are guiding Mary or the shepherds and some are downright scary....really good guardians for this often frightening world we live in.The kids were very proud of their creations and several asked me the first day if we'd be painting again, so they obviously look forward to this activity each year. The younger kids painted butterflies, which were also wonderful. We painted for total of four days and about 270 kids got to paint this year. I took many, many photos and will be designing some wonderful cards to make the most of their beautiful artwork.
Angels and butterflies bring joy to all who see them!

2. Provide a special high-protein meal for the children as requested by one of my donors as part of her 60th birthday celebration. This was a big effort that involved several cooks, an enormous pot and a lot of running around by Sophie to get the ingredients. The result was the most delicious goat pilau meal I've ever eaten and the children, particularly the teen boys, were talking about it for days. They also each got an egg, banana, juice and cookies.

The cooks serving up goat pilau from a giant pot which is slow cooked with special spices and rice. A REAL treat!!!

This was the long line of HCC kids waiting to get their special meal...

3. Provide some extra high protein food for future use. To this end I enlisted Sophie and Bishop Mambo's help again and we bought beans, maize, green grahams (like lentils), onions and oil. They have extra money to add eggs, fruit and veggies to the kids' diet this coming month.

Extra stores of protein food purchased before I left on Tuesday.

4. Have all the residential orphans receive a medical exam. Bishop Mambo introduced me to a wonderful local pediatrician and epidemiologist named Dr. Jeremiah Kiponda. "Dr. Jeremy" spent two solid days examining all the orphans who live at HCC. He charged a minimal fee to come to the HCC and he took some samples when needed for lab tests done off site at the hospital. We used one of the classrooms as an exam room and the teacher Madam Antoninia helped him with the kids because she has worked with them the longest besides Zablon. Dr. Jeremy brought one of his colleagues to help with the orphans' exams on the second day because it took so long to do everyone and some of the cases were tricky. Between the two of them they were able to provide a medical history for each child and prescribe and provide medicines. There are several kids with serious ongoing health problems that will need constant monitoring and one child needs surgery right away. I wasn't able to provide money for the surgery, but I was able to give Dr. Jeremy enough money for all the other prescriptions and extra funds so that any further care that is required this next month or two is handled. The surgery will cost about $150-160 and can be arranged by Dr. Jeremy. Zablon now has a doctor "on call" who knows the kids and can see them if anything comes up, which is a really important. I felt extremely lucky to find a local doctor as knowledgeable and generous as Dr. Jeremy and I feel much better about the children's overall medical care now.

Dr. Jeremy examines one of the orphans in the classroom/exam room.

5. Start a library/resource center for the HCC school. In the letters that the HCC kids sent to the Glencoe High School kids, the HCC kids talked about needing books. With the donations I received I was able to provide 60 books, most of which were in English, but I also bought Kiswahili books while I was in Kenya. There are now Kiswahili books for each grade and the teachers really appreciated having this new resource. While in the States I looked very hard to find books about Kenya for children and I was surprised to find quite a few. The English books I purchased were selected carefully to be culturally appropriate or books that could be used by the teachers and students as resources. I bought an atlas, dictionary, a children's Bible and several science books. I wanted to be able to provide a good bookcase for the new library, but in the end that proved to be too costly, so I found a big plastic tub to protect books from the humidity and other elements. Teachers and students alike poured over the books and I think this will be the source of a lot of enjoyment for years to come. Those of you who would like to add to the books, please let me know as I can provide an address where to send them and list of what books they already have.

The HCC kids study a beautiful English book called "Angels Watching Over Me" adapted from the African American spiritual and has lovely drawings.

6. Provide soccer balls, games and learning enrichment activities and supplies. I brought with me several soccer balls, which were a big hit of course. I also brought several games including matching card games, Scrabble, chess, checkers and the teachers were very intrigued because most had never played these games before. They spent time learning to play games themselves and clearly they, too, are thirsty for simulation. It was my observation that the kids are badly needing things to do and don't have equipment to play on or even the most basic of toys or games. I really hope the teachers will employ the games and books to provide children "quiet time" on rainy days (which was almost every day while I was in Malindi). In addition, I brought school supplies like pencils, scissors, foam stickers, crayons, colored pencils, glue, construction paper, colored tissue and stencils. One Sunday afternoon those children who weren't painting angels with me were working feverishly with construction paper and stencils and had an absolutely wonderful free-form art day with Sophie and Mr. Mangi, one of the teachers.

Sophie and teacher Madam Antonina learn to play Scrabble.

7. Purchase more mosquito nets for the HCC residential orphans. In 2005 and 2006 I had purchased over 50 nets for the HCC orphans to sleep under to protect them from malaria. In the hot, sticky climate the nights are full of mosquitoes. I was bitten to death while I was there and I can only imagine how much the mosquitoes love the tender skin of the kids! But I was discouraged this time to see the old nets out on the bushes drying, perhaps getting torn and being left to the elements. Fortunately a donor gave me funds to buy new nets and through Dr. Jeremy and the local hospital I was able to purchase very sturdy, treated nets at a subsidized rate. There is a public health program made available by U.S. aid money and the nets are quite cheap, so I was really pleased to leave Zablon with 40 big new mosquito nets and rope by which to hang them.

8. Spend time with HCC board leadership and talk about next steps. I met with all of the HCC leadership on the day of the pilau feast (the HCC board and the teachers were invited to this event), but most of my time was spent with Bishop Mambo and Sophie. I was tremendously impressed with Bishop Mambo's wisdom, diplomacy, generosity and kindness. He lives about 50 minutes away from Malindi and it wasn't easy for him to join us each day. We had some very long, good and frank talks about the future of HCC. I think the financial issues that HCC has struggled with this past year have weighed heavily on both of them and Zablon. While there would not have been an HCC without Zablon's leadership, care for the kids and tireless efforts, his administration abilities are not all that they need to be for the size that HCC has become. Bishop Mambo, Sophie and I talked in length about ways in which the HCC board can aid in this process and I helped to provide some administrative tools and support, which they requested. I bought some simple things like a filing system and office supplies that we take for granted in the U.S. and are surprisingly expensive in Kenya. At the next board meeting on July 14th, Bishop Mambo plans to open the discussion for new administrative procedures and oversight. The HCC board hopefully will help Zablon more with his administrative duties and also help make financial planning and follow-through easier and more transparent. Long term sustainability has yet to be achieved. In September the day scholars' families will be asked to pay school fees for the students that don't live at HCC and that should help finances a lot. Ideally Bishop Mambo, Jim and I would like to see the residential orphans placed in community homes so that they get more individual care. But that may be a way off yet as there is a lot that will need to transpire for that to happen. Jim will be going to Kenya in at the end of July and perhaps more discussion will happen about how the HCC board can support that sort of transition.

HCC board with Kirsten.

HCC board and teachers, all incredibly dedicated individuals.

In general I was pleased to see there were substantial improvements to the school and home for the HCC orphans. The work that the Italians completed earlier this year has made a big difference in how the school functions and the learning environment for the kids. For one thing, there are floors in the buildings and almost all the classrooms have desks. There are blackboards, a well for water (non-drinkable) and more order to the day than I remembered. However, the toilets are STILL not completed (although they are much farther along) and I have to admit that was a source of disappointment and irritation for me. I'm not sure that they are designed in such a way that they will even function properly when they are completed. The sanitation situation for both the toilets and the daily cooking is not tenable, but it was beyond my financial and time constraints to make changes to what is currently in operation during the time of my visit. While the residential orphans now don't have the long walk to school they used to, they are sleeping in the classrooms on mattresses that are very much worse for wear. It isn't ideal and there is a lot that they need in terms of basic living comforts.

The toilets still need a water tank, more plumbing and pump to make them functional.

The children themselves look physically healthier than last year and better nourished, although I think psychologically the strain of living in an orphanage shows on some of the children's faces. It can't be easy for them to be in such a big group and I think they crave individual attention. I remembered many of them and they were so shyly pleased to have me call them by name this year. They are wonderful children despite all they have been through, and are so helpful and anxious to please and be noticed. I was cheered to see that little Neema (singing on the right in the dress in the photo) was much improved in health this year and that one boy, who had awful ringworm all over his face last year, smiled brightly, his face clear of ringworm this year.

There are now are over 400 kids attending school at the HCC but most of them are "day scholars" and don't live there. The core group of orphans living at the HCC is 93 according to Zablon and this number has been reduced from previous years. I asked for a roster of the names of the orphans before I left Oregon, but somehow between the time I left and the time I reached Malindi the roster had changed. This is one of those administrative things that I hope the HCC board will help Zablon tackle and keep organized.

There are many challenges facing the HCC orphans and their caretakers. I admire the dedication of the teachers and Zablon tremendously and they work for very little money and few other rewards. I tried my best to help with some of that this visit, but in the end, there are limits to what funds from outside can do and some of what needs to happen has to be decided by the HCC leadership. It was with a heavy heart and some long faces that I left. While I hope to return, perhaps again next summer, it is a long and expensive journey for me. But I felt very good about the work we did together, and I know that the children felt the care that each of you sent with me via your funds and gifts to enhance their lives. It was a window of joy in their lives and mine, and I feel very blessed by the time I had with them. As I left via tuk-tuk in the rain, one little boy slipped me a wonderful angel he had drawn that morning on a scrap of paper. Indeed, I felt the presence and support of angels all around us the whole time I spent at the Happy Children's Centre and I know that they watch over the kids, as they do us all.

Thanks for your interest, prayers and support. Light and peace to all.

~Namaste~ Mama Kirsten

World AIDS Orphans' Day Photo Exhibit

2007-05-29T19:44:00.000-07:00

Dick Adams and Kirsten Carpentier with their joint photo exhibit for World AIDS Orphans' Day

May 7 was World AIDS Orphans' Day and in honor of this event Kirsten joined Dick Adams from Zimbabwe Artists' Project (ZAP) in creating a photo exhibit of AIDS orphans' portraits and artwork at First Unitarian Church in Portland, Oregon. The exhibit has been up for the month of May and has received a lot of enthusiastic feedback. The color-backed photos on either side of the two bulletin boards are pictures Kirsten took at the Happy Children's Centre in August of 2006.

Wish list for HCC Orphans

2007-05-22T17:22:00.000-07:00

Today's visit to Glencoe High School and other discussions I have had the past few days about the Happy Children's Centre has led me to think that posting a "Wish List" might be helpful to people who would like to donate towards this work. I leave on Wednesday, June 13 and I will be in Kenya for three weeks. I will spend the first part of my time working with Portland State University and Kenyatta University in Nairobi on a research grant proposal covering HIV/AIDS and its affects on families. Then I will fly to the coast and visit HCC from June 28-July 3. Anything I take with me to Kenya should be in my possession to pack by Monday, June 11.

I am quite limited in what I can take with me because of luggage weight restrictions. I would like to bring a couple of soccer balls again, a small ball air pump, some dried fruit from Oregon, school supplies like pencils and more art supplies so the orphans can do another project year. In the past I have bought pencils at the Dollar Tree and given each child a new pencil, which is a big thing for them. I have plenty of paper to bring to them at this time.

Despite the weight restrictions, I am planning to bring some books for the start of a small library. Many of the orphans requested books in their cards to the Glencoe students and I know they have few if any books. I am trying to carefully pick books that are culturally sensitive and appropriate for their reading level. I have about 20 books so far, including a children's Bible and a simple children's dictionary. To find a list of books that I'm still hoping to include:
1. Go to www.powells.com
2. Click on Wish List at the top of the page
3. On the page where it asks for a "friend's list" type in my email address which is kirstencarpentier@hotmail.com
4. My list should magically appear. If you have any questions, please contact me via email.

5. If you are a student of Mrs. Shigemasa, please let her know that you are interested in helping out so she can guide you through this process or have her contact me.

In addition I plan to use cash donations to help augment the orphans' regular food with some high protein items and a special meal. I plan to take any orphans who need medical attention to the doctor if possible and get some simple medical supplies while I am there. I'm sure they will have other needs, and depending on what donations come in, I may be able to do more. I cannot take clothes or shoes, although I would dearly like to do so. There isn't enough room in my luggage to clothe all 300 orphans!! Anything like that I would need to consider buying there, but it would need to be something that all of the children receive.

THANK YOU in advance for your interest and generocity!!!

HCC Orphans Send Cards & Letters to Glencoe High School Students

2007-05-22T16:32:00.000-07:00

Glencoe High School students read over cards and letters from the Happy Children's Centre AIDS Orphanage in Kenya

Sometimes it takes a small thing in one's day to make a difference in the week of another person half-way across the globe. Today I had the delightful experience of sharing messages from Happy Children's Centre with students from Hillsboro, Oregon who had written cards to the orphans in January. After months of waiting I received a package from Sophie with about 100 of the orphans' cards and letters, including some from the teachers, Sophie and Zablon. The cards have simple messages (some of which are hard to read) and requests for prayers, books and visitors. I recognized many of the names on the cards and if I had a photo of the orphan, I attached it to the cards so that the Glencoe students could see a picture of who was writing to them. There were several words in Kiswhahili that needed translation (example:"Jambo, Rafiki" "Hello, Friend") and cultural concepts to explain (like why the orphans were so excited to have a "bore hole" or well at their school). But the orphans' drawings and brightly colored artwork on their cards really spoke volumes for them.

The Glencoe students studied the cards carefully and asked very astute questions that told me they were curious and engaged in learning more. We filled a full hour and a half with a discussion about the lives of the orphans, Kenyan poverty and the rights of women. I tried to impress upon the Glencoe students how their small act last January of writing to the HCC orphans has made a difference to the HCC children. Someone is remembering them and thinking of them! It means a lot when you are one of many without parents to love you. It was personally very gratifying to me to be able to bring the project full circle, tell the Glencoe students about my upcoming trip and encourage them to continue the dialogue with students 10,000 miles away.

Mrs. Shigemasa, the Glencoe teacher who invited me to talk to her class, reads letters from the HCC teachers, Sophie and Zablon.

Cards made by the Happy Children's Centre AIDS orphans to Glencoe High School students

Finally some photos!!!

2007-05-12T11:05:00.000-07:00

One of the HCC new buildings with completed classrooms. The Italians bought the children all new uniforms and desks.

News is slow from Kenya, and their sense of time is different from that of Americans. I finally have some photos from Sophie of the new buildings and the children at their desks with their new uniforms! You will also see a photo of Zablon with the new well, which is a major improvement. It is a real challenge to get photos from Kenya because they do not have digital cameras and so photos must be taken the old fashioned way and be scanned to send to me. This costs money and time, both of which are in short supply for the HCC Board. The buildings were completed with the help of an Italian agency and while that relationship has not been completely smooth, at least I am grateful to see the children at their desks, something they have not had until now.

I sent $580 to Zablon for the HCC to use to complete the toilets and get a kitchen installed at the new site, but I have not heard what exactly the funds were used for nor have I seen receipts or accounting. This is always a frustratingly slow process. I plan to return to Kenya in June and after working at Kenyatta University for two weeks in Nairobi, I will then visit the Happy Children's Centre in Malindi and get a closer look at the building and see the children once again. I am very eagerly anticipating the trip and will post a report when I return. I will be bringing funds with me at that time. These funds were raised at a birthday party of my cousin, who has been a wonderful supporter, and at a photo exhibit for World AIDS Orphans' Day (May 7). I also hope to once again do art with the children and tell them in person just how far their art has reached. The photo exhibit was very well received and their bright smiles and art work was much admired by all who saw them.

Zablon with the well, the new corridor and toilets.

The new buildings, now complete. I have been told the children are living there and also have their classes there at the building site.

Reaching Out From Glencoe High School in Oregon to HCC Orphans

2007-02-24T17:51:00.000-08:00

Glencoe High School students learn about the life of Happy Children's Centre orphans and about HIV/AIDS issues in Kenya.

At the end of January, before I left for three weeks in India (a different blog!) I was asked to speak to 89 ninth graders at Glencoe High School, my sons' alma mater in Hillsboro. The ninth grade class had read a novel about apartheid in South Africa, but most of the students didn't know much about the current reality of discrimination and social injustices that surround HIV/AIDS, particularly how those injustices play out for women and children.

To make the program more interesting and more real to the Glencoe students, I created "profiles" for them of AIDS orphans and of children from the "Privileged North". Most of the students were given the name, photograph, family history, interests and a daily meal log for a real AIDS orphan from the Happy Children's Centre. A few "lucky ones" were given the same information about someone from the U.S. or Europe. Neither the teacher or I knew who would be an "orphan" and who would receive a "Privileged North" identity, but once the students opened their identity papers, they were asked to sit in different sections of the lecture area. The "Privileged North" students sat in chairs and they were allowed to keep their shoes on. The "orphans" had to sit on the floor with no shoes. It soon became an uncomfortable experience for the Glencoe "orphans", but of course most of the HCC orphans live without furniture or shoes so I wanted to give our Glencoe students a viseral sense of what that life must be like as an AIDS orphan.

After my PowerPoint presentation entitled "AIDS, Orphans and Art: Spreading Hope in Africa" all of the students made cards for the HCC orphans, some of which were absolutely wonderful. It was clear that they had listened attentively and were very touched to learn about the struggles of orphans from 10,000 miles away. I sent all of their cards off to Kenya right before I left for India, and Sophie and Zablon on working on sending back a response from the HCC orphans.

Before my presentation ended at Glencoe, we gave the "Privileged North" students a granola bar and juice, but the "orphans" got nothing. The "Privileged North" students had the opportunity to share with those who didn't get a snack, but most did not share. However, many of the Glencoe students and staff bought my cards made with the HCC orphans' art, so further fundraising occurred through this contact, much to my delight!

January was a busy month in which I did several different presentations for a wide range of groups about the HCC and through those presentations I was able to speak to audiences I had not reached before. With these fund raising efforts I am hoping to provide the HCC with propane gas cookers since their current method of cooking with firewood is neither sustainable nor healthy for the cooks or the children. We need able $100 more for the cost of the cookers, which run about $690. We hope the Italians will complete the rest of the buildings by April, as they told Jim in January.

Current kitchen for Happy Children's Centre orphanage. Note this is a small shack where the food is cooked on an open flame with firewood. This method is both dangerous and unhygienic, but it the most common method of cooking in Kenya (I cooked like this myself while there in 2005!)

Photo of Completed New Building at the Happy Children's Centre

2007-01-20T14:28:00.000-08:00

Here is the latest image that Sophie sent of the progress of the buildings. The building in the foreground is completed and has plastered walls, concrete floors and even a chalkboard and desks. This is the building that last summer was without a roof and the Italians chose to complete it first. In the background you can barely make out the shape of the building that we were most of the time last summer and it is being completed now.

Baba Jim's Report

2007-01-19T21:50:00.000-08:00

Right after the first of this year Jim went on a surprise visit to Kenya to check on progress at the Happy Children's Centre. The great news is that he found much has been done on the buildings and toilets and the building project is slated to be completed by April. The steady progress has been made possible by an Italian builder and his donors who have been there supervising the work. Until the Italians are finished with the project, we will not be putting more funds into the buildings since our communication is limited with them (we don't speak Italian) and we don't want to confuse matters. I wish I had some photos of the new buildings, but unfortunately Jim's camera was lost or stolen the last day he was there and I haven't yet received a photo from Sophie.

Jim spent quite a bit of time working with Bishop Daniel and Rev. Zablon to set up a new organizational system which will give Zablon more support and help with some of the tough choices that have to be made. While Zablon has done an amazing job and been an inspirational leader, it is clear that he needs administrative help and a better system by which to prioritize and make decisions. Jim tells me that Bishop Daniel is someone that will help to balance some of Zablon's shortcomings and along with other community members help develop a better system of policies and procedures for the day-to-day running of the orphanage and school.

While Jim was there he watched Sophie show the children a book I had sent on Oregon with beautiful photos and read to them. We both agree that Sophie has been a wonderful model for the girls and a real friend to both the orphans and to us. We hope to make her visits a regular monthly activity.

I wish I could say that all the orphans are being fed and clothed better than when we were there in August, but Jim says that many are still in marginal health and that troubled him a lot. There are clearly too many orphans for the support that is being given and the donations, while very generous, have been stretched in many directions. Also, it may be that our involvement and that of the Italians has had the effect of dampening the investment of the community. Unfortunately this is a common problem in Kenya and further points to the need for a better local organizational system of support.

Finally, Jim made a point to tell Zablon that he could expect me or Jim to arrive any time, unannounced. I have no immediate plans to go, but if God wills it and the "creek don't rise" I will try to go again this summer.

Great News and Photos from End of Term/Christmas Party!!

2006-12-20T16:42:00.000-08:00

A new donor group has emerged from Italy this past couple of months and has helped the Happy Children's Centre tremendously with completing the second building and providing desks, shoes and uniforms for at least 200 of the kids. Malindi, the city where HCC is located, is a favorite place with Italians and many have second homes in the area, so this is not surprising. Rev. Zablon says there has been some language barriers, but they seem to be working out the challenges and the Italians are interested in helping to dig a well and bring electricity to the building site. The children are being moved to the site (perhaps it has already happened, I'm not quite sure about this) so that they don't have to walk so far in the rain to school and to keep down the cost of renting their previous residence. The completion of the second building makes this possible, although there are still the issue of toilets and water.

I continue to ask Zablon to consider the completion of the toilets and floors of the first building important priorities, but some of what happens next will depend on the Italian donors as well as our generous American donors. Jim may be going to Kenya in January, and if he does I hope to know more from him. Sophie has given us regular updates, but she has recently expanded her business and will be gone for a few weeks for the Christmas holidays. However, donations come in wonderful and unexpected places...an eight year old girl read about HCC AIDS orphans in an article about my work in Kenya and she decided to have a birthday party where people gave money to HCC instead of bringing her presents! I continue to sell cards of the orphans' artwork as well. Still, it is frustrating not to be closer to be able to see the children in person and to see the progress of the building site.

Below: Photos taken at the End of Year/Christmas Party which was sponsored by donors concerned that the children get more protien in their diet. (See the piles of food--each child got one egg.) The orphans had a wonderful party with goat, rice, eggs, bananas, juice, cookies and LOTS of fun! They put on dramatic skits, sang and each of the teachers received tea and sugar as a thank you present as well. A great time was had by all and they were deeply grateful for this party and the generosity of our American donors who made it possible!

End of Term/Holiday Party at HCC

2006-11-24T10:43:00.000-08:00

In Kenya the school year is divided into terms which last about three months and at the end of each term there are country-wide exams for all students. The Happy Children's Centre orphans have just gone through the exam period and their term will end today, which marks the beginning of the holiday season. Holidays are always hard when family is absent, but they are particularly hard on orphans. So it was with this in mind that we arranged to have a party with special high protien foods for the children. The party was held yesterday, on Thanksgiving (not a holiday in Kenya) and the children had a WONDERFUL time. The party came together with donations that had been received specifically for foods high in protien and vitamins. Each child received beef and rice pilau, an egg, an orange, bananas, juice and cookies and the teachers received a bag of sugar and tea. This meal may not seem like a feast to those of us still recovering from the big spreads of our American Thanksgivings, but this was very special food to the orphans, whose usual meal is ugali (corn mush) with perhaps some beans from time to time.

The day was full of activity, too. There was a visit from the Bishop of the church where Zablon is pastor and he led the Happy Children's Centre in prayers of thanks. There were drama and comedy skits, singing and several speeches and Sophie reported that everyone laughed a lot and had lots of fun. (Oh, what I would have done to have been there!!) I had sent books and a card and Sophie read to the children so they knew I was with them in spirit. She reports the children were very grateful and they seem to be a bit more disciplined than when she had visited before. She has sent me receipts for everything and I hope to post photos when she is able to get them developed.

It has been raining a lot at the coast in Malindi and elsewhere in Kenya and flooding has been a problem (you may have seen reports on BBC). There have been some struggles to get the children back and forth to the building site. I'm grateful that all the children are doing well and that we were able to provide them a very happy day. Life is made up of memories and celebrations and it pleases me a lot to think of these kids, who have almost nothing, feel remembered and loved despite the torrential rain and our miles apart.

Thanks to everyone who helped to make this happen!!
Mama Kirsten

More photos of progress, but some sad news, too

2006-10-10T19:40:00.000-07:00

Sophie sent these phtos to me a couple of days ago. The little girl is Neema, who had terrible scabies on her head and was very sickly and thin when we visited in August. With money that I brought from donors she has had several visits to the doctor and her health has improved considerably. The toilet building (pictured here) now has a roof but I'm not sure that the toilets are useable yet. Last week a child was responding to the call of nature in the bushes and was bitten by a snake. He was hospitalized but is recovering. The photo of the people with the umbrellas are the H.C.C. teachers who are using the umbrellas that Miles bought them in August when it was raining so much. They have a very long walk to and from the school/building site each day and were very grateful for the umbrellas. I have still not heard if the Ministry of Education has come to visit but perhaps we will hear more this week.

On a sad note another child died a couple of weeks ago. I understand that the child was HIV positive and died of complications due to AIDS. He was 14 and one of the card receiptants. Another child died in May of malaria which is rampant in the area. Life is much more tenuous in Kenya and between accidents and illness death is far more common amongst the young than it is in the U.S. Every one is grieving and very saddened by these two deaths and it just underlines the need for basic healthcare, shelter and nutrition for all the children.

Update from Sophie

2006-09-23T10:05:00.000-07:00

I received a very nice email yesterday from Sophie, the woman who has helped us with the HCC accounting, sending receipts, distributing the cards and many other tasks. Sophie has her own business and doesn't work for the Happy Children's Centre or go to Zablon's church, but she cares deeply about the orphans and has been a wonderful advocate for them. She's been out of town for most of September and not able to check on the children for a while. I am particularly heartened to learn that little Neema is improving. Here is an excerpt from her latest email:

Well I arrived this morning and the first thing I thought of doing was
to visit HCC school. I did as I took the umbrellas, that was contributed byMiles,
to the teachers. I found everyone fine and happy. The kids ran for me when they
spotted Tuktuk like they used to do when we arrived atschool. It was such a warm
welcome with lots of excitement; I felt that I had really missed them. It was
break time hence had a chance to chat with them and give them your love. Believe
me they are all missing you dearly. The little Neema is doing fine and no more
scabies and respiratory problems. I took a picture of her but will send it later
when the film will be developed. I also had a chance to take pictures of the
toilets. Itis already roofed and it is a great progress. Will send more pictures
of the construction soon.

Progress Slowly by Slowly

2006-09-17T16:17:00.000-07:00

The Happy Children's Centre toilets are still under construction, but progress continues as can be seen in the photos to the right...

The money that I gave to Zablon in August (about $1,070) has been focused for the most part towards completing the toilets, but as you can see the building is still not finished and the toilets are not yet in use. The roof, septic tank, sinks and toilets themselves are still needed before this project is finished. Because the ground beneath the building is coral, the digging of the septic tank is very difficult. Last weekend (Sept. 9th) I sent Zablon the remainder of the money that I had for the building project ($562) with the hope that somehow he can make enough progress on this part of the building to convince the Kenyan Ministry of Education to let the HCC continue in operation. The Ministry of Education is due to visit the building site at the end of September. This will be a watershed moment and Zablon has been working very hard to be ready for them.

In August I asked Zablon to use some of the money that donors had given to help provide medical care for the orphans and to provide more mosquito nets. Zablon has taken several of the children to the medical clinic, including little Neema (who is improving) and he bought mosquito nets for the residence sleeping area (most were purchased last year). Jim's funds helped to pay for the teachers' past salaries and also helped with the building of the toilets. Jim recently sent HCC money to feed the children this month, so at least that part of the operational expenses are covered. I have at least one donor who would like to add supplimental high quality food to the orphans' diet (something that is really needed) but how to proceed with this idea isn't clear yet. We are concerned that the children receive more protien and fruit on a regular basis as most of their meals are ugali and beans.

Sophie has sent us a very careful accounting of the funds from both of our donors' funds. She has also provided the Internet updates and photos (seen above) and she will be checking on the progress of the building and the status of the children next week. She tried to scan and send the receipts that Zablon gave her from all of the materials and work that has been done this past month, but the Internet was too slow, so she is mailing copies to me via the post. I feel confident that both of them are doing everything in their power to try to live up to the agreements we made when we were all together in August. Sophie has been a wonderful help with our communications with Zablon, partially because her English is better, but also because she understands the kind of accountability that we need and can help Zablon provide that. Zablon has juggled many, many challenges, and in truth his talents are best used in other ways.

What is not clear to me is what will happen if the Ministry of Education isn't pleased with the progress of the building. I also haven't heard that Zablon has tried to reduce the numbers of orphans. He said they did not want to go to community families in August, so he was stretched to feed them all. This clearly is going to be a difficult issue since the community has not been able to support all of the orphans adequately but there also seems to be some resistance or reluctance to dispurse the orphans with some family connectin back to their families. I haven't been able to talk to Jim and he may have more information from the elders or Bishop of Zablon's church about how the community plans to proceed with caring for the orphans. Meanwhile, Jim's donors will pay for the food for the orphans for a few more months. We also haven't had a chance to talk about a child sponsorship program.

On my end it has been a challenging month. The cold I had on the way back from Kenya turned nasty and became something much worse. I was sicker than I've been in years and I didn't start feeling like myself again until about 10 days ago. Whatever it was, it was virulent and not easily licked. Then Imani Project informed me that as of the end of 2006 they will no longer host the Happy Children's Centre under their umbrella organization, CIC, and that the HCC needs to find another 501-3C umbrella or create their own 501-3C. What the next steps are haven't been clear to me. In discussing it with some of the donors, it seems it might be best to find another umbrella organization and form a small board. But I haven't really had the time or energy in the 10 days since I was informed of this change to explore the options. So, at this point I am open to suggestions from any of you and I'm also waiting to see what happens with the Kenyan Ministry of Education at the end of the month. The Imani Project has been very gracious to allow the HCC under their umbrella for the past year and now it seems it is time for the HCC to be on its own.

The truth is that the real victims in all of the challenges mentioned above are the HCC AIDS orphans themselves. They are the ones that have no voice and they are the ones at the mercy of lack of funding, stuggles with building projects, uncertain 501-3C status, scant operational revune and community cooperation (or lack there of.) I lie awake at nights thinking of them and think about how their short lives have been such a road of losses. I see their individual faces and their names come to me in the wee hours of the morning as I wake up, and it sometimes is quite overwhelming to know that whatever I do, whatever I might convince others to do--it still might not be enough. They are such beautiful children. Everyone that sees their photos has acknowledged that, and I think their saving grace is their resilence and their beautiful spirits. What carries me away from disparing about their future is that I remember the children's deep joy, their pride and delight as they painted their self-portraits or recieved their cards and I know these experiences lifted them out of their circumstances for a while. Maybe it helped them know how special they are. And I have heard from people who want to reach out to them and care to learn more, which heartens me when I struggle to see which next steps I should take.

Parting Shots

2006-08-13T19:39:00.000-07:00

H.C.C. orphans waving their cards to as a greeting back to Americans!

Kirsten, Miles and Jim give a "thumbs up" for the week with H.C.C.

Sample of the self-portraits

Home and Safe

2006-08-12T16:28:00.000-07:00

I'm home at last, a bit road weary and sick with a terrible cold, which came on just as I was leaving Kenya, but at least I'm here and in one piece. It was really good to see David's smiling face at 12:30 AM this morning as he greeted me at the airport. There were all sorts of delays and hassles traveling because of the terrorist threats. JFK airport in New York was a mess, but by some sort of miracle I did make all of my connections. My luggage, however, did not make it to New York, so I am still awaiting that. It was really good to sleep in my own bed last night and I'm going to need a couple of days to recoup from the past two weeks of intense work. However, we felt like we accomplished everything we planned to do on this trip and despite the long haul back (about 50 hours if you count the time traveling from Malindi to Nairobi and waiting for our plane in Nairobi) we really felt like it was a worthwhile trip. More photos and updates later when I'm more rested...

Cards Bring Joy and Painting Portraits of Hope

2006-08-09T08:47:00.000-07:00

Left: Lots of fun with color painting self -portraits!

Left and Below: Distribution of handmade cards from friends in the U.S.A. to orphans at H.C.C. How special each child was made to feel!!

Yesterday we woke up early to torrents of rain. I worried that we would have a soggy disaster with the distribution of the beautiful handmade cards, but I figured it was in the hands of the Divine. I got up very, very early and filled in the messages and names of those children that weren't on our list (about 60 total) and then we packed up and headed up the muddy, difficult rut of a road to the building project. Our tuk-tuk driver, Solomon, has been extremely puncutual, patient and skilled at safely taking us on the most daunting roads around huge washouts and ponds.

We assembled the kids and told them they were going to each receive a card with a letter but they had to be patient since there were so many of them. The headmaster, Mr. Lawerence helped me call out the names. Agnus, a H.C.C. teacher and a Kenyan friend, Sophie, read the cards to each child. When the first child's name was read and she opened her card from Roylene Read, she just was transfixed. She was in awe of the beauty of the card and message...if you can imagine the light of joy on a face that has seen so much sadness suddenly beaming, well, this was her face. And it also became the face of every orphan after her. It was truly a most amazing experience to witness and I have some great photos. Not all of the children were present in the morning because of the rain and the long trek to the building project, so we distributed more in the afternoon and then still more today. These cards weren't carelessly tossed away as the kids played. They were carefully examined, re-examined, and then carried about in shirts or scraps of plastic (to protect them from the rain) and this morning when I saw the kids, there were the cards again, carefully treasured. I have photos of them waving all of their cards back to you.

I can assure you that without exception the children were deeply moved by receiving messages of love, support, encouragement and joy. Those of you who made cards have truly touched lives. The children asked me today if you will come to visit them someday, and I told them it was a long way but God willing, maybe some of you will. Despite the rainy day, there were no soggy or abandoned cards. The orphans waited for a long time quietly, maybe even 2 hours or more (I lost track of time) for their name to be called. Unheard of here, where they usually mob you for everything. Even the littlest tikes seemed to know they needed to be patient and wait to hear their name. Wow, it really couldn't have gone better and there was no greater gift to them than one from the heart of the senders!

Today was the day we painted with watercolor, and what a joy it was. It isn't possible to do this at the project site/school because the floors are uneven and rough and there isn't any furniture, so we went to Zablon's church. It was hot and stuffy, but at least there were small benches. I brought a lot of water with me as there isn't any there, and I brought a huge bag of supplies, which I left with Zablon. I first had about 40 of the oldest children draw self-portraits and then paint with watercolors. Then a second group of about 45 used crayon first and then painted because they were a bit younger and painting is more difficult. All together we had almost 90 children paint today while the rest of the children played with the ever popular Nike soccer balls. We distributed the rest of the new balls today, much to their delight.

They really got into the art project although at first it was a slow start and a little chaotic. Miles, Mr. Lawerence, Agnus and Sophie helped me with this project, which involved the kids sitting on the dirt floor and painting on some narrow and rough benches. We set up a little "gallery" of the finished work and I tried to take a photo of each child with their self-portrait and I also took many photos of the artwork by itself. When I return I will post some of their amazing artwork...colorful, expressive and very interesting. It truly is my deepest joy to be able to see the joy, pride and beauty that is expressed by this sort of experience. Without exception, they really seemed to get how wonderful THEIR artwork was. I had one child who made a sort of Picasso-esque self-portrait, and the others started to make fun of her until I told them (through translation) that there was a famous and rich artist who painted like she does. I think because we've had time with them and I've gotten to know them, that they were able to open up and be even more expressive than last year. Our time together ended with a song, a huge "hello" to Americans, and a prayer. I was moved to tears and I just can't say it was anything but totally amazing to experience to their beautiful little souls reaching out despite how difficult their lives are.

On another front, Jim and I had a long talk with Zablon yesterday and again today about H.C.C. priorities and about finances. It was a difficult conversation but I think Zablon took it pretty well. Zablon is way too stretched both as a person and financially and some things have to change for everyone's benefit, but most espeically for the the children. It seems pretty clear that Zablon has been struggling to make it all hang together and that operational costs are daunting with so many orphans. There were problems with making the expenses for the orphanage this spring. We talked to Zablon about reducing the number of children at the orphanage so that he can take better care of the ones that truly have no one as some clearly have an aunt or uncle or grandmother to help out. It is complicated to discuss such things in Kenya as Kenyan culture isn't like ours at all. Very little is straightforward here. There is a lot of concern about losing face and yet if there is any hint of money, people take advantage of you and have expectations for assistance. Zablon has to constantly deal with these expectations from within the village community he lives in and from as far away (60+ miles) as Mombassa.

Jim talked to the community of church elders about having more families take the orphans in so that there is better care of them on all levels. This next month most of the orphans will be staying with community families so that Zablon can focus on making siginifcant progress on the building project while school is out for a month. The care of the orphans needs to be a community concern. For example, currently the community women share the cooking duties for the orphans, but the overall level of participation of the community hasn't been enough. Zablon will face some difficult challenges with saying no and limiting how many kids the orphanage has, but he was grateful to us for our support and to us for talking with the elders with him. We outlined for him the priorities of the building project as we see them and we told him that he needs to stick to a plan. And, that he must not use money given expressly for the building project to pay for operational expenses. To that end Jim is going to help with operational expenses for the next few months with money he brought from his congregation, so at least for a while that is covered. We did talk about sponsorship for the children, but we need to see some things change before that can be a reality that we are comfortable with. Any thought of chickens or cows or other sustainabilty projects are a long way off right now. The building needs to be completed and Zablon's focus needs to be on that right now. Jim was great about explaining several times to Zablon (who has a language and a cultural barrier) why the finances haven't been working for the H.C.C. and why Zablon must learn to prioritize if the H.C.C. is to survive. I'm sure that Zablon got the message and is going to make some modifications.

Today I gave Zablon the H.C.C. money from my donors from the U.S. and I explained in length what each amount was for. He has 66,000 kshillings for the toilets, 2500 kshillings for mosquito nets (he seemed to think he didn't need many more) and 4000 kshillings to take care of some of the medical needs of some of the children we interviewed and that we felt were vulnerable. There are 70 kshillings to a dollar. This isn't all the money I had, but it is clear that Zablon needs to get the money in portions so that he is able to manage it better. So after the next progress report, I'll send him the balance. Two weeks ago Jim had sent Zablon $2,000 and some of that money went to paying the backwages for the teachers' salaries and some of it is going into the construction of the toilets. The teachers were grateful to get their wages and we really stressed to Zablon that this situation can't be good for the children, the H.C.C. or for him because there has been a high turnover rate among the teachers and they are grossly underpaid (or not paid). I also gave Sophie, who is very honest and responsible, 2500 kshillings to make sure we have photos of the progess of the buildings and regular emails with receipts from Zablon. (Zablon has told me he can't give me progress reports because he doesn't have money for emails.) Sophie has secretarial skills and used to run a computer business and I trust her to make sure that we will hear more regularly how everything is going. She had us to her home last night and she and her family are delightful. We are lucky to have her as part of the team that is concerned about H.C.C.

On a personal note...there is no water in our room, there has been a lot of rain, no dry towels and Miles still has no luggage and yet we have truly had a wonderful, magical time. I think we accomplished all that we hoped to and maybe even more. We are very full of the love of the children and the gratitude of the H.C.C. staff but the ones that feel the most blessed are us. And as a team we have worked very, very well together. We are also ready to go home and tomorrow we head off to Nairobi and then on home for the long, long ride back to a different, and in someways not as real, world.

Blesssings, love and light to all of you who have supported us, who have prayed for us, who have loved us and lit a candle for us. Your actions, however large or small in your mind, have made a difference!

Mama Kirsten (This is what everyone calls me here, and I like the name a lot! My days at the H.C.C. were greeted with "Mama Kirsten! Mama Kirsten! Jambo!" followed by enthusiastic handshakes and shy or not so shy smiles.)

Lots of Preaching and More Interviews

2006-08-07T08:03:00.000-07:00

Preachers Zablon (in the suit) and Jim Watson gave sermons about "Faith in Action" (Pastor Collins is interpreting)

Mama Kirsten is dressed as a Swahili woman by the congregation (much to everyone's amusement!)

The really great news is that three of the four luggage pieces came last night (Sunday) and although Miles has nothing to wear, the HCC kids are going to receive their cards and their soccer balls. Today we gave them 4 of the 8 Nike donated balls and they had a blast with the balls all day!! It was a HUGE hit and they played like puppies which is saying a lot, since sometimes they just look sad and hang about the edges of the rooms where we are doing the interviews.

Today we did as many more interviews as we could (I've done 50) but we still didn't interview everyone. We tried to at least get photos of everyone that was present. It rained hard today and some of the kids went back to their residence while we spent all day interviewing at the school/building project. The kids seem to mostly like the attention of the individual interviews (sometimes we did whole families...I did a family of four siblings today and several families of 2 or 3 kids) and they love having their photos taken. We don't ask them hard questions about their mother or father, but we ask about their age, friends, health and interests. Just having anyone ask them something about them as an individual is a big deal, I think. We will give out the cards tomorrow, but we are still struggling with the roster of names and writing a few notes on the cards. The roster seems to be a fluid thing, and although this seems to be a really strange concept to Americans (either you have a kid or you don't it seems to us) the Kenyans see it differently.... Sometimes it seems the kids go off to some relative's home and then they come back to the Happy Children's Centre. We are still sorting out all of that and trying to understand it. Jim plans to have a meeting with the elders of Zablon's church community tomorrow and maybe we'll understand the organization better afterwards.

Yesterday (Sunday) was a huge extravaganza of preaching and feasting. I admit to not being comfortable with either concept, but it is really integral to the culture here when you have guests, to host a huge feast. There were hundreds of people at church (which held comfortably about 40 people) and pastors came from miles around. There were many, many speeches and introductions, all over an absolutely horrid screeching PA system (which I kept praying would break.) The service is a combination of music, group prayer (not silent, but all in various voices and intensity, like a cacophony of prayer which was very powerful) and then the long list of introductions and speeches. The room was very hot and humid and the kids became restless, bored and sleepy as the hours droned on. But it was really a very big honor for us and we were gifted with cloths (kangas and kikoys for me and ties and kikoys for the men) and coconuts. Jim gave a great sermon which was about "faith in action" --a sermon even a Unitarian could get behind. He called upon the other pastors (there were about 25 of them) and the congregation to support Zablon with the Happy Children's Centre and to work to help the widows and orphans of the community.

Our feasting on Sunday was all about meat, which is a scarce and expensive commodity in Kenya. We first had a breakfast of liver and bread, which was actually pretty tasty and a real delicacy. This was just for the three of us, Zablon and Mr. Lawrence, the headmaster, and breakfast was held at the home of a relative of Zablon's wife. The home was pretty nice compared to the mud huts all around us and the kids at that house reminded me of wealthy American teenagers...a bit insolent and indolent, very different from the kids we see at the orphanage. After the day of preaching (I was reminded of a Lyle Lovett song about a preacher who goes on all day and starves his congregation!) we ate stewed goat over rice and then roasted beef. Both were excellent and so far our guts have held up to all of it. The rest of the village got rice and small pieces of goat and I think the party went on for many hours after, but we went home and I was asleep by 7:00 PM, but up again by 5 AM...I'm an early riser here and I like the time before dawn and use it to collect my thoughts, get centered for the day, read and write.

Nike soccer balls score big with the H.C.C. orphans!!

More Interviews and More Frustration

2006-08-05T08:23:00.000-07:00

Kirsten interviewing the H.C.C. orphans one by one with teacher Margaret. Some of the H.C.C. orphans I interviewed--Riziki, Samuel and Edison.

Today we focused on more interviews and each of us did about 20. The stories are often similar and sometimes it is hard to know if the teacher is just telling us the same thing each time so that she or he can move through the line of kids faster. It was a long day, but the kids waited very, very patiently for their turn. One boy, Samuel, shyly and sweetly smiled at me all day and was so excited for his turn. I remembered him from last year and told him so, and that seemed to please him a lot. And the teenaged girls giggled at me when I sang and danced with them this afternoon just before leaving. The kids really seem to love having us around.

Tomorrow there will be no interviews because it is a full day at church and Jim will have to give a sermon, which I'm sure will be great. We have to be there early for breakfast and then a full day of celebration. Monday we will resume the interviews and Jim plans to talk further to Zablon about the building project, operational issues and priorities. More work was done on the toilets today, but I guess yesterday the workers saw white people and decided to up their price for doing the job, so they had to be fired. The complications are never ending in this place.

Our luggage is still not here and it has been a very frustrating day trying to track it down. After many, many calls on a cell phone to the 10 phone numbers for Emirates Air we had been given (using up all of the minutes of a phone that is not mine and most of the calls with no answer), we were told at 5:55 this evening that three of the pieces will come tomorrow. But I'm not sure I believe it. Things in Kenya are so very inefficient and non-customer oriented (like giving us the wrong numbers, not answering the phone in the middle of the day, etc.) that it is just completely maddening to my American psyche. Added to that is the fact that the water at our hotel has been out in the shower since we got there and now is out all together so that we can't rinse off this sticky sweat and dust from the day. We kept being told water was coming but then this evening they are trying to fix the pumping system. The electricity went out for a while at the hotel and the breakfast is late, but eventually it comes. We all are tired, hot and dirty, but actually in pretty good humor, all considered. I am really lucky to be with such great teammates...I think they must see me as the resident worry wart. Mostly I am worried about the beautiful cards...Please say some prayers for their safe arrival tomorrow so that we can share them with the children by Monday!

Top: Kirsten and the teenaged girls have some fun with singing! Bottom: Mama Kirsten's morning ritual of tending a few "owies".

First Day with the HCC Orphans

2006-08-04T07:14:00.000-07:00

Zablon and H.C.C. teaching staff

We finally arrived yesterday in Malindi after many, many, many hours of traveling (about 36 to Nairobi, then overnight in Nairobi and then another several hours to Malindi the next day.) We were tired but happy to be here and anxious to connect with Rev. Zablon and the children. Yesterday we napped a bit in the heat and humidity, then last night after dinner we finally met up on the road with Zablon and his headmaster, Mr. Lawrence and the HCC secretary, Sophie. We talked a long time into the night about Zablon's goals and vision for the HCC and our own plans while we are here. It is really good to finally have a face-to-face conversation and get to know each other better. There have been some very difficult times this past year at the HCC, and clearly all of the challenges of running such a big orphanage weigh heavily on Zablon.

Our luggage went missing in all these travels (five planes) and I am concerned that Emirates Airlines will get us our luggage before the end of our stay here. In my luggage are the cards, the soccer balls from Nike, paint and school materials and medicines for the children. My friends, Jim Watson and Miles Tuttle are wonderful people, very kind and very committed to the Happy Children's Centre and they also lost their luggage. They have nothing to wear other than the clothes they wore on the journey here as all of their clothes are in their checked baggage, but we aren't daunted by this challenge. We have faith the luggage will show up soon and it will all work out.

Today was the first day that we actually spent with the children. We took two tuk-tuks to the building site with Zablon, Mr. Lawrence and Sophie and we were greeted with wonderful enthusiasm and excitement by the children! They have been expecting us anxiously for a couple of days and Zablon said they could hardly sleep because they were wondering when we would come. I brought a small video camera and Miles is our camera man. He filmed the children greeting us, singing for us and joyfully shaking our hands and shouting "Jambo!" They had made a big heart out of bougainvillea flowers and inside were written the words, "We love America! Karibu to Kenya! (Welcome to Kenya)". I was deeply touched by the gesture and the beauty of what they had made. Also were welcome signs saying "We love Mama Kirsten" and "We love Brother Jim".

We spent time with each of the primary classes--there are three levels of kindergarten classes, and also first level (Class 1), second level (Class2) and third level (Class 3) primary school clases. We recorded "class photos" and who the teacher is for each class, as well as who the youngest child and oldest child is for each class. The age spands are huge...15 year olds and 7 year olds in the same class, for example. We then started the hard work of interviewing each of the children with their teacher. Jim, Miles and I all split up and took photos of each child and a case history (as best as we could) on each one. We asked the children about their interests, friends and siblings but asked the hard questions about their family history (when and how their parents died) of the teachers. I also asked the children about their health and asked the teachers about their mental health. It was clearly difficult for my teacher (Margaret) to talk about the sad things in the children's lives, I think. She teaches Class 2 and is a young and lovely woman. The histories were somewhat abbreviated, but at least we have more information for a data base and this is a good start. We interviewed a total of 29 children today, so clearly we have our work cut out for us! There seem to be health issues with most of the children, particularly issues of "malaria" (the label "malaria" is applied to a number of ailments not just to a diagnosed case of malaria) and skin wounds. Many of the children I interviewed have been to the hospital or doctor within the past month. One of the children I interviewed was Cline Thoya, the painter of the "Rainbow House" that so many of you have loved.

The building project itself has a way to go before it can be totally usable. Right now it is being used as classrooms for the three primary school classes and I think some of the kindergarten classes. The baby kindergarten class is being taught at Zablon's church. They are sleeping at their residence home in Malindi, and it is a long walk to their school each day. (It was a long torturous tuk-tuk ride up to the project site today, too!!) The building sits up on a kind of hill made of coral and it is a rough road that brings us there, but the good news is that it is cooler and breezier up on this hill, so it is a nice location in many ways.

The toilets need quite a bit of work to be functional. Workers were there while we visited today, so I was able to have a conversation with them about how much more it would take to complete them. I was told by one construction worker it would cost 350,000 kshillings to complete the toilets, but I haven't confirmed that with Zablon. I think that is about $5,000, which seems like a fortune. Actually, Jim just sent Zablon $2,000, but it isn't clear to me that all of that money will go towards paying for the toilets, although this is a clear priority. Part of the issue with the toilets is that they are digging in coral stone and it is very hard to create the septic system in such stone. Another issue is water, and while there is water available at a neighbor's well, it is brackish and not suitable for drinking. This and other issues make the building project clearly a bigger one than I think I fully grasped last year. The floors still need concrete and right now are rough coral stones, some large, some small. There is no furniture to speak of and the kids are getting injured on the coral stones and the occasional nail or board from trying to play around an active construction site.

I think there is an issue with the daily operational expenses for the orphanage and we began talking with Zablon and the others about their ideas to make the orphanage sustainable. Zablon is clearly aware that relying on foreign help has its pitfalls and wants the HCC to be self-sufficient. Zablon talked about raising chickens, cows and vegetables, but without good water, this may be somewhat difficult. I don't think Zablon realizes that chickens, cows and vegetables can't take brackish water either. So another priority will be getting good water piped in. Jim hopes that our interviews will help start a child sponsorship program through his church which will give the orphanage a revenue stream. The children do need more food, according to Zablon, and sometimes have been eating only one or two meals a day.

Despite all of the above challenges, the children and the staff were extremely hospitable to us and we were served a cocnut milk fish stew and ugali (corn paste-mush that is a staple of the Kenyan diet) lunch. I ate a bit gingerly since I'm not a fan of ugali or fish and I am squeamish about eating out of a bucket that has been who-knows-where. But Jim and Miles ate like they were right in the comfort of their own homes in Colorado, and hopefully made up for my lack of an appetite.

Tomorrow we'll do some more interviews with orphans and hope to cover more children than today, as today we got a late start. On Sunday Jim is supposed to preach and there is to be a big neighborhood party, and people will be coming from as far away as Mombassa! It all seems a bit much for just the three of us, but hospitality is a big part of Kenyan culture. It was a wonderful and special day, and I feel very full...full of the children's affection and full of the total magic of all of this we have been gifted to do. It may not be perfect, but each of us is playing a part to make these children have a home and a future and we have felt a lot of Divine support in this work.

Tuk-tuk driver Solomon got us where we needed to go and was always very punctual!

The FABULOUS Card Makers!

2006-07-27T07:30:00.000-07:00

My deep thanks and appreciation to the card makers who have created works of art for each of the orphans at the Happy Children's Centre!! They come from 5 States and many of them I have not met yet. I made a few cards myself but this project was the result of the creativity and love from many, many hands and hearts!

THANK YOU!!
Judith Bader
Anna Bosold
Jeane Canon
Anya Doll
Bernie Doll
Hannah Davita Doll-Schmitz
Tori Eaton
Patricia Edmonds
Joyce Gabriel
Alana Graham
Elle Green
Kelly Guthrie
Judith Harvey
Ann Hinds
Aniana Hoyt
Esther Knox
Esther's Daughter
Gavin Knox
Megan Knox
Vicki Lewis
Shannon Martin
Stacey Marson
Bede Murphy
Bonnie Nester
Sheila O'Malley
Meri Putzler
Roylene Read
Lillian Read
Pam Rosales
Michelle Shigamasa
Coley Smith-Green
Nancy Thompson
Paulie Tietz
Jeannie Unger
Irma Velasquez
Andria Weikel
Nancy Wilson
Garrison Winkle-Bryan
Carol Woodford

Paintings for Budding HCC Painters

2006-07-26T22:14:00.000-07:00

These are more of the incredible cards that have come in for the HCC orphans, both of which made paintings last year. George Masha made a painting that showed his new home having an anntenea and two people and it was the centerpiece for the quilt. Claine Thoya painting was one I called the "Rainbow House" and had a yellow, red and purple roof. Both paintings were popular for the cards that I sold as a fundraiser earlier in the year. Thanks to Ann Hinds, we now have a painted message back to these budding artists to keep painting!! I bought more watercolors to take with me to help them make that happen! Thanks very much, Ann, for sharing your heart and talents with us. I know the boys will love these!!

More Card Images for the HCC Orphans

2006-07-25T20:06:00.000-07:00

More stunning art created for the HCC orphans' cards that I will take with me to Kenya in less than a week. These were created by my dear friend of 26 years, Irma Velasquez. Irma was the person who really nudged me to go to Africa last year when I told her about my dream to do art with AIDS orphans there. Thank you, Irma, as always, you have had a profound influence in my life!

July 22nd Fundraising Event for the Happy Children's Centre

2006-07-25T18:41:00.000-07:00

Kirsten Carpentier, Coley Smith-Green, Ann Pickar and Lisa Stringfield (from left to right)--Some of the people who helped with the HCC fundraiser.

THANK YOU to ALL who helped and sweated and spent money, too!!!

This past Saturday we had a fundraising event at Coley's home that was a combination rummage sale full of ethnic goodies, plants, herbs and baked goodies as well as art activities for the children. We worked feverishly to plan this for weeks ahead (especially Coley) but in the middle of the week before the sale the weather forecast began to look girm. It was supposed to be 107 on Saturday, unheard of in Portland!! We decided to begin early but even at 8 AM we were all feeling sticky. As it turned out the weather was very humid and warm (not 107!). Although I kept thinking that it reminded me of Malindi (where HCC is located) most people weren't very comfortable and our attendence was lower than we had hoped. Those that did brave the warm weather enjoyed the wonderful bargains that Coley offered and had some really good conversations about AIDS and issues in Africa. It was fun to network and talk about the different projects people are involved with and Ann Pickar seems to know everyone and bring them together! This event was no exception!

Some folks had Anya and Hannah Davita (our art team) paint rocks or geckos for them. At the end of the day we also drew the tickets for raffle prizes. The big basket from Kettle Foods went to Hannah Davita's papa. The bag full of children's goodies went to Carol, a friend of mine who heads the Child and Family Studies program at PSU. And the grand prize, the gorgeous quilt, went to Jessica, who is about to have a baby girl in October and received the raffle tickets at a baby shower! Congratulations Jessica!!!

Kirsten Carpentier (left) and Annie Papworth (right) with the beautiful quilt Annie made for the HCC. Annie used the images from the art the HCC orphans painted last year to create this one-of-a-kind quilt fundraiser for the new HCC building. The raffle for the quilt raised over $700! Thanks so much, Annie, for your inspiration and love! You are an angel!!

Anya and Hannah Davita have a full day painting African masks, geckos and rocks for the HCC fundraiser!

Art Cards for Orphans and the HCC Event Tomorrow

2006-07-21T16:58:00.000-07:00

I have had the tremendous pleasure of receiving the cards for the HCC orphans as they have been coming in....and WOW, what an amazing array of love, talent and creativity!! It moves me to tears and when I receive a new batch in the mail or as they are dropped by my office, I am just floored with the way people have dug deep within themselves to share their hearts with children half way around the world. Some cards(see photos) are the work of professional artists who have made each child's card an art piece that should be hung in a gallery called "Art for Orphans". The whimsy of Joyce's pieces (lower left) makes me smile and her messages are especially lyrical and meaningful. The colored portion of each of her cards comes out on a little fob and turns into a book mark or a bracelet! The detail level of the pen and ink lions of Kelly's cards (upper left) and her watercolor/collages are just astonishing! My only wish is that I could buy some of her pieces and hang them in my home! Each child has their own "logo", too, that Kelly has made for them! The beauty of Bede's flowers (upper right) and how she has carefully incorporated the names of each orphan in her design is so very lovely. Her paper backgrounds are exquisite, too.

But there are other cards, not from professional artists, that are equally wonderful, whimsical and so very dear. I particularly love the ones that children have drawn. And their grandmother talked to me about the conversations they have had as they have drawn and how that this project has been educational and instructive besides being fun. Their dialogues as they have made the cards have been richly rewarding and I am hearing that people seem genuinely moved by the process they have gone through in making their cards for their list of names.

The great gift to me is that I get to SEE all the cards and I also get to SEE all of the HCC orphans' faces as they receive the card made just for them. In the end over 35 people from 5 States have been involved with this project. THANK YOU EVERYONE!!! YOU ROCK!!!

Tomorrow is our big fundraiser/rummage sale/bake sale/art for kids day and we are excited although we know it will be HOT! Coley has so generously opened her heart, her lawn and garden and her closet and cupboards to us. Coley has led this event from the start and she has been super enthusiastic and organized. I am really grateful to her for taking it on, despite the heat. So we are starting at 8 AM and we are armed with our squirt bottles and our sense of humor. I know it will be fun, and it may be hot, but that's part of being in Africa, too...

Card Making Party for HCC AIDS Orphans

2006-07-14T16:43:00.000-07:00

Some of the many creative hands making individual cards for each orphan at the Happy Children's Centre. There are over 30 people working on this project! Thank you, everyone, for sharing your time and love with these children and for making them something beautiful from your hearts!

Photo of H.C.C. Orphans from August 2005

2006-07-13T16:34:00.000-07:00

The H.C.C. Quilt

2006-07-13T16:17:00.000-07:00

H.C.C. Quilt for raffle (Crib size or would make a great wall hanging!) Drawing to be held on July 22, 2006. $1=1 ticket, $5=6 tickets, $10=12 tickets, $20=25 tickets. 100% of the proceeds go to the completion and furnishing of the H.C.C. new residence and school. Aren't the images of the orphans' paintings wonderful?!! I love the colors, too!! Very vibrant and very African!

Card Making and Beautiful Quilt to Raffle

2006-07-13T15:42:00.000-07:00

This is a time of wonderful blessings and preparation for the August trip back to Kenya to visit the Happy Children's Centre AIDS orphanage in Malindi. Over 30 people are busily making beautiful cards with personal notes to the orphans and people have thanked me for the opportunity to participate in this way. It moves me deeply to think of people who don't know these children taking time to make the orphans a card and send them a message of hope and encouragement. And creating the artwork for the cards is not only is a gift to the orphans but it is a way for the senders to bloom and explore their own creativity as well. I can hardly wait to see the faces of the H.C.C. orphans as each name is read out and they each receive their special card/treasure. Wow! And as I pass the names of these children out to card makers, I think about their stories, their young lives and how much tragedy they have already endured. It personalizes this horrible pandemic and makes me even more determined to spend time with as many of the children individually as I can.

Yesterday at the Forest Grove Farmer's Market I sold more raffle tickets for Annie Papworth's gorgeous quilt. She made this quilt having heard from Coley the story of the H.C.C. orphans creating paintings last year of their imagined new building. I've got the quilt with its wonderful, whimsical houses which are replicas of the children's paintings, but I still have not met Annie. People are drawn to the quilt and love the color and design, and it is easy to sell tickets for it. When they learn about the story and learn that the funds will go to help complete the building, they are very happy to buy several raffle tickets, sometimes many! Some just want to buy tickets without their own name so that the H.C.C. orphans have a chance to win the quilt and that I can take it back with me to Kenya. Right now there are about 60 tickets in the jar that say "For the H.C.C. Orphans" so there is a chance that the H.C.C. orphans will see it themselves!

We are gearing up for the July 22nd fundraising event at Coley's home and I know that will be a lot of fun for everyone. It is great to have people helping with this event and many of them are folks who have come into my life just recently. I feel very much like there is a Divine Hand involved with these preparations and when I am overwhelmed at times with the details, I just try to remember that it will all work out because it is blessed. I also feel extremely lucky to be part of this process and to have the folks showing up to help me just when I need them most.