Last days

Last days in Kenya, here I tend to forget the world I leave behind when I return to Gabriels. Never forgetting family and friends they remain with me wherever I go, but the leaving the world of fresh running water, garbage free streets, fresh food and vegetables whenever needed…here, in Nakuru, we also have all the necessary life sustainable stores, but its not available to all, to so many, to those we visit in the slums, to the parents of our children or to our children.

A main part of what we do is to gift a new life, a new start to those who have given up hope. Hope of actually being able to go on. Hope a food that sustains many and then, to many, hope in no longer an option.

In our school and orphanage we have little Vivian now 5, a deaf girl and a little boy Zachariah, 6, we met these children during a house cleaning during a previous trip. The mother had turned to alcohol, a home brew, which slowly kills the brain; her addiction was due to being herself abandoned, illiterate not able to find sustainable work, her mind and body no longer able to fetch water, to be able to feed her children. Vivian and Zachariah only two of her children, the other at home baby Brian, and the remainder three in the streets, begging for food, scrounging on the rubbish dump, turning themselves into lost souls forever amongst so many homeless street children.

The welfare of little Vivian, and Zachariah was very doubtful, to the extent that they to would turning to the street to survive. Vivian profoundly deaf would never have survived. Making the decision or choosing to whom we invite into our orphanage does not come easy, we have sadly only so many beds, and only so much money, the desperation of this family was in urgent need.

Without making the decision for both these children to come to us would be giving life up. On the day we found them, we took them to live with us, to begin a new life, to give them a future. The mother her mind all but obliterated from alcoholism willed them away.

Vivien is now is a special deaf school where she boards during the week and comes home to us and her brother Zachariah. Their family is now extended to many brothers and sisters, where now she has found a voice in learning sign language, her home is safe, secure where there is food on the table.

Since first finding the children’s mother we have called upon her to help where we could, with food, water and to watch over her smallest child, Brian who at the time we were unable to take as the mother would not let him go and there was a possibility with only one child she would be able to care for him.
Now, on our visit to her home, a 3 x 6 metre, mud lean too. Walls crumbling down infested with lice, bed bugs, cockroaches and other insects we again saw that Brian’s needs were being forgotten; he quickly grabbed the food that was held out to him, his little body covered in filth. It was time to act again.
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Christopher suggested that again we clean out her house, to replace the rotten one mattress, to rid of as much vermin as we could and to endeavor to give her hope yet again. My first reaction was to not agree, as we had done it before and now again to repeat when there are so very many that we also needed to help. The mother had now had given up hope, her days no longer important to her, her child, Brian forgotten.

I was reminded and so rightfully so, that if we too gave up completely on this women, who was now in her most darkest time, isn’t this when help is needed the most?
The community had given up on her. It us that should set the example not to give up to show the community too that they should not give up on their neighbours. With our volunteers water fetched, floors again scrubbed as were the muddy walls fumigated, the filthy clothes and dishes washed, a new mattress and food fetched. Little Brian, bathed and given clean clothes but this time given a new home with us, to be joined with his sister and brother, a new life with greater hope.
I learn so much with my work; every day in Kenya is a lesson. Giving up is not an option. To give hope to another is what I ask for myself every day. If I gave up hope in receiving support from volunteers, donations, help from friends and family then how can we ever expect others to have hope to survive in their own lives.
Last week whilst on home visits, Christopher brought over a lady that was so very familiar to me. The women before me , very healthy, her skin and eyes shone, her belly plump with a soon to be born child, her appearance and cleanliness a standard that is rarely seen.

As I looked at her, there was something that reminded me of another women of years passed.

A women who had been battered continually by her drunken husband, a women who had contracted HIV, whose children were also left to die on the streets, the oldest girl continually sexually abused. A women whose lifeline was only her bible as she clutched it to her extreme frail body when we came to clean here house. A women that we thought would never see her children growup. A women who defended herself by fatally stabbing the father of her children, and who spent two years in the horrendousness of a Kenyan goal. Her children left to fend for them selves on the streets.
Her name Mother Dennis. Her children Denis is one of our oldest boys who himself has gone through brain surgery whilst with us. Daughter, Phanis, a beautiful 15 year old, whose angel nature is a blessing to all that meet her, her younger son John, a joy to know always with the biggest smile.

Mother Dennis was also given second chance by us when we met her and cleaned her home, counseled and feed her. Mumma Dennis regained hope, believed that she could survive, knowing that there were others that cared about her, turned her life around. Her HIV now under control with medicines provided freely, her new partner assisting now supporting her but herself still taking in washing. Mother Dennis visits her children when they come home from boarding school, now they too see a mother who has regained her own respect and dignity, whose life was so close to death.

Giving up is not an option. In my work there are so many challenges, but as Christopher reminds me: ‘Susan, don’t let the challenge, challenge you, it is you who must challenge the challenges.’ At Gabriels we do this everyday with a fantastic team of those who come to volunteer, those of you right now reading our newsletters and those who assist with our fundraising.
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Because of this, there will always be hope.
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