Huh? Kenya?

Yep...I will be heading off the Kenya in roughly 2 weeks time...

It still amazes me how smooth things have progressed since I made the decision to volunteer in the poverty-stricken country two months ago: approval from parents, acceptance of application & interview, the just-in-time injection of vaccines...I do have to praise God for His provision.

Kenya is located in eastern Africa and shares borders with Ethiopia, Sudan and Uganda. Half of the population live below the poverty line, with the annual GDP per capita at a mere USD$1,700. The HIV/AIDS epidemic is widespread in this country, and life expectancy for the nation is at ~56 yrs. Violence and crime levels are extraordinary high in its capital city, with the government warning travellers to reconsider their needs to travel

One just ponders how they can survive, and enjoy a fulfilled life in such conditions...
Perhaps not all, but some of the 37 million Kenyans do...

In the coming 5 weeks that spans the Christmas and New Year break, I will be travelling with other selected team members representing World Youth International to a rural village in Kenya named Mutumbu (1.5 drive from Kisumu) to construct a community resource centre, brick by brick, for the neigbourhood.

Mutumbu, being a agriculturally focused village, faces the same plight of most rural villages in Kenya: poverty, poor education, lack of adequate healthcare, gender inequality and HIV/AIDS. There are hundreds of children in this area, many orphaned as their parents have passed away from AIDS.

Once built, the community centre will provide education in basic literacy and numeracy for children who have not had the opportunity to go to school. Other programs are also planned for the adults, including education on health and safe sex practices, information & communication, agro forestry as well as peace and human development.

To support to this initiative financially I have committed myself to fund-raise ~$2,000 for the project. The raised funds will be used to purchase construction materials, hire local labours and support the ongoing project cost in Kenya.

All other cost, including local admin, travel, vaccinations & drugs and all personal expenses are covered by myself.

Anything from $2+ up is welcommed and tax-deductible (contact me if you are interested). I will pay you a visit if you are my work colleague or a CYFer. =)



For me the emotional support from you all is more important than the monetary value, so please do not feel pressured to donate any money. I will not be accepting anything more than $10 from my friends who are not in the work force.

Thanks to you all and please keep me in your prayers as I prepare myself to face the immense challenges ahead...


Enoch
P.S. I will post more details about the trip in the coming week.