We finished our camp yesterday with the children from Kibera. It was tough seeing them leave. Many of them were crying. For a week, they had the expectation of leaving the slum for several hours to run, sing, and dance. Yesterday, many had to face the harsh reality that their time was up. It was very hard for us all. We prayed with each individually for protection. It is impossible to comprehend the lives many of them lead and the horrors they experience at such young ages.
We were able to visit Kibera yesterday afternoon. It was rough. We spent time with Ghetto Light (an organization Ecclesia helped financially start four years ago). They have been proving the youth of Kenya with microloans. These loans have been used to help start small businesses (bead making, shoe shining, etc.). Though small in scale, the progress that this organization has made in the past several years is immense and quite inspiring.
After meeting with Ghetto Light we walked through the slum. Visiting homes, observing the conditions, and smelling the smells of poverty (quite literally), we were able to gain a minute glimpse in to the lives of the children we had just left (though- to our joyful surprise- a handful tracked us down and followed us throughout). Though the poverty was immense and quite overwhelming, the dark underbelly (the rapes of the young, the violence, murder, rampant disease, and deep rooted substance abuse) remained mostly hidden.
Today we will go back and work with a feeding program. Thank you for your prayers.
I can just picture all of you and the kids running and laughing on that massive green lawn. Hope lives in these children because you have taken time to remind them that they matter, that they are loved. Thank you for being there! Much love and prayers to each of you, Kirsten
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