Newsletter May to August 2021

This has been an odd year. Covid continued causing chaos but we thank God none of our staff or children have been infected.

Our Health Dept Manager Erick Jafeth Ochieng has done an excellent job. In his latest report received this week he wrote:
We are all observing covid 19 protocols with regular hand washing and sanitizing prioritized…… Environmental hygiene has been maintained; the toilets are always cleaned and washed on daily basis with the flushing of water available sufficiently….. the kitchen, is above average standards of personal and environmental hygiene.

May
The academic year in Kenya resumed in May instead of starting their new year in January. They will now finish last year’s studies and start their new academic year at the end of July this was due to Covid.

JUNE

Also during June our Social Worker, Faith, who served us well for many years suffered an emotional breakdown. We gave her sick leave and she returned to stay with her parents. She also decided to resign so we needed to find a replacement.

JULY

E.C.D  GRADUATION

Under the Kenyan Education System children need to graduate from ECD (Early Childhood Development) before they are allowed to start primary school. At Home of Peace we employ a qualified ECD teacher to prepare our children. They need to study how to read, write do basic maths, some language skills and creative skills.

The latest group have graduated in July. The teacher loaned them gowns etc. for their graduation ceremony.

SHARON

Sharon Odhiambo became our new Social Worker. She is well qualified and has a lot of very valuable experience. We welcomed her to the team and she is already proving to be a great blessing.

Also during July

Our amazing trustees Val & Keith Norton once again did a wonderful job arranging a fun garden party and games, at their home, to help raise funds for the children at Home of Peace.

They raised over £1,400! Thank you Val, Keith and all who helped you!

 

AUGUST
6 new children were committed to Home of Peace last Friday.
5 will go to Primary School and one to ECD.

 

Background

About two years ago, whilst visiting a church he helped plant in the town of Homa Bay, which is about a four-hour drive from Home of Peace. Erick was presented with five young children who had been found homeless and suffering. Erick did the right thing and reported this to the area chief and also to the local Department of Children services and as a temporary measure, with their permission, he placed 3 of them with a member of the church and he personally started sending money to help provide food for them whilst waiting for the children’s department to do the right thing. With the permission of the area chief he took two of the children back with him to his own home where he was able to look after them.

When nothing was done by the children’s department we wrote to them and suggested that these children should be placed in Home of Peace where they could be looked after.

Once again nothing was done. Meanwhile one of the children that had come back and was staying with Erick, a young boy of eight years old, had been complaining of an inability to see. Naturally we arranged for him to be checked by the hospital and they decided that he had cataracts in both eyes and if nothing was done he could lose his sight. They referred him to the eye hospital (the only eye hospital in Western Kenya) who confirmed that he urgently needed two cataract operations but that because he has not been committed to Home of Peace he could not be covered under the Home of Peace children’s medical insurance scheme and the operations would have to be paid for privately. They quoted 36,000 Kenya shillings which translates to £250. Erick told them that he did not have this amount of money and they got back to him and said that they had found someone who would sponsor the majority of the cost and he would only have to pay 15,000 shillings which is about £100. We managed to raise this money and the child has had both operations.

On the 6th of August Erick and Sharon, our new social worker travelled to Homa Bay for the children’s court there to finally make a decision what to do about these children and, praise God, they have been committed to Home of Peace. The court also asked us to take an additional child. So, we needed to provide for 6 new children who will needed everything. Clothes, basics like toothbrushes, enrolment in school, school supplies, uniforms, etc.

That same evening we had a fire at Home of Peace.
A Brave Young Man
At Home of Peace we have a generator because mains electricity often fails for days at a time.
On Friday 6th August the generator caught alight and there was a real danger of it exploding and hurting or killing people and destroying the buildings.
Our Assistant Head Boy, John Charles, bravely grabbed the fire extinguisher and ran into the generator room and extinguished the fire.
The generator needed to be re-wired, fitted with a new coil and a new battery but had he not acted so quickly I dread to think what may have happened.

We presented him with a Certificate of Bravery and a small gift of money.

MARILYN & RAY
Your ongoing prayers would be greatly appreciated as Marilyn has continued to struggle with health problems and to add to that on Monday she was diagnosed with cataracts in both eyes which may need surgery. She will be having further tests on the 2nd of September

ONGOING
Please continue to pray for this ministry, for the staff at Home of Peace, for the children and students, and for us.
It is a tremendous blessing and privilege to be involved but at times it can be really hard work and emotionally draining.
Please continue to tell others, (Friends, family, church) about this and encourage them to get involved.
Please join us in thanking God for His provision and pray that through faithful people, like you, He will continue to meet the needs. It does cost a lot but it is saving and transforming lives.
All gifts, no matter how small will be greatly appreciated CLICK HERE

May God richly bless you
Love in Jesus
Marilyn & Ray