Crunch Time
It’s August, and the students all over Kenya are taking a break from their studies. They call it a “holiday”, which is apt, since it will be “crunch time” once they return to school. At that point there will be three more months of the school year to test their mettle. For now they are […]
Educate, Connect and Care: EC’s Mission
EC’s Mission When EC was established in 2009, our goal was to educate where there were no schools, connect where there was isolation, and care where there was great need. We took over an orphan feeding program that had been established through Kids in Kenya, an offshoot of CCO Ministries in Moretown, Vermont. […]
Nakuru to Migori County, Kenya
The drive from Nakuru to Migori County in Kenya takes about five hours by matatu. The rains had not yet come to Nakuru in April, evidenced by the billowing clouds of dust that appeared anytime a gust of wind blew across the hardened, cracked fields. Early Friday morning, two days after arriving in Kenya, my […]
an American woman in Kenya
One Week Ago in Kenya I had the privilege of talking to a group of men, women and children who were sitting in a classroom-turned-church service in Lanet Umoja, a village just outside of Nakuru, Kenya. I was telling them about Heidi Keyworth Albanese, or Sr. Eurosia (Roro) as she is lovingly remembered by her […]
TO DO Lists – Preparation the American Way
TO DO Lists: Packing lists – check. Travel itinerary – check. Meeting schedule – check. Menu for the boys (& dog & fish) – check. Dr. appointments – check. “Honey-do” lists – check. Preparation: The lists are multiplying. They tend to appear whenever I go somewhere – whether to the grocery store or across the […]
Problem vs. Opportunity
The Problem This year, for the first time in EC’s history we are stepping outside of Nakuru to offer support to secondary students in a different region of this beautiful country. To say that we’re excited is an understatement. Last year, William Aludo, EC’s Program Coordinator, or “boots on the ground” as we like […]
The Orphan’s Foot Soldier: Tiring but Worth it
Getting There As the foot soldier for Everyone’s Child (EC) in Kenya, I always look forward to my monthly trips to Nakuru with joyful expectancy. The journey to Nakuru takes about six hours by public transportation (via matatus and bodaboda – traveling on the back of a bicycle) from my home in Migori County. I […]
Grateful Today
Everybody needs to be grateful. Gratitude is what fuels us, allows us to go forward, especially in challenging times. Today I am grateful, and more than that really, because in reality I’m overwhelmed at the many people who have given to the 2016 EC annual appeal. Today we are just $758 short of our goal […]
My Deep Gladness
Frederick Buechner wrote “Purpose is the place where your deep gladness meets the world’s needs.” I couldn’t agree more. To the point where I will probably adopt his saying and add it to my email signature in days to come, because it strikes a chord in the recesses of my heart. My deep gladness is […]
Escaping Poverty
The only opportunity they have of escaping poverty is through education. Those words were seared into my consciousness as I conducted my doctoral research for the University of Vermont in 2007 – riding around Kenya boda-boda style on the back of my interpreter’s bicycle, meeting with villagers and teachers in Lanet in order to explore […]