Announcing the Child Sponsorship Program

David’s Hope International (DHI) has launched a child sponsorship program where donors can select and sponsor a child from Camp Brethren School in Eburru, Kenya. Camp Brethren School is the education arm of Camp Brethren Ministries, DHI’s sister organization in Kenya. Currently, Camp Brethren School has five classes ranging from preschool to 4th grade and has 170 students enrolled. The students at the school live in the surrounding villages and many walk long distances to receive the high-quality teaching and development offered at Camp Brethren School instead of attending other nearby government run schools. In addition to providing a certified Kenyan primary education, the students at Camp Brethren School receive two nutritious meals a day as well as bible based guidance and spiritual encouragement 5 days a week.

With a $30/month donation, each sponsored child will receive a Christian education, a school uniform and shoes, school supplies, medical check-ups and two nutritious meals every day. Your contribution and support will help a child overcome extreme poverty and give them hope for a better life.

To learn more about sponsoring a child, please email Sponsorship@davidshope.org. To sponsor a child, please click here.

Year End Giving Ideas

December is a great time to donate to David’s Hope International!  Whether you’re looking for a creative gift idea or for a year-end tax donation, there are multiple items you can purchase to help Camp Brethren Ministries (CBM) as they continue offering vital services in Eburru, Kenya and strive for a self-sustainable community.

DHI is a registered 501(c)3 and all donations are tax deductible.

	$20 – School Uniforms Purchase 2 new sets of school clothes for one child

$50 – Bench Purchase a bench for a newly constructed classroom or the soon to open dining hall

$250 – 1/3 Month Supply of Medicines & Bandages Purchase the supplies essential to keeping the CBM clinic stocked & functioning

Be a Monthly Donor

Monthly donations of any amount help fund routine costs such as staff salaries, livestock feed, generator fuel and more!  You can set up an automatic donation through PayPal or through your bank’s online bill pay option.  (Paying with a check through your bank is preferred, as this eliminates the money lost to PayPal’s fees).

Mail a check, payable to David’s Hope International, to:
c/o Nancy Waskey
7200 Third Avenue, U-412
Sykesville, MD 21784

Do you know someone else who is seeking a year end giving option? Send them this page’s link.

Disclaimer: DHI reserves the right to redirect your funding to a different CBM project in Eburru if a specific need is already met.

2010 Year in Review – Feeding Services

The feeding program at Camp Brethren Ministries (CBM) is designed to provide each student with one well balanced meal every school day. As the 2010 school year draws to a close, there are currently 126 full time students attending the Camp Brethren Ministries (CBM) school in Eburru, Kenya. These kids receive a hot lunch everyday around 1:30 PM prepared in the CBM school kitchen. Typically the meal is a stew of sorts consisting of a combination of various locally grown vegetables like spinach, tomatoes, corn, carrots and cabbage as well as a protein such as red beans and a starch like rice or potatoes. Today, the kids eat outside as there is no indoor area to dine. However, with the completion of the dining hall in 2011 the students will have a “cafeteria” to enjoy their lunch in for the first time. The dining hall will be large enough to support 250+ students at one time.

CBM owns farmland both on the school campus and in various areas of Eburru and the nearby town of Naivasha. Many crops have been planted on this land throughout the year and with the aide of local farming expertise and significant rains, the Lord has provided quite a harvest of food to help support the feeding program. Today much of the food for the program, but not all, is provided by the CBM farms. Some food still has to be purchased from local markets. However, with the procurement of livestock this year (2 “super” cows, 4 goats, 200 chickens) coupled with better utilization of the farmlands, the goal is to fully support the feeding program from CBM resources while also providing a new source of income for the ministry as a whole by selling excess food.

2010 Timeline (view larger)

2011 Goal

Some Feeding Services projects DHI is raising funds for next year include:

• Enlarging the kitchen
• New large wood burning stove and two smaller supporting stoves
• Furnishing of the dining hall with tables and benches
• Charcoal bread baking oven for kitchen

2010 Year in Review – Medical Services

With the nearest full-scale hospital one hour away, locals in Eburru have very limited resources when it comes to quality medical care. Camp Brethren Ministries (CBM) has helped fill this gap for the last few years by offering medical assistance to the local community. Today, the staff at the medical clinic consists of two nurses who volunteer at the clinic when they are not covering their full-time nursing shifts at hospitals and one onsite lab technician.

Word is getting out in the community about the CBM medical clinic and as a result we saw the total number of patients increase in 2010. With the medical supplies DHI was able to provide in 2010 as well as the 10 maternity beds procured for the maternity ward, the CBM medical clinic is a reputable facility providing a range of quality services not readily available to many locals in Eburru. In 2010, CBM saw an increase in expecting mothers coming to CBM to give birth. October was the highest number of births to date with 6 and we anticipate that number increasing along with the number of daily walk-in patients if we can provide a full-time nurse to meet the demands of the community.

2010 Timeline (view larger)

2011 Goal

Some Medical Services projects DHI is raising funds for in 2011 include:

• Hire one full-time salaried nurse
• Restocking of medical supplies and medication

2010 Year in Review – Education Services

In 2010, the local Kenyan ministry, Camp Brethren Ministries (CBM), saw their vision for delivering quality education in the name of Christ to the children of Eburru realized when they opened their first schoolhouse. Previously, they had been teaching a select number of children in existing, makeshift buildings. In January 2010, the first official CBM schoolhouse was opened and education for kindergarteners and 1st graders commenced. During the 2010 school year, the need for a preschool class and 4th grade class were recognized. Both classes were added and are temporarily housed in existing structures. By December 2010, the total number of students enrolled in the 4 grades at CBM school had reached 126. Supported by 4 full-time Kenyan teachers and a cook for lunch, the CBM campus has become a bustling area of activity between 9am-4pm Monday through Friday.

2010 brought a lot of ongoing construction to the CBM school campus. As the new school year begins in January 2011, returning students will experience many new changes to their education environment. One of the changes will be an increase in overall students at CBM as two new classrooms will be opened and 2nd grade and either 4th or 5th grade will be conducted in those new classrooms.

2010 Timeline (view larger)

2011 Goal

Some Education Services projects DHI is raising funds for in 2011 include:

• Build a playground similar to a western playground with a playhouse, slide, swings, etc…
• Additional classrooms to support 3rd grade in 2012
• Additional boy’s and girl’s restroom
• Opening the Boys and Girls Orphanage (on the CBM school campus)
• Furnishing of the Boy’s and Girl’s dorms with bunk beds, lockers, mattresses, and more
• Furnishing new classrooms with desks, chairs, etc…
• Hiring of an additional full-time cook
• New uniforms for students

Katie & Kari in Eburru: What’s the big deal about DHI?

Many of you maybe be asking, “what exactly is DHI?” So I thought I would take the time to give a little background information on it.

December 2008 was the first time I visited Eburru along with a team of 14 others.  About a month before we left someone came and talk to us about poverty. She wanted to prepare us for what we might see.  She told us not to be too concerned with the poverty because it was just the way of life here and there is nothing that can be done about it. “Just focus on their Spiritual needs but don’t worry about their physical needs.” In my opinion that is exactly the wrong attitude to have. The Bible is full of verses commanding Christians to give to the poor.  Yes, their spiritual needs are more important but we still need to help them physically as well. In fact I think reaching out to those in extreme need is an amazing way to witness by showing Christ’s love.

Well, that is exactly the vision and mission of David’s Hope International (DHI); “to create lasting solutions for the physical, educational, emotional, and spiritual needs of abandoned children in the poorest communities of the world” Our team decided that we would not be Americans that saw the need and went back home and forgot about it. Instead we started David’s Hope underneath the leadership of fellow team member Jeff Trexel. I remember us all sitting in Jeff’s basement shortly after returning, trying to come up with a name for the new organization. Since then, God has truly blessed it. We have been able to raise funds to send to Pastor Steve for him to buy a water tank, land to grow crops and farm animals for the feeding program, classrooms for the new school and the start of constructing an orphanage. Pastor has also decided to plant another church (this will be his third in Kenya) down at the edge of Morgan since many walk miles and miles to go the church in Eburru.

As I am writing this, David, our namesake, is sitting next me so I can help him with some homework. He is 15 and in third grade and weighs about half of what a child his age should because his grown was significantly stunted when he was very young due to malnourishment. We hope to place him in the orphanage once it is open so that we can monitor his progress. However, we still need help in funding it. Please consider giving by going to www.davidshope.org/give.

Live From Kenya Part 5 – Solvable Problems

Friends of David’s Hope,

As I try to sum up what I’ve seen, smelled, tasted and touched in the past two weeks here in Eburru, words fall short of describing the desperation of the situation here. The livelihoods of all living in this town and surrounding area are perilous, and if conditions do not improve, death is certain for many. The culprits? Drought, Isolation and Famine.

Those who have read my previous posts know drought and famine are ravaging Eburru, Kenya. It has rained twice here between January and May, a time frame known as the ‘rainy season’, yet yielding little to no rain at all this season. This unusual and unseasonal lack of rain is causing crops to fail – a death wish for a town dependent on agricultural production for life. While the rains have teased us occasionally this month, and the color green has started to crop up in the fields, looks are deceiving. Eburru is just about to enter a harsh three or four month period of no consumable or sellable food while the corn, potato and wheat fields move through their growth cycles, assuming the rains continue. Let pray together that God will bring the rain to Eburru, a dry and weary land where there is no water.

ECOLOGICAL ROOTS OF FAMINE IN EBURRU
It’s no question that the entire world is experiencing the impact of the current global economic crisis, particularly as it related to the cost of food. For Eburru, the current circumstances go much deeper then the global economic crisis, spike in food prices and civil unrest after Kenya’s most recent elections. The complications in Eburru are rooted in its own climate and unique ecological conditions.

You see, Eburru is located near the equator on a dormant volcano, where temperatures regularly climb into triple digits and steam is naturally released up from the ground. Crops need extra water as the sun bakes from above and the steam dries from below, sucking the soil dry and making the crops much more susceptible to drought and failure. You can see how important the rainy season is and how drought can have double the negative impact in conditions like these.

In a typical year with a rainy season, the months of July through September are the driest and food the most scarce. This year as Eburru moves into the dry season, there was no rainy season to build up reservoirs of water. When combined with skyrocketing food prices, the people are entering a catastrophic situation. Not only can they not feed themselves, they have no crops to sell, meaning no income for these agriculturally based families who already live on less than $2.00US a day.

In a town like Eburru, where survival is the goal, when money is scarce priorities change.

To illustrate, I ran into a pack of kids on Friday who were playing outside. I asked why they were not in school and they said Friday was exam day, which means a supplementary fee to pay for the paper exam. Cost: 30 Shillings or about $0.25 US. Well, they didn’t have the money so school wasn’t an option that day. And these are the children actually in school. But when forced to choose between an education and food, you can guess which option the parents choose.

ISOLATION BREEDS DESPERATION
To make matters worse, Eburru is relatively isolated and very difficult to get to. Located high in the mountains at 8,000 feet above sea level, Eburru is accessible only by dirt roads so filled with potholes, dips and dives, that every time Pastor Steve drives to Eburru he has to get his vehicle serviced. “On the road to Eburru, you don’t drive on the right or left side. You drive where there are no potholes,” he says. Obviously, this remote village is not a preferred destination for educated professionals, entrepreneurs, or general service providers. There is no running water, no plumbing, no electricity, no trash removal, and you get the idea. Schools are overcrowded, health care is practically non-existent and civil organization is challenged regularly because teachers, doctors and lawyers just don’t come to this mountainous dust bowl deep in the African bush.

Eburru’s challenges don’t end with location. The town is sandwiched between Masai tribal lands southeast stretching down to the Masai Mara safari game parks and huge East African flower plantations roughly to the north. The colorful Masai warriors are one of Kenya’s most enduring tourist symbols and thus protected when the going gets tough. The flower farms around Lake Naivasha, while hardly paying a large wage to its workers; do employ tens of thousands of people, powering a decent economy. Eburru, stuck in the middle, might as well be located on Mars. No one knows, recognizes or cares about the situation unfolding in Eburru. The town is abandoned, as are its inhabitants, left with little hope for survival. If something doesn’t change in Eburru over the next few months, men, women and children will die. Not sure I can say this any clearer.

DEATH BY MALNUTRITION AND FAMINE

Seeing this situation unfold before my eyes is indescribable. Children are stick thin, bloated with malnutrition, and their brains are deteriorating. And “these are the ones you can actually see because they can still move around,” said Pastor Steve’s wife, Mary, a medical professional. Ironically, one of the final stages of death by malnutrition is loss of appetite. I’m told you just stop functioning and give up, lying on the ground, blank stare, until death and burial.

Making the situation even more real, I found out the other day David’s (of David’s Hope) 8-year old sister died in 2004 of severe malnutrition. When Pastor Steve and Mary learned of the situation, they rushed the young girl to the hospital in Kijabe, but it was too late. The other day I walked by her gravestone next to the family mud hut, phew. Remember my blog post about David a few days ago? I believe he was not far from the withdrawal stage of malnutrition when we fed him last week. David and his 12-year old cousin, Mary, are now set up for a daily meal at Pastor Steve’s preschool facility and medical clinic.

CREATING A SELF-SUSTAINABLE MINISTRY
As I try to process all that’s happening around me I can’t help but ask God: “So what next?” Go home back and cry? Not an option. Live full-time in Kenya? Nope, they don’t need me here. They need prayer, resources and sharp business assistance.

The next step for David’s Hope is clear. After spending the last two weeks with Pastor Steve and his colleagues, we know exactly what’s needed to turn things around in Eburru and its time to mobilize the troops. With your help, we will power the growth of Pastor Steve’s ministry in a self-sustainable way.

Pastor Steve has a big (yet realistic) vision to create an economic engine that finances a drastic expansion of his ministry serving the physical, spiritual and emotional needs of orphaned and destitute children. The plan will build upon his current ministry, which includes two churches, medical clinic, maternity ward, preschool, pastoral training program and feeding program.

The epicenter of his plan is the 10-acre Morgan House property. After two years of uncertainty, the title of this abandoned British farm house was officially transferred to his Pastor Steve’s name in May. Now his vision calls for a business, orphanage, preschool, school (K-8), vocational training and feeding program on the grounds of Morgan House. Pastor Steve’s plan has been in motion (and obviously blessed) for about six years now. It just needs a big boost. The timing could not be more right as Eburru fights for survival.

I’ll be writing a lot more about the business side of Pastor Steve’s ministry this week. Really exciting stuff. Stay tuned.

Thanks for reading.

Live from Kenya Part 2, from Jeff

Team,

Where on earth to start? How about in the mountains looking up at the brightest stars since, well, Team Kenya ’08 sat in the same spot between the huts six months ago. One look at this sky and it is difficult to not stand in awe. While this broadband wireless modem is pretty sweet connecting me to the western world, it does not come even close to the majesty and natural beauty of Eburru, Kenya.

So many highs (and a few lows) from today:

Pastor Steve’s Clone: No, not Shaquille O’Neal. Jonathon Nenja, Pastor Steve’s older brother. Think how much God is working through Steve on the pastoral, management and business fronts. Duplicate it with kids, playfulness and hyper extroversion. Jonathan is talker coupled with the same huge heart for service – his calling is removing children from impossible life situations. Jonathan runs two orphanages in Nairobi. He is the brain behind the tedious process of identifying what children are truly the poorest of the poor, as working through that process with the Kenyan government is a walk in the park. Can’t tell you how much of a blessing Jonathan is to Pastor Steve, despite being opposite personalities, me and everyone else. He is one of the people who walk in a room and lights it up with his infectious smile, laugh and genuine servant’s heart. I just can’t believe how much is being done through these two, along with Mary and the Pastor Steve’s entire brain trust. These are some sharp, savvy people with a plan. I even get to meet their parents before leaving Kenya.

“Wassssup” – Julius, circa 12/31/08: Since I know some of you are sick with worry about Rose, John and Julius, I had Jonathan do an assessment of each one. Each is far from in a healthy spot, but they are not considered “destitute” or “orphaned”. Rose was cute as ever, same runny nose, maybe a little more slight. John is the same height, a little skinner and looks to be scrapping by. To me, Julius looked to be in the worst shape. He has a wicked cough, looks skinner and nose ran pretty steady. Darn chilly here at night. Jonathan examined Jules and said he probably suffers from infectious worms which continues to make his head patchy and the standard malnutrition. They have a roof over their head, a parent (took a photo of Rose with her mom) and more food and care than many others nearby. All this means they are not candidates for the orphanage, but possibly for Pastor Steve’s “in-home” program. The genius idea here is take action lifting up the parents (and kids) so mom (and sometimes dad) can better care for and support the children. I took a bunch of photos today of Rose, John and Julius and a video clip that is going to make you laugh and cry….

Seriously, Who Are The Orphans? Hearts were ripped apart today as Jonathan and I went searching for children that fit the profile of orphan or destitute child. Good night… By orphan, it means boy or girl does not have a home. By destitute, it means he or she may have a place to put down their head, but it is a wicked situation of zero supervision, fending for food on their own and/or abuse. Often times, destitutes live with an elderly grandmother who is incapable of caring for herself, much less a young child or group of children. I took photos and video of Jonathan’s work, asking him to walk us through the questioning process and examination with several lives cases. I’ll warn you now. The images are not for the faint of heart.

Teen Talk On HIV/AIDS: Pastor Steve and I are pretty much hanging with the current AIM team in Eburru until they leave next week. While young, they are a solid group who did an excellent job today with the church teens and young adults at a camp retreat – location: overlooking Lake Naivaisha (we saw hippos, giraffes, monkeys, baboons, buffalo and other wild – all on the way or on the camp grounds). After several hours of social time (over lunch – all were able to eat something), singing started the programming before several testimonies and an interactive talk in smaller groups about purity – i.e. biblical approach to sex, HIV/AIDS, etc. Three team member had relevant life stories that opened everyone up and some really good back and forth discussion was had. Several of the boys said they learned a lot and appreciated the transparency, information, encouragement and practical tips.Good things happened…

OK, I’ll stop there and save exciting updates about Morgan House planning and strategizing until another time. I’m fighting a losing battle with downloading photos and video. We’ll see how that goes in the next few days…

Blessings,
Jeff

Fund Raising

Like any successful corporation or business a source of cash flow must be apparent. Fund raising is the basis for David’s Hope. Before David’s Hope International takes on any projects we must have the supporting funds for the projects.

All funds raised go to projects in developing countries. Whether it be orphanages, churches, schools, buildings, health / medical care, food, clean water, micro financing, business development and more. Our first project is to turn the Morgan House into an orphanage that will provide holistic care for children, meeting their physical, educational, emotional, and spiritual needs.

David’s Hope International has a number of fund raising activities planned—house parties, wine tastings, dinners, donations, and other promotional events. Check the Web Site for the next fund raising event and help bring the vision of the Morgan House into reality!! The success of David’s Hope comes from you and your friends.