Newsletter
Fall 2011
For any of you who follow the Newsletters and Accountability Reports, you have seen that we have been mostly supporting our orphanage in Kenya. There are 2 reasons for this: (1) Donations are down somewhat. This could be for many reasons, but hopefully in the last quarter of the year, things will improve. (2) Having less money means giving to the orphanage that has the most needs, to do the most good.
Our home in Kenya is fairly new to us. As many of you know, a couple of years ago, Pastor Patrick from Mumias, Kenya, took in two children when a family member died of AIDS. Within a very short time, he and his wife were caring for 15 children, plus four of their own!
Mumias is a very poor area that has no electricity, and water comes from a surface well by bucket. These people have only the bare necessities. These fifteen children were staying in a little mud house behind the pastor’s own small house. The little kitchen behind the mud house had no stove or cabinets. They cooked by campfire. The children had so little, but they were being well taken care of by this wonderful couple.
Through the wonderful generosity of our partners, we have been able to help support these children. In the past few years, we have helped to build a home, now called Neema (Praise and Worship) Children's Home, complete with a generator. We have also helped pay the generator costs, pay school tuition and uniform costs, and buy food. Pastor Patrick has been very appreciative of all we have been able to do for the children there. Unlike our other homes, Neema Children's Home, does not have any other charitable organizations that covers much of its expenses. Therefore, our money sent to them has really been a blessing. So little money can do so much there. Last month, we sent $265.00 and that paid for the childrens’ school fees, some needed school supplies, and the generator bill.
This past summer (winter there), Pastor Patrick and several of the children were very sick. The hospital is quite far away and they have no vehicle for transportation. It was after all the difficulties of this situation that Pastor Patrick realized that with his responsibility for these children, they needed a vehicle. So we have an exciting, new goal we for DHS Club Kids!
Whereas most things are very cheap there, vehicles are not. In corresponding with Pastor Patrick, he has found that a reliable, used vehicle costs about $5000 (USD). Therefore, we would like to start a campaign drive to raise the needed money. We will still continue to send a small amount of donated money monthly for any necessities, while the rest will be put towards the vehicle. If you look at the current Accountability Report, you will see that we currently have $1000 set aside towards this goal.
Can you find it in your heart and within your ability to help us achieve this goal? If you currently give monthly, please consider making an extra donation or raising your monthly amount. If you are not yet a partner, we ask that you become one by making a donation towards this worthy goal. We will be keeping track of the money raised and posting it monthly at our website. We will also list the Partners there whom are giving to support this goal. Please be a part of the team to help us reach this goal for our children in Kenya.
Pat Burke
Check back each month to see our progress. Neema Fundraising Campaign