Making heart connections in Kamboi

Our first stop on the road towards Logologo was the village of Kamboi.  Karen and Lorne have been supporters of Sauti Moja for several years, and one of the child mothers they have supported is Ntamian.  Ntamian is quite shy, but it was clear that she was happy to meet her sponsors, and to introduce them to her daughter, Felista.  It was quite wonderful watching the conversation unfold, and hearing Ntamian's dreams of working her way through school to one day becoming a doctor.  No longer was Ntamian simply a picture on the computer.  Karen & Lorne were visibly moved to find themselves actually speaking with this girl, who they have heard about for years, who they have been supporting financially, and who is doing her best to provide a quality life for her child by making sure she gets an education.

This is the view from the front of Ntamian's home:

As we talked with Ntamian, others from her family and the village came to see what was going on.  This is Ntamian's sister - and her beautiful baby.

From there we went to visit with another child mother - Ahado - and her daughter Patricia.  As soon as we got near Ahado's home, we were surrounded by children in the village.  They were great fun - giggling at us and trying to teach us a song in Swahili.  As soon as we took their picture, they all wanted to see themselves - thank God for digital cameras!  As we laughed and played with the kids, we felt very welcomed by this tiny little village of Rendille people.

Right beside the tire we were sitting on with the children, one of the village women was sitting there and she was just too beautiful - I had to take her picture as well!  She was very gracious at posing for me - and she was just as giggly as the children when I showed the picture to her.

We met three child mothers from this community.  It was very good to be able to look them in the eye and commend them for working so hard to get their education.  We did the best we could to encourage them to dream big - and to believe in themselves so that their dreams could eventually become a reality.  In this part of Kenya, where simply to survive is a daily struggle, it truly is a miracle when children are able to make it all the way through secondary school.  But for these girls, who are mothers at such a young age, the struggle is doubly difficult.  I am so thankful for the work of Sauti Moja.  I watched as Tim and the others from their partner organization "PETI" talked with these young women.  They treated them with much respect and deep compassion.  I hope and I pray that people outside this country will continue to find ways to offer their support, both emotional and financial.  And I also encourage those of us who live back home in Canada to never ever take for granted the gift of education and the freedom to make choices about which education paths to follow.