My wife and I just got back from western Kenya serving an orphanage and widow ministry through our church over the last few weeks. I focused a lot of my time on building and farming. We also did a 1 day Safari in Nairobi National park which was very good. The unemployment rate in our service area is over 70%. They build with what is available in for forest around the building site. The metal roofing is carried in. This home was build for a widow whose home needed replacing. The mud is made on site. After is dries they file down/smooth it out. It makes a very strong wall. We bought a new mattress for this particular widow’s home. The gardens are carved out and interplanted with various crops. Common Companions include corn, peanuts, cow peas, papaya, and bananas. The outhouse holes are dug over 20’ deep so that they will last for decades. Two men dug this in a day. The holes in side are used to climb in and out. Lots of cows and chickens here and there, including house chickens. They are smart and resourceful people that I learned a lot from.
Most of the vehicles on their roads are either Toyota/Lexus, but the majority of people don’t own a car or truck. People are walking on the roads at all hours. We did a transport by getting ride on motor bikes one of the days.
The Kenyan orphanage and widow ministry pastors, staff and supporting volunteers from the surrounding area put Jesus at the center of everything they do, and it provides a powerful testimony of faith to the larger community! We had opportunities to provide our testimonies during the community church service, and to put on programs in the local school. The surrounding area has a lot of widows who come to the orphanage for food our mission partners in the US provide financial backing for, as well as fellowship with each other and the dedicated staff. They do a daily fellowship service and praise music, prayer and teachings after dinner, and our team participated with our testimonies and activities we planned ahead for them. My wife and her sister are both school teachers and long term VBS teachers which really helped with those preparations. After the participating with them the first after their nightly service I thought: “Wow, this is going to be a tough act to follow.” But they were so receptive and thankful for us bring our efforts from so far away.
My wife and two of the boys walking to church. They loved walking hand in hand with us where ever we were. Sometimes I had two on each hand hanging on to my fingers.
Wow what an incredible experience. It’s all pretty wild but I can’t imagine digging that hole 20’ deep with all those rocks and not worrying about it caving in while down there.
It is very rocky there and they told me they dig even deeper if they can to the extent that you can’t see the bottom that becomes too shaded to see it. The structures they build on top are often pretty substantial compared to the ones we have built at our cabin. Theirs are build to last generations. We just dig another relatively shallow hole and then move the house over when needed. Deluxe model that went over the hole shown above. Economy The business opening in the deluxe. It is very rocky with interspersed with areas of very deep clay soil.
thanks for sharing another part of the world with us. So different and yet with the same concerns we have. Food and shelter in some very difficult times.
