May 23 Update

These past few days have been good, catching up with old friends, and finishing my orientation at HCI. Yesterday (Wednesday) I went to Kibera and I have a picture implanted in my head of a small baby crying while crouching down on the entrance to their shack and her tiny butt exposed to the world as she is coughing and having diarrhea all over. I could not help but wonder if she would ever make it to five years. The school the kids go to is a few small shacks surrounded by mud. The boys stay in a tent all year round and the girls have separate shelters also. I should have taken photos, but the pictures will forever be in my mind. The Kibera slum is one of the biggest in Kenya. The homes are just like they show on TV, small shacks made of sticks, mud, and metal. There is no where for kids to run and play and little laughter can be heard, if there is any, it is drowned out by the cries of sickness, pain, and hunger. Yet through all of this I am amazed at how the people continue on. They still strive for their best and look towards the sunny side of life.

On Monday I leave for Oloitokitok (see below). I will try to send an update on how things are but it may not be for another month.

May 2002 Update from HCI-Kenya
CCU-Oloitokitok

A slow 5-hour drive from Nairobi, CCU-Oloitokitok or CCU-LTK, is transcended by the majestic sweep of Mt. Kilimanjaro. CCU-LTK is currently home to 53 girls. Perhaps the most dramatic and external changes within HCI-Kenya are taking place at our CCU-LTK site. The girls’ dormitory is still in progress as we wait for more funding to finish the structure that will one day house 32 girls. In March, three months behind schedule, the borehole was finally drilled! It was a nerve-racking week for staff at HCI-Kenya as water was not struck until well past the 200-meter mark. Initial estimates placed water at 180-meters. The test pump of the borehole was completed in April and for 24-hours Living Waters pumped water from the earth, measuring the "sweetness" of the water and also the amount. After 24 hours of pumping at 10,000 liters per hour (44 gallons per minute), the well had dropped by only 8 inches – it looks to be an excellent reservoir that will provide water for many years to come! However, we will need to raise additional funding for a pumping system before we can make use of the water. Also in Oloitokitok was the implementation of a computer lab. The girls are learning to type on a software program, and they especially love exploring Microsoft Encarta!

For more updates from HCI-Kenya click here www.homelesskids.org/kenya/ kenya_updates.htm