Kenya Part 4: Touch a Life Africa Mission

Many may still be wondering what my role was in Kenya.  I am on the Board of Directors of Touch a Life Africa Mission (TALAM), a non-profit organization which aims to improve the lives of orphans and vulnerable children by providing them with means to quality healthcare and education in Africa.  I also fulfill the role of a public health consultant for the organization.  It is a relatively new organization which lacks the means to demonstrate the good they are doing and part of my purpose on this trip was to document the work that TALAM is doing, advise for future work and to make it more publicly recognized.

The specific project I was working on is a donation of something that seems inconsequential to someone in the US, but for a family in a Kenyan village it brings hope for future generations and an escape from absolute poverty.  It is a simple $25 solar-powered LED lamp.  Pictured on the left is a kerosene lamp, that is typically used for light in rural Kenya; on the right is the donated solar-powered lamp.

The small charging panel rests on the roof of the hut.

 But why is the lamp so important to these recipients, like Lydia, second from the left?

Lydia has 10 brothers and sisters.  Her parents (pictured below) realize that education is the road out of poverty, but the family currently lives on about $1 per day.  They have no electricity and the kerosene purchased for their lamp to provide light for studying costs about $6 per month (that is almost a week's wages).  On the other hand, the bright solar-powered lamp, in addition to eliminating the health & fire hazards of the kerosene, is completely free.  To be accepted to a secondary school (high school) and eventually compete for a job, Lydia must be able to study in the evening and now she can.

In another village, John, left, shows me the light that he used to study with.  He was a well-deserving lamp candidate, not only because of his impoverished circumstances, but also because of his hard work in school.  What often goes overlooked is that these children are in school from 6:30am - 5:00pm.  After the long walk home, they have to do chores like collecting a bucket of water from a distance or preparing dinner over a fire.  By the time they are finished, it is dark and they have no light with which to study.

The teacher, left, explained to us that the three recipients shown here have all improved their class rank since receiving the solar lamps.  There is no doubt in any of their minds that their improvements are due to the lamps.

 These sweet children sang to us when we arrived.

The Monday after Easter, the hospital was still on holiday, so Jason was able to join me that day.  When I went to the airport for my flight to Eldoret, in Western Kenya, they informed me that, they were sorry, but they gave my ticket to someone else on accident and all flights to Eldoret that day were full.  Suddenly, I had no way to get to my destination.  Instead, we asked our driver to drive us the distance, which we were informed would be about a 3-hour drive.  It turned out to be a 5+ hour drive each way.  Remember my love of being in a car in Kenya?  My method of coping was to act like a deer in headlights.  Jason's method was to sleep in ignorance.  I don't know how in the world he was capable of sleeping through his approaching death.  My method seemed much more logical.  Perhaps by sheer will in that last split-second, my wide-eyed stare of disbelief combined with an "Ah!" in some other language would save us.  Looking back retrospectively, I suppose his method ruptured fewer brain cells.  

In the end, the drive was totally worth it - it led us to these precious children.

These three recipients had to come such a distance to see us that a young man drove all three of them on a motorcycle with him (I think I remember it being an hour ride for them).

Father Moriasi was so kind to show us the amazing work being done in his area.  I wonder if he'll ever really understand what an impact he is making through his lifelong service and love.  That is another thing that I appreciate about my line of work - I am able to meet and work side-by-side with such inspiring and selfless individuals.

Father Moriasi had us plant a tree on his property so that each time we return we can see how much we've grown.  Reflecting back on the trip, even with the 10 hours we spent in the death cab, Jason considered it his favorite day of the trip.  It was mine, too.  Husband Africa Test #2: Ability to adapt when things don't go as planned and to recognize only the positive.  Passed.

Note:  Some of you have asked how you can help.  If you would like to donate $25 for a solar lamp (or many lamps!) you can do so here.  If you do donate and want to know the progress of the project, let me know and I will keep you updated from time to time.