Greetings
It’s been over 7 months since my last blog and much has
happened since then. I tried to write a
blog back in April then again in May and I actually wrote the majority of this
one after the 4th of July. I
have been trying to write to this blog for many months but have not been able
to get the thoughts I want out of my head onto paper or should I say blog. I am not sure why every time I come back from
Africa my enthusiasm dwindles a little
more. It is only after I start to think
about returning that I start to get motivated again. There was a plan to return in August but that
did not happen. I would like to go in
late October or early November but that too looks like it might not happen.
First I would like to give my condolences to the Ososo
family on the loss of the youngest son Romeo last month. I met Romeo on my first visit back in 2009
and found him to be so full of energy, well spoken, and ready to take on the
world. I am not sure exactly how old
Romeo was but I am sure he was in his early to mid 20’s. Every time I met with him he was about as
upbeat as anyone could be. I have spoken
before about how life can be taken at such early ages in Africa. Many children die before the age
of 5 however getting sick in Africa at any age
can be deadly. Again my heart goes out
to the Ososo family and I will miss Romeo on my future visits.
Bishop Hezron was here in the states for two months back in
April and May. I had the pleasure of
meeting with him the end of April and early May. I left Chicago Delaware Louisville ,
Kentucky Colorado Springs Pikes Peak to enjoy the
view. I am not sure what I was thinking
but there seems to be less air up there and it was really quite chilly. On the drive up the Bishop told me to watch
the road and he would watch the scenery.
After our time in Colorado Springs we then took a 14 hour drive to
Minnesota to meet up with Aaron and the folks in Wilmar. After Minnesota Cincinnati Chicago
Bishop Hezron on top of Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs, Colorado
As you know we have been experimenting for the last couple
of years with ways to help the people of East Africa
become more self sufficient. Back in the
summer of 2011 Pastor Ososo and the UMC Matasia church started YSAVE. Two years later the micro-finance venture is
still doing very well. This last March
we injected some funds into the venture to give it a boost. As of the last time I heard money is being
saved and money is being loaned out.
Some of the projects they have been doing include tailoring, catering,
the cereal shop, jewelry making, security services, and other projects. Our intent is to loan the money at no
interest to YSAVE and the other ventures payable back to us in a time frame
that is manageable to them.
One of the roadside Kiosks
Inside the cereal shop started in Summer 2011
Security guards doing their training
Tailoring shop
Some of the bone jewelry
The Freedom Ministries micro-finance venture was initiated
during the October 2012 visit and finalized during the January 2013 visit. We also injected some funds this last March
into their venture. Bishop Hezron spent
April and May in the states and upon his return to Kenya he had been very busy
through July getting caught up in his ministry.
I have asked him to have the committee include me in some of their
proceedings so I can get a feel of what they are doing. I have told them success is paramount. My understanding is that they are meeting
monthly to review applications and distribute loans they deem viable. I hope to get some more reports soon on their
progress.
There had been some discussions about putting a
micro-finance venture into a church environment. To some this is contrary to what the church
is all about. However in order to stay
away from creating a separate NGO and our desire to help the people in the
church we need their legal framework to operate. The church as a legal entity in Kenya or
Uganda has under its charter this ability.
In order to help protect the ministry and the leaders of the ministry we
felt it best to remove voting rights for the leaders of the Ministry. Bishop Hezron is on the micro-finance
committee however he has no vote.
The original intent was to institute a few different
micro-finance ventures and there are others we are still waiting to do. I am not sure what happened to the fish
farmers in Busia and hopefully with one of my return visits I can pick this
back up. With Freedom Ministries in Uganda
Last October when Aaron and I were in Uganda we promised to
do a 3 month trial by providing some funds for church based Orphan care in
Uganda and Kenya. We spent a couple of
days hashing out numbers and came up with 42 cents a day per child. The number of children was determined and the
funds were distributed for the 3 months.
However what we quickly learned as with most anything we do in Africa
our intent has dire consequences. I
guess to put the main problem in one word it would be envy. The need is so vastly overwhelming and we definitely
do not have the ability to service everyone in our realm of influence. Once word got out that we were helping by
providing support for a given number of children more came out of the bush to
receive the blessing. This put a real
burden on Bishop Moses in Uganda
Take care and God bless
Dave
Dave
