3 days in Western Kenya - what a blessing!

The first stop after our early morning flight to Western Kenya was at the Salvation Army school where we have been providing lunches for the past three years. All the staff treated us with great kindness and respect!  It was almost formal, which I am least comfortable with!  The director is a lovely believer whose name is Dorcas and she loves her staff and kids very sincerely!  Dorcas and the staff spoke of what feeding the children means to the whole community.  Most kids have no other meals during the day.  They may try to scavenge something here or there but it is their only meal of the day.  Many had never had rice before unless they received some at Christmas. Before the lunch program the kids would try to make it to school because generally education is the only possible way they might become one of the very few ever fortunate enough to get even a poverty level job ( the Country has an over 60% unemployment level)!  We saw some students walking to school from their villages, in the dark, at 5 in the morning. When they are too weak from lack of food they finally give up and just stop coming!  The school had a certain number of registered kids but the attendance was very inconsistent.   With the lunch program they get rice at least once a week and full plates every school day!  Now attendance is up to a steady 741 and all the kids we saw were alert, bright and full of fun!   It was probably the best day I have ever had at a school!  They set the whole day aside for us. The kids had a program prepared with skits, songs, dancing, and class competition.Enos went to this very school and was challenging them to be the best.

One of the pictures is of the school's teaching staff. They have 14 teachers for 741 students! Some classes have as many as 100 kids in one class. We had a great first introductory meeting with the staff before our day with the kids.The kids did a great job on the program but what they really wanted to do, both boys and girls, was show off their soccer prowess! So, they put on match games for us...they really are good!

The girl's mom in the pink dress is a teacher there and somehow she had a nice dress to wear for her birthday celebration! Soccer was definitely not on her mind today!!

Although they had fun with the program and showing off their soccer skills it was obvious that lunch was the most exciting part of the day! But they still have to wait for each other... which is good, but no small act of discipline!