06/01/2009

Sr. Julie Update !

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Hello!   Hope all of you are having a nice Spring and you are ready to celebrate the Gift of the Spirit tomorrow.
 
The best news is that Regan has gained about 5 pounds and is doing well.  I even took him and Geoffrey out to lunch and both ate chicken and chips. We bumped into Purity in Karen so she also joined us for lunch.  Then, Geoffrey told me that Regan had never been in a store like Nakumatt so after lunch we took a very slow tour.   Of course, the biggest hit was all the TV's and boom boxes on the 2nd floor.  Regan enjoyed just looking at them.  Then he asked if he could get Uncle John a present. He tried to get Geoffrey to buy a 100 shilling safaricom card so Geoffrey directed him to me. It amazes me that every time you take the kids into Karen for a treat they all ask if they can bring something back for Mum or Uncle.  Safaricom cards always seem like a nice practical gift for them. also, Priscilla wasn't feeling well this week but now she is fine.  She has a beautiful face but she looks pitiful when she does not fell well.  When you see her you immediately pray for a quick miracle to make her well again and turn that frown upside down. so please continue to keep both of them in your prayers. 
 
We also have 2 teenage boys down from the village, Benjamin and Titus, who both need some medical attention.  They are staying at the boys hostel and seem to be fitting in well although they seem a little bored during the day when the other boys are at school.  It is nice to see how easily they blend it with the other kids and pitch in to help do some of the household chores. So please pray that they can get the medical help they need to deal with their medical conditions.
 
Even though the weather has been cool and rainy lately the kids are fine.  The sun peeks through quite a bit and at least helps to warm our bones and  get some warm water.  I'm constantly taking my jacket off and on.   As soon as the sun appears it gets warm and as soon as it disappears behind the clouds it gets cool.  i think it has something to do with the high altitude here.  I wish we could send all this rain to the village where they really need it. The other thing that keeps going off and on in the rain is the electricity which also causes computer problems.  i have already transferred this email to the draft file so i do not lose it if the electricity goes off.
 
This week our children got to entertain and say farewell to the Kest group.  All the girls had to get back to school.  Of course, it was a tearful goodbye but I think there  2 week experience learning about and visiting all 3 of our projects was good for them.  Now they have to go home to write a report for school. Lloydie did a great job with them and is now enjoying a quiet break from them.  She will remain in Kenya waiting for the Kest groups to arrive. Other adults who have been here before will bring the groups over. I think she has about a 2 week break until the next group comes.
 
We also had the pleasure of hosting 2 US senators this week.  As usual the Paul Miki performers did a great job entertaining them.  They are both involved with USAID.  I cannot remember their names but one was from Tennessee and one was from Georgia.  When we were getting a group photo the kids all put up their thumbs and shouted OBAMA.  They met with S. Mary then toured the lab and visited the cottages meeting Regan, were entertained by the kids and then headed to the hostels.  After Nyumbani they were heading to Kibera to see the great work that is being done through our Leatoto Program.  Let us hope and pray that through this visit they will be even more committed to helping Nyumbani and help us to get the reagents we hope to get through Pepfar (Buck from Pepfar was also with them) when we get our Drug Resistance machine. I think they also saw the spirit of Father Dag in Sister Mary and know that she will not take no for an answer. Sister Mary is determined to get what our children need. How can they say no when they see the smiling faces of the children they have helped to save and know that because of their help Regan has a hope for a future that he did not have before he came to Nyumbani a few weeks ago. Please pray that they take our message back home. I am so proud of what the people of America are doing for the children of Africa and pray that we will continue to expand our support to save the lives of many more children.
 
We also had a Mums and Uncles Meeting and a Staff Meeting this week.  It was great to hear the Mums and Uncles report on how their kids are doing and stress how important it is for all of us to work together for the betterment of the children.  We tweaked the children's schedule a little but all agreed that on the whole it is going well.  This was affirmed by Lloydie and her group as they visited Nyumbani.  Lloydie was pleasantly surprised to see how great the evening study and Saturday Program was going and how serious the Mums, Uncles and kids were. We all love these kids and are working together to help them grow and mature into responsible christian persons.  With God's help, our hard work, and the continued support of all of our benefactors these children will have a bright future. Please pray for all of those who give so much of themselves to make the lives of our children better.
 
I got all of the ceilings painted on the 2nd floor of Noel House this week and cleaned some of the windows.  My only disappointment was that the water stains still came through.  I'll have to see if there is anything else that  I can use to coat the stains.  i also washed the outsides of some of the windows.  The novices will return today so next week we are going to house clean the Noel House while most of the rooms are empty. Donna, remember you and I did it last year.  That way we will be ready for Tomi's audiology group and the hands  Around the World group that will be coming in mid-June. On Friday I also traveled to Mbagatha Hospital with the nurse and Uncle John for a follow up visit with Dr. Mellotto for John and Geoffrey.  He was pleased with Geoffrey and showed him some exercises to do that he was sure would bring Geoffrey's leg back to 100 percent mobility.  Right now the knee is still a little tight but with exercise it will loosen and be fine. he was very happy to hear he can play football again. John will be scheduled for more surgery in November to remove the metal plate and stretch his bone and then after he recuperates should be fine. Until then he has to be sure to always wear the lift in his shoe.  Both have another follow up appointment next week. So please continue to keep both of them in your prayers.
 
Please take care of yourselves.  Pray for us as we pray for you.  Love and miss you all.  Julie
 

05/16/2009

Latest Update from Sr. Julie

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Hello Family and Friends! Hope all of you had a great week.
 
The Great news is that we got 2 temporary admissions for our respite program, Reagan age 12 and Priscilla age 5.  Sister Mary was able to rescue them from living with their grandmother on a garbage dump in Dandora.  The grandmother raises pigs to support all of her grandchildren and they live right on the dump.  The conditions are horrible so when Sister Mary visited and saw the conditions she worked to have the 2 HIV+ children admitted to Nyumbani. She is also working to see what she can do for the others.
 
The girl's name is Priscilla.  Priscilla, after  Mum Mary bathed her,shampooed her hair and fixed it nicely and then got her some clean clothes really looks good and has fit in well with the kids in cottage E. Our kids are great the way they welcome a new child into their cottage family. The day after she arrived she went to Mass in the convent in the morning and then went off to school.  You would think she had always been here.  She has a beautiful smile which really broadened when I gave her a little doll to play with.  Not sure how stable she is medically but outwardly she looks good.
 
The boy's name is Reagan and he was welcomed into cottage AB.  Unlike his sister he looks like a human skeleton. My understanding is that until  a short time ago he was living with his Mum up country and was receiving no care.  When she died, he came to live with his grandmother.  After 12 years of undernourishment and lack of medical care he will be tough to turn around but Nyumbani is known for performing miracles and all of you need to pray that Reagan gets one.  He has very little energy and has not been able to keep any food down but has been taking liquids so yesterday I got him some glucose powder to put in his water and some chocolate for his milk.  He also managed to very slowly eat a small chocolate bar.   He was  happy when I gave him a couple of those match box cars to play with as he sat outside soaking up the warm sunshine.  Presently he is spending most of his day sleeping but I'm sure that as he is able to eat more that will change.  Matron also took both of them to Masaba Hospital for x-rays and of course we did some blood tests at our lab.  Professor Musoki was here yesterday to evaluate both so I am sure she will have charted a medical plan for both of them.  Please pray that we will be able to nurse both of them back to good health.  With God's help and all the tender loving care they get here from the staff and the children there is a lot of hope for both of them.  I want to thank all of you who donate so generously to Nyumbani because you give us the ability to do what we can do for these children.  Without the support of so many good people children like Reagan and Priscilla would go on living and dying on a garbage dump.  God bless the work of our hearts and our hands!!!
 
These 2 children came on Wednesday evening and I consider them the best 65th birthday present that I got.  I was so excited by their arrival.  They are really very special gifts to Nyumbani.  Of course, I also loved the cards that the kids made and that my family and friends sent, the Happy Birthday songs in each cottage, the thanks for the cakes I gave to each cottage and the staff, the special cake and plant that I got from the volunteers, the mini-birthday party I had with the little ones in cottage E and the special birthday dinner at the Rusty Nail that Sister Mary provided for myself. herself, Protus and the volunteers.  Since Lee, Julia and Bex were leaving the next day we also used the dinner as a farewell for them.  The food was good and the company was fantastic. It's great to be able to sit back, relax and just enjoy the company and the conversation with your friends in a very relaxing atmosphere with a fireplace blazing.   So, I thank God for everyone who made my 65th Birthday so special.  I also thank my sister maggie who tried so many times to get through to me on the phone. I would have loved to have talked to you and caught up with all the family news and gossip. You are in my prayers.
 
My nephew Christopher graduated from law School this week and I want to CONGRATULATE him for a job well done. I am very proud of him.  I am sorry I'll miss your big party today but I'll be with you in spirit.  I understand the job market is tight right now but I'll pray you soon find a job in the area of law you want to work.  Also, congratulations Maggie and Frank for all you did to make this possible.  A daughter a doctor and a son a lawyer. GREAT WORK MOM AND DAD! 
 
Our volunteers left on the 15th.  We were sad to see Bex, Julia and Lee go but grateful for the time they were able to be with us and the talents they shared with us.  Julia is heading back to Tennessee to sign up for law School and Bex and lee are moving on to more volunteer work in Mozambique.  and then more travel.  Please pray that God will bless them on their journeys and be as good to them as they were to our children.  They loved all of our children in a special way and all of our children will miss them but we will keep them in our hearts and pray for them.
 
So, please keep praying for us as we pray for you. You are special to us.  Love and miss all of you.  Julie 

04/04/2009

News of Nyumbani Straight from Sr. Julie

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Hello Everyone!!!
 
The Good News is that all of our children are home from school.  The Bad News is all of our children are home from school.  No, just teasing.  We are very happy to have all of our children back safe and sound and it is so good to see our teenagers home from boarding school all seeming to be enjoying their experiences at school but happy to be home. It was great to be able to hug each one of them and welcome them home. 
 
Last Saturday morning as I typed this update I could hear little Joe Dag leading the children in games in our playground as Mum Sharon and Dad Mike were here separating clothes into a Nyumbani pile, a Village pile and Leatoto pile of baby clothes.  Sharon was highly organized and even separated all the clothes according to sizes.  This will be a great help when it comes to selecting birthday clothes this month. The other 3 boys, Tom, Rob and Tim, blended right in with the other kids.  No one seemed to have any problem finding someone to play with.  Tom was also anxious to get to the computer room so he could work on his blog.  He already had some stories to tell.  The D'Agnostino family spent Saturday and Sunday just being with the Nyumbani kids and all seemed to enjoy themselves.  The Dag family blended in well with the Nyumbani family.  One would think that maybe an uncle of theirs had started this place and that their whole family was involved in supporting all of our efforts here.  Actually we are very grateful to the Dag family for sharing Fr. Dag with us and for all they have done and are doing to support our ministry here.  On Monday the Dag family headed for a visit to Leatoto which I think was a moving experience for all of them. 

On Monday night myself, S. Mary and Protus had the pleasure of joining them for dinner at our new Italian restaurant here in Karen. A good time was had by all.  On Tuesday they traveled with S. Mary and the volunteers to Kitui.  Once again they were inspired by all that we had accomplished at the village.  While they were their the Lions Club was there doing eye screenings.  Luckily for the Lions Club we were traveling the same way home because the van  the Lions Club had rented broke down and had to be towed.  We were able to pick them up and get them back safely.  The van was a little crowded but luckily for the Lions Club we were able to jam everyone in and no one really minded.  The only problem this caused was that the Dag's, S. Mary and the volunteers arrived back late to Nyumbani for the Pizza Party that the Dag's had provided for all of us.  It was Tuesday so of course we went for the buy one get one free deal.  Luckily for us I realized ahead of time that you are never sure what time people get back from the village so I had planned to have the kids watch High School Musical 3 in the hall as we waited for their arrival. I was so glad that Kenny Ortiega and kelly Ghonda had sent us this DVD from the states. This really worked out well since it was almost 9 PM by the time they got back.  So, the kids had watched part of the movie when we found out the group would be later than we thought.  So, we stopped the movie at 7 PM and let the kids eat.  Then the kids and Mums/Uncles cleaned up and when they were done  we restarted the movie. It was just about over when the Kitui group arrived.  We finished watching the movie while they ate and then we acknowledged their presence, thanked them for the treat  and then we entertained them as they ate their pizza.  When they finished eating the D'Agnostino boys entertained us with a couple of funny skits.  In one skit they showed us how you should react when the air raid siron goes off and then how they really would react by screaming, waving their arms and bumping into the door as they all tried to escape from the hall. The kids got a good laugh out of that.  Then we thanked them again and we all headed to bed after a long day. On Wednesday the family headed to a safari and will return sometime today.  Our hope is that a good time was had by all.  Then tonight we will see them off to the airport.  We are happy that part of Fr. Dag's family came to visit us and we deeply appreciate their continued support of all of our programs.  We hope and pray that they enjoyed their visit with us and that they will have an uneventful flight home.  When they get back I am sure Sharon and Mike will need a break.  Bringing four sons to Africa was no easy task.  Please pray that God will bless them and all of Fr. Dag's family for the love and support they sharewith their Nyumbani family
 
The Terry family arrived from Ireland on Thursday evening and were greeted by Protus and some of our children who had met them in Ireland.  Then, on Friday afternoon they arrived at Nyumbani and were greeted by Protus, taken on a tour where they were greeted by many familiar faces including Mum Christine, spent some time in the Fr. DAg hall playing pool on the pool table they had recently donated to Nyumbani, next they were greeted by S. mary and got to spend some time with her,and then  they had time to just be with the kids until they left at 7 PM.  They arrived bright and early this morning to take a busful of kids for a safari drive through the national park.  They are there now.  From now untilApril 12th there are lots of fun activities planned with the Terry family and the kids including movie trips, a bus trip to Kitui with the kids, giraffe center, more safari park, lunches dinners and other treats. Protus put a wonderful schedule of fun activites for them.  Friday, Saturday and Sunday all will spend time here as we celebrate the Easter Tridium.  We'll start with a special Holy Thursday evening mass folloed by Stations of the Cross on Friday, with mass for the Easter Vigil and our usual Easter Sunday mass followed by lunch and fun activities provided by the BA staff.  I think the Easter Bunny will actually be arriving on the same BA flight with the staff. Then on Monday the 13th they'll take the paul Miki kids out for a treat and will prepare themselves to go on a family trip for the rest of the week.
 
After a fun week for everyone we get back to business and start our April Holiday Program with the help of the Mums/Uncles,Pascal,Lee, Julia , Bex and 2 Precious Blood Novices who will arrive soon.  I have been working hard getting the primary school and high school programs scheduled and all the materials ready for each group.  i think all is ready and pray that it will be a time for learning and fun.  For the primary grades we start with Revision Class and then we have clubs, Sports, Computer, Library, Creative Arts, and Cleaning.  For the high schoolers we have Computer Class, Study and Community Service.  In the evenings Lee will have the hostel and AB boys playing in the Fr. Dag Hall and Julia, Bex and the sisters will rotate in the cottages doing different activities with the kids each night.  Of course, on the weekends they'll be movies in the cottages.  The volunteers have already started the evening programs and all is going well.  The boys especially love the freedom they experience playing in the Fr. Dag hall at night and also when it rains. We are in the rainy season right now so I am sure the hall will get lots of use while the kids are on holiday. We are so grateful to S. Mary and all of the benefactors who have made the Fr. Dag hall possible.  It is a real blessing not only to those of us here but for the Leatoto Program as well who use this facility to host their meetings especially the CME's. 
 
OF course, the best Good News is that all of the kids are doing well.  Right now Helen, our social worker, is gathering all their grades from school.  Not sure how they did but we will soon find out.  I love seeing them all home and outside playing with the bikes and scooters as well as in the playground, the football field and on the basketball court.  I have to say thanks to all of our benefactors who make this Kodak moment possible.  YOU WOULD HAVE HAPPY HEARTS TOO IF YOU WERE HERE AND SEE WHAT I SEE. Canary is also getting better every day.  he now has such a big smile on his face and he flashes it every time he sees me.  however, there happens to be an ulterior motive to this smile since his goal is to go with me to get sweets and ofcourse, you know the old softy gives in and gets him something.  This child deeply touches my heart.  Let us pray he continues to progress and all of our children stay well.
 
In the near future 3 of our boys from cottage D, John, Brian and George, with Uncle Joseph will be traveling to the USA for a visit with Susan Gold.  i'm sure Susan has lots of activities for them including a trip to the school attended by President Obama's daughters.  At that time Gabby is doing a video presentation on Nyumbani at the school so the boys will be there with Susan to see it.  We need to thank protus for all he has done to make this possible getting visas for the boys and Uncle Joseph. Anyone who lives in Kenya and has any experience with the US Embassy knows what a difficult job this is.  Also, thanks to Susan for all of the fundraising she has done for this trip and  all the preparations she has done.   
 
You have heard the good news but the bad news is that many men.women and children in Kenya are experiencing famine right now.  Donations of food are pouring in from around the world but still people are suffering. We are working hard to meet the needs of our families in the Leatoto program.  Please pray for the Kenyan leaders that they may work together to deal with this problem.  Too many men, women and children are starving to death each day in kenya when there is plenty of food that could be made available to them.  pray for the people of Kenya. 
 
The other bad news is that my St. Benedict School in Philadelphia where I was principal for 17 years is closing in June.  I know my Benedict's family must be very sad because they have struggled for years to keep the school open.  I pray they will be able to find good school placements for all of the children and they might set up other programs that will keep the children close to their church.  So often when the school closes the families also gravitate away from the church. With Father George as pastor Benedict's has a very strong faith community who will continue to strive to meet the needs of their children.  My heart and my prayers are with them.  Please keep them in your prayers.
 
So, that's it folks!  Please pray for us as we pray for you.  love and miss all of you.  Julie

04/04/2009

Hands around the World is Building Two Classrooms at Nyumbani Village

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Chrissie Cooling is among a group of volunteers from Monmothshire that will be spending a month in Kenya at Nyumbani Village:

Chrissie said Hands around the World responded to requests from communities, giving a hand, not a handout. In order to offer more support for the children they care for, the centre has requested help with the construction of two school classroom blocks. The work will be planned and led by Kenyans, with the volunteers working alongside local people and using local building methods.


04/04/2009

Bicycling for Nyumbani

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Doug Walker, Pete Stuart, Andy Stirling, Roddy James and Jamie Pert of Montrose have completed a 500km bicycling journey from Vietnam to Cambodia to benefit charities, including Nyumbani.

The Montrose group joined 30 fellow cyclists in London and travelled out to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia then on to Ho Chi Minh City in South Vietnam.

From there they travelled through roads full of anything that moved, ranging from scooters, bikes, people, oxen and chickens!

They crossed over the border and into Cambodia crossing the Mekong River and passing through many rubber plantations, paddy fields, villages and temples.

Although people appeared to lead a subsistence life style, living hand to mouth, they appeared to be very happy and it was very humbling to be treated like celebrities by all the locals who cheered and greeted the team at every point along the way.

The group completed the trek at Siem Reap, the old Capital of Cambodia and home to Angkor Wat an area of Temples which are justifiably regarded as one of the wonders of the world.

The trip was full of laughter, plenty of friendly rivalry with fellow English trekkers (especially when the Montrose lads donned kilts for the final few kilometres of the cycle)


04/04/2009

Erin Kennedy Recognized for HopeCraft

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Foster's Daily Democrat describes the launching of the Opening World Series in Dover as being led by Erin Kennedy, the founder of HopeCraft (www.hopecraft.org).


Ms. Kennedy works in the US in an administrative capacity for Nyumbani, KenyaÔÇÖs first facility for HIV positive abandoned children. While visiting Nyambani and its community outreach program in the slums of Nairobi, the need for income generating projects quickly became apparent. Ms. Kennedy founded HopeCraft in May 2006 with the help of five Seacoast NH women. Using fair trade standards and micro-credit lending, HopeCraft is helping these poor women help themselves.


03/28/2009

Latest Missive from Sr. Julie

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Hello!  Hope all of you had a good week and that your weather is getting more springy each day as we continue on our Lenten journey.
 
Our kids finished their exams this week so they only have one more week of school.  They should all be home for Holy Week.  We are interested in finding out the results of the exams.  The Mums/Uncles really worked hard with each standard trying to help them with their work.  So, we are hoping to see a few more kids get into the Nyumbani Stars Program which means they have to get a mark of at least 300.  So, please pray we see some improvement. 
 
Today is the first day we are not following our usual Saturday schedule.  The kids are having a free day with the exception that we are going to have Mass at 10 AM followed by a Birthday Party for the kids.  An insurance company is coming to celebrate with the kids and they have invited Archbishop Raphael Ndingi to celebrate Mass with us.  After that they'll be free to just enjoy the day.
 
We have also been invited today to a celebration over at SpurWing.  Susan and Raphael are having a party to celebrate their daughter Jackie being accepted into the Bar Association of Kenya.  So from 2 PM till 11 PM there will be a party at our neighbors and we are invited.  So, a few of us will attend and also bring about 8 of our older children with us to enjoy the celebration and maybe be a little encouraged by what Jackie has accomplished. I am sure that Susan and Raphael must be very proud of her.  Let us pray that God blesses Jackie and her work as a lawyer.
 
Kees and Maria from Holland will be leaving us on Sunday.  For many years they andtheir family have been supporters of Nyumbani.  They come bearing many presents for our children and spend time visiting leatoto, the village and here.  They also have taken some of our younger children to the elephant park and on the Safari Walk.  A good time was had by all.  This weekend they will be joined by their daughter who is a pilot for KLM.  She is also a good inspiration for our girls since you do not see many women pilots.  Please pray that God will bless the whole family for their continued generosity to the children of Nyumbani.
 
Our volunteers have been keeping themselves busy sorting rice and beans, cleaning, working in the shamba and working on renovating the basketball court and football field. Lee has also been spending time searching out and ordering new sports equipment which has been funded by Dara and Terry and their family from Ireland.  We hope to make the Fr. Dag Hall a Recreation Hall for the kids.  We now have a football table, a table tennis table, some board games and we just ordered a pool table and other indoor games that the kids can play with. When all is finished, the basketball court, the football field and the recreation hall the kids should be able to be involved in lots of  activities to keep them healthy and happy children. 
 
The D'Agostino Family arrived on Thursday night.  this includes Sharon and Mike  and their 4children Thomas, Robert, Tim and Joe.  All seem to be enjoying themselves as they travel with the kids to see the elephants and take the safari walk as well as just play with the kids.  Joe is having a great time leading all the other kids in games on the playground.  When he arrived at the playground on Saturday morning all the kids were calling out his name.  They like him just the way they like his Uncle Joe.  Right now they are all separating the many boxes of items they have brought for all the kids.  Right now all is getting separated into the  Village, Leatoto and Nyumbani. They really did a fantastic job getting all of this stuff over here.  Hats off to Sharon and Mike.  This group also moved into the newly renovated Guest House and seem to fit well.  We thought it might be a little small for them but all is working out well so far.  So, we are so happy to have Fr. Dag's family with us.  I think a good time will be had by all especailly since we are planning another pizza party in the hall with special placemats made by the kids in the states.
 
This week I was able to get a few of the little kids into Karen.  They did not to go on the trip so I took them for a short trip.  I had Canary, Gilbert, Anthony, James,and Beatrice.  We drove in and went into the nakumatt and bought each one juice, cookies and sweets. Then we went to Tangerine for chips. They ate every last chip especially Canary. He really cleaned his plate.  Wish Kennedy had eaten that well.They really enjoyed the trip and so did I.
 
So, that's it for now.  Please take care of yourselves and pray for us as we pray for you. Love and miss all of you.



03/23/2009

Tomi Brownes' Amazing Audiology Trip to Nyumbani

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Dear Friends,

Several weeks ago you responded to my request to donate audiological equipment, supplies and services to help establish a new audiology clinic in Kenya to serve HIV+ children, primarily orphans. I want to share with you some of what was accomplished through your generosity.

I returned from Kenya this last weekend after spending two weeks in the Nairobi and Kitui Districts of Kenya launching Heart of the Village, Inc.'s program, Heart for Nyumbani. I was accompanied by Dr. Yell Inverso and a team of 4 excellent Doctor of Audiology students from Salus University.

We officially launched phase one of our program to provide audiology services to 3,500 HIV+ children in the internationally acclaimed Nyumbani community in the Nairobi and Kitui districts of Kenya. It is mind boggling to realize that our patient load is about the same as the total number of HIV+ children in the entire United States. The Au.D. students who participated describe their 2 weeks as an educational experience of a lifetime.

As you know, several weeks ago, I put out a request for donations of audiometers, tympanometers, supplies, equipment, professional services, etc. Because of your generosity, we established a sustainable, ongoing program to provide ear and hearing care to this very needy population. We will be sending teams of volunteer audiologists and Au.D. students to our Kenyan clinics three times a year as part of the process of establishing a permanent facility. I have applied to the Ministry of Health for my Kenyan audiology license and hope to receive it shortly.

As of this past year, all the children in the Nyumbani programs who need medication are receiving life saving anti-retroviral drugs and have the potential to live long healthy lives. In the past, ear and hearing care had not been a top priority as the battles against more life threatening conditions raged. Now times have changed and we can help Nyumbani take the next steps in introducing ear and hearing care.

The results collected over the last two weeks clearly support the need for continued audiological services. Of the 319 patients seen, we identified dozens of cases of ear pathology that left untreated, could lead to serious illness. We identified 28 perforations, 50+ cases of otitis media, obstructed ear canals -- with wax, bugs and beads. We found children who have been deafened from meningitis and 45 children with significant hearing loss, some who may benefit from amplification and special educational programs. And we identified much more. This is just the tip of the iceberg.

Our next steps include returning in June where we will be sponsoring a 2- day seminar on otoscopy to primary care providers serving the Nyumbani clinics and giving them new, high quality otoscopes. We will also be providing follow up services on the cases we have opened and continuing the process of evaluating each child who needs audiological care.

Again, thank you so much for your contribution to our efforts and please know that each and every one of you did make a difference.

If you are interested in working with the project in the future either directly or indirectly please let me know.

Best of Blessings!
Tomi
Tomi T. Browne, Au.D
Founder
Heart of the Village, Inc .



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03/23/2009

Letter from Sr. Julie

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Hello! Happy Lent!

When I wrote to you last week we were volunteerless here at Nyumbani other than myself. Now, 3 new volunteers have arrived. We have Lee from Spain, Bex from th UK and Julia from the USA. All have jumped right into their work here at Nyumbani. They worked hard this week with the Rotarians trying to complete the renovation of the Guest House. They continue to work on the house even through the Rotarians have left. Their goal is to finish it today. All 3 seem to be lovely people and are working well together. We'll have our first trip to the Rusty this evening.

Allison and JIm our 2 Scottish Rotarians left us on Thursday evening. Allison spent a lot of time completing her work on the Gift Shop and buying new stock for the store. She also shopped for the items she wanted for the Guest House. I drove her around to 5 stores trying to find 2 matching duvas for the bedroom. We easily got one for the new bedroom on the porch but finding 2 for the other bedroom was a real chore. So, we finally got 2 but only one was in the store but they are getting one from another store. I'll have to pick it up. Jim worked the entire time trying to complete the Guest House renovation. They completely gutted the bathroom taking out the tub, tolilet and sink and putting in a new shower, toilet and sink as well as wall tiles and floor tiles. With the new paint job and the new linens the place will really be beautiful and should be ready for our guests on the 26th.

I also got to attend a Rotarian meeting with Allison, Jim, Protus and S. Mary. The speaker for the meeting was S. Mary who gave a moving presentation on why we need to purchase a drug resistance testing machine for our Nyumbani lab. Allison is trying to raise money for this in Scotland and is trying to get a matching grant from the Karen Rotary Club. Please pray for Allison and Jim for all they are trying to do for Nyumbani and also pray that they get this matching grant. If we had had this machine when Sammy K got sick we might have been able to find out that he was drug resistant sooner and get him the drugs that might have saved his life. By the time we did get the results it was too late to help Sammy but it is not too late for the other children who are presently on 3rd line drugs. So, pray that Allison is able to raise the money for the machine and that S. Mary is successful in pushing Pepfar to give us the reagents we will need for this machine. We need these reagents for our children and S. Mary will not take no for answer. I think the spirit of Father D'ag is alive and well in S. Mary and together they will reach their goal. When he needed something for his children, Father D'ag took NO from no one and he moved mountains. So please ask God to help Allison and S. Mary to accomplish their goals so that we can do one more thing to help our children to be happy and healthy.

This week Protus and I have also been meeting with the Mums/Uncles to review our Homework Program, our Saturday Program and our April School Holiday Program. The Mums/Uncles have really been working to help our children to improve academically. Through the Homework and Saturday programs we hope that their marks will improve. We will soon find out since they will be taking their end of semester test this week. The Mums/Uncles assisted by the volunteers are going to be the primary teachers for the Holiday program. They will teach the first part of the day and they the volunteers will take over all for the clubs except computers. hopefully all will work out well nd we will have a successfu program that the kids will learn from and enjoy. It will run from April 13th to may 1st. The kids return to school on May 4th. We will also have 2 precious Bloodl Novices coming to help but they will missthe first week of the program. I'll do their part until lthey arrive. so, say a pray that all works out well for us and for theMums/Uncles for theri willingness to help.

I also attended our launching of SOP's manaul this week. SOP stands for Standard Operating Procedures which all of our departments and staff have been working on formaulating for the last year. Yesterday we had lunch followed by presentations on the SOP's and the distribution of the new SOP's book to S. Mary and the Nyumbani and Leatoto staffs. A lot of work was put into this project and I am sure it will result in better service to our children. Much has been accomplished but there is always more to do. Our staff will continue to monitor and update these SOP's so that the service to our children will always be updated and improved. Please pray for our staff for God's blessing on them for all they do to care for our chidlren. It is hard but very rewarding work that takes constant updating to be sure our children get what they need to not only survive but thrive.

We also had a Management Meeting this week. It is always good to hear the reports of all of the good work that is going on in the Village and the Leatoto Programs. S. Mary always keep you updated on this in her newsletter.

I also worked yesterday to be sure the room was ready for our guests from Holland, Kees and Maria. Since the Guest House is being renovated they are staying in Noel House for this visit. They have been visiting and supporting us for many years. They are old friends that are always warmly welcomed.

Today I'll work in the Library and then i'll decorate the cottages anddistribute the birthday gifts for the kids. I've already purchased the ice cream and candy for tomorrow and the kitchen has prepared all the cakes for the 14 celebrants. On Monday we'll have our staff celebration. next week I'll let you know which cottage has the best party.

The repairing of the roofs continues. I am sure it will take a while to complete since every roof has to be done and all solar panels have to be removed and replaced on each house.

All of our children are doing well. Canary gets better every day. he has such a beautiful smile. Eunice turns 2 this month so we have no more babies only toddlers now. Follow up is going on for our children who were identified with having ear problems. Veronica who has a mild hearing loss is using a pocketalker in school to see if this helps her to improve academically. Tomi left the pocketalker for her to try. Bernard and Edwin are both working on getting school placements. Bernard went yesterday to fill out admission papers to study IT and is now waiting to hear if he is accepted. Both continue their training at Tangerine. both also help us with the Homework Program for thechildren. Anytime I can't be there for my class, Bernard fills in for me. Purity is applying for attachment at the Rusty nail for the month of April. Hopefully she'll be accepted and do well.

So, let us continue to pray for one another as we continue our lenten journey. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. Thank you so much for the many ways you support us. Hope everyone had a good St. Patty's Day. Couldn't find any green beer or Shamrock shakes down here. You are loved and missed. Julie

01/25/2009

Two Massachusetts Women Recognized for Nyumbani Work

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Donna Denelli-Hess and Deborah Foss, both of Williamstown, were awarded this year's Peacemaker Award for their continued efforts caring for and educating children with HIV in an orphanage in Kenya.



The two women have spent many weeks and months over the past three years at Nyumbani, teaching math and English and coordinating activities for the 107 children and adolescents living in the orphanage.



Denelli-Hess, a health educator at Williams College, brought her public health experience to Nyumbani, working in its clinic outreach program.