Kitale summer 2010: Protenciana, Allan, Stella and Junior

This summer is flying by and I can't believe it is already the end of July. I have so many great memories and experiences, but I would like to share one of my favorites. I have been teaching at Purpose Driven Academy and one of the students in the seventh grade class, where I teach science, was in the office crying. We were told that she was often sad, upset and crying during the day and not as happy as the other kids. Her name is Protenciana, she is twelve years old and was taken from her home by a pastor so that she could have the opportunity to attend school. She lives at the school, except for during the holidays, when she goes home and stays with her mother, who is very sick. After hearing her story, we decided to go to visit her mother and see if there was anything that we could do to help. We drove to a town about twenty minutes away from Kitale, called Endebess. Her house was very small and made of mud. We could tell that her mother, Pamela, had worked hard to prepare the house for us to come. Pamela was grateful to see that there were people that cared for her daughter. She is HIV+ and her biggest fear is leaving her children behind with no one to care for them. She has two children, Protenciana, and a six year old boy named Allan. They have different fathers who have both passed away. Allan is not in school because Pamela cannot afford to pay the school fees. She works as a farm hand and is hired to help various people around her town help work their land. The only problem is that she is getting sicker and is now on medicine to help boost her immune system. This medicine should be taken with a good meal, but she often has no money to buy food so the medicine makes her too sick to work. Pamela's sister also lives in the same house with her three children, Harriet who is one year old, Junior who is six years old and Stella who is nine years old. The father left the mother alone to care for the children and her health is poor, but she refuses to get tested. None of her children are in school because she can't pay the fees either. It is sad the type of things that poor twelve year old Protenciana has on her mind. The head master assured the mother that she would be able to continue in school without fees. Pamela has to travel to Kitale every two weeks to get more medicine from the district hospital and will get to visit her daughter and get some counseling from the headmaster of the school. Despite the burden that she carries Protenciana has a love for Christ. Her teacher told us that she often tells Bible stories to the younger children that board at the school and that she loves preaching to others and learning more about Christ. It is inspiring to hear that in spite of all that she has to deal with, that even at such a young age she is able to trust Christ.

One of the highlights of my trip was when we picked up Allan and his cousin Junior from their house to bring them to school. We told the mother that we were going to bring them to school and she gave the boys baths and then gave us everything they had, which consisted of one outfit each. Allan and Junior are both six years old and had never been to school before. So we loaded them in the car and began the twenty minute drive back to town. These boys had never ridden in the car and were just wide eyed the entire time taking in everything as we drove. We also found out that they had never been outside of their village and were also experiencing seeing Kitale town for the first time. We stopped in town to buy them new school uniforms and shoes. Both of the boys didn't have shoes and we bought them their first pair. It was funny watching them figuring out how to walk in shoes. Then we took them to eat at a restaurant in town. We ordered them chicken and french fries. They didn't know how to use forks and had never had french fries before that. It was a day of firsts. They were very quiet and probably overwhelmed for the first part of the day, but as it wore on they began to warm up and their personalities shown through. After lunch we took the kids to Sister Freda's hospital to get a check-up and make sure that they were fit for school and get themHIV tested. We tested Allan, Junior and Protenciana and they ended up all being negative. So we took the kids to their new home at school and it was great to see how excited the boys were. We talked to Margaret, the head teacher of the school, and she told us about the talk that she had with Protenciana the night before. She had been worried about her mother dying and what would happen to her and Allan after that because they have no relatives that have the means to care for them. Margaret told Protenciana that she had nothing to worry about and when her mother dies that she would take care of her and Allan. It is great to see someone with such a great heart for children. It is encouraging to see someone dedicate their life to making sure that these kids have the life that they deserve. A few days later we Junior's sister, Stella, who is nine years old was brought to the school by her mother. We were planning on picking her up when we went, but she was not at home. So we took her to get a new uniform, shoes and took her to Sister Freda's as well. Again, God had his hand of protection on her and she also tested negative for HIV. It is great to visit the school and see how quickly they have adjusted to their new surroundings and how truly happy they are.