Web Team Visit to Kenya

Jacob Burkhart, Miriam Mbaga (their sponsored child) Julie-Ann Bauer

Jacob Burkhart and Julie-Ann Bauer were lucky enough to take time off and visit Kupenda in Kenya this past June. While they were there they were able to accomplish a lot of the things they had hoped to.

From Jacob and Julie-Ann:

When we left for Kenya, we were not really sure what to expect since we had never been. We wanted to go so we could understand what Kupenda was doing first hand.

Once we got to the Coast of Kenya, there was not a moment of rest while we were there. We went from 8am until 7pm or later every day.

While we were there, Cynthia and Leonard took us around the Malindi district to some of the schools (6 out of 11) that Kupenda supports. We didn't realize how well-known Cynthia, Leonard, and Kupenda are in the district. The kids from the schools would greet Cynthia and Leonard immediately. We also met some of the Kupenda Teacher Aides, saw the furniture that Kupenda has raised money for in the past, and saw the benefits of the Disability Awareness Day. One of the Teachers told Cynthia and Leonard that their food program had just started because a local business owner was touched by the Disabilty Awareness Day. There are countless and amazing things going on through Kupenda in Kenya.

We spent a lot of time with the kids at the Gede School for the Handicapped which is one of the only boarding schools in the Malindi District. Julie-Ann was able to direct an art project with Mabaruk and Karissa (both deaf children). They are both amazing artists. They painted the alphabet with pictures outside the head teacher's wall. It was a joint effort with all the children as most of the kids all wanted to paint and put their touch on it. "It was interesting to work with these children, because I had to overcome the language barrier and figure out how to communicate through sign-language as well. It was such a pleasure to work with these kids because they were just so happy to be a part of something. The smiles on their faces is an image that is going to be engraved into my mind forever. I could tell that they were proud of what they had accomplished." (Julie-Ann)

Mabaruk, Julie-Ann and Karissa with the finished Art Project

We each had a Kupenda child that would always greet us when we went to the Gede school. The first time Jacob stepped near Jeremey, Jeremey's face lit up and he could not stop smiling and crawling all over Jacob. The first time Happy Kahindi saw Julie-Ann he ran up to her and just wrapped his arms around her and couldn't stop smiling and from then on he did the same thing every time he saw her. For both of us, it really showed us that these kids just want to be loved and cared for.

Jacob and Jeremey

"When you first get to Gede a throng of kids immediately run up to you, ask for your name and want to hold your hand. The deaf children are chatting back and forth in sign-language, talking about you, asking you questions, and teaching you their names. Everybody is so patient and persistent.

It's sad in a way that these children associate foreigners with love and attention. They should be getting more of that from their parents and community. The other giant mission of Kupenda that's so easy to overlook is that of educating the community. Communication and collaboration are so important to everything we are trying to accomplish.

That's where I'm trying to contribute. By keeping better information and communication, we can get more done and involve more people. My goal is to make it so that anybody can subscribe to our volunteers newsletter and find a way to help that fits their skills.  Kupenda in the US is run entirely by unpaid volunteers, and the longer we can keep it that way the more of your donation we can spend directly on the children. " -- Jacob

Julie-Ann and Happy Kahindi

Jacob spent a great amount of time with Kupenda's secretary, Thomas Katana, on the Children's Database. Jacob was able to teach Thomas how to use the Database and had to make a lot of tweaks to adapt to Kenya's technology. The training that Thomas received will allow him to update the information right to the website rather than needing to send an e-mail or calling Cynthia. The database will be much more useful and more up to date as well.

"Visiting the heart of Kupenda in Kenya really opened up my eyes about how much work Cynthia and Leonard do as President and Director of Kupenda. I am very fortunate to have a sister that has such a big heart for these children. She puts an endless effort to make sure that these Children are loved and accepted through the efforts of Kupenda. I am so privileged to have such a Godly example in my life.

I also realized how much needs to be done in Kenya for these children. Before I visited Kupenda in Kenya, I knew I was designing this site for my sister's charity, Kupenda which I knew was necessary (because Cynthia asked and urged me to do it) and a good thing to do. Now, that I have visited with these children and created connections and relationships, I want to do so much more to help. It gives me a lot of motivation to do more with the website so that people in the United States can access all the information about Kupenda. Once you visit Kenya, you will understand why Kupenda exists and why people put so much effort into making Kupenda a success. The children's unconditional love, smiles, and laughter will move your heart. The children don't just learn from you, but you also learn a great deal from them. I feel privileged to have met these children, and there is no doubt in my mind that I am going back to visit again." (Julie-Ann)

Nuru, Prince and Jacob

Antony, Miriam and Julie-Ann

A side note from all the work we did in Kenya, we also got engaged on the beach of Watamu and it was such a surprise! Hey - Kupenda does mean - "to love" so I guess it spread to us too.