LIFE CHANGING TESTIMONIES

I have worked for Afri-Lift Kenya for over a month now and it has been an incredible journey and experience this far. Working here has not been like any of the other places I have been. Unlike what I used to do before it’s not about the salary at the end of the month but it’s more about the children and young people that we help to reach their God given potential.

During my time here, I have met and spent time with individuals who have benefited from the various ministries that we have at Afri-Lift.  I have heard and seen some of these testimonies. These are some their testimonies from my own view.

I once visited a family under Touch A Family (TAF) program. This particular family had not eaten food for quite some time. They currently live in the slums of Kibera whose conditions are extremely poor, and most of its residents lack access to basic services, including electricity and running water.

As a team, we responded to the need and situation with a parcel of food which included a packet of rice, beans, cooking oil, a packet of sugar and tea leaves. According to our leader Ayub, the parcel would last them for a month till they got an alternative solution. 

Ayub narrating his story to the excited children

When the family saw the parcel of food they were deeply touched and one could tell from the smiles and laughter on their faces that they were indeed grateful. Ayub was really incredible in narrating a story that really entertained the children. The giggles were a clear indication the children were happy.

We spent a few more hours with them and left after have a word of prayer. That day, I knew in my heart that that family would eat a meal because our donors cared so much as to give.

The wonderful family

 I also got a chance to visit the much talked about Osiligi farm, which also works with the Manyota Program from Afri-Lift, in Kiserian. The farm is a rehabilitation center that focuses on teenage street boys who have been abandoned by either the society or their families. Interacting with the boys who have experienced the harsh realities of life and getting to hear some of their testimonies from their teachers actually inspired me. Some of the boys have really faced some traumatic experiences such as being involved in gang life. The fact that they have chosen to change by getting involved in the various activities set aside for them at the farm means that they believe that there is hope for them despite what they have been through.

Riziki Child Assistance Program is another ministry from Afri-Lift that I have seen lives being transformed. Thanks to the generous contribution from our kind donors, I have seen children get school uniforms, go to school, enroll in various technical courses and the best of it all live to their God- given potential.

Happy children

I believe that these children will grow up knowing that someone out there loved them enough to spare and sacrifice to help them and they in turn will do that for somebody else.

It’s amazing how much you get to hear from the wonderful things and testimonies from the children and families that work with Afri-Lift.

Change Is In The Air

I’ve been traveling to East Africa since 2007 and living here for the past 6 months. The changes in society have been radical.

In 2007 you would never see teenage boys and girls holding hands in public, now it’s everywhere. I remember having to wear skirts everywhere, even in the city. Now you will see clothing just like in the West, shorter, tighter and more revealing. Of course, these same girls will cover it all up when they go to their country village.

I remember sitting in a family restaurant called Java House at a small mall just up the road, and it was only full of white people. Times have changed with the middle class increasing so eateries are full of locals as well as expats. It’s like anywhere else where the rich are getting richer and the poor, poorer, this is especially so in the city. People come from the country in the hope of finding a job in the city only to find there just aren’t any. Without a social welfare system here, these people become desperate and destitute.

There’s a huge building boom in Nairobi, along with a lot of investment from China in both roads and residential accommodation. Unlike the past, there are even a number of footpaths.

There are Apple stores selling all the latest gadgets competing with other smartphones.

I remember only a few years ago that there was just one ATM I could use; now they abound everywhere.

Technology has brought about many changes and chances for people. Apps are being created to assist farmers in remote areas, mobile banking has meant people can send money from one end of the country to another with a flick of a few buttons, children living in slums can access the internet to meet online with other students in our global village.

What hasn’t changed is that poverty still abounds in Kenya. Last week a needy family living in Kibera was visited by our team. They were taken an emergency food parcel that will see them through the next 3 weeks. Somebody asked ‘what is the long term plan of this family to become self sufficient?’ It was a good question but the simple answer is that there is no quick fix when you are in abstract poverty, you are just trying to survive the day.

At Afri-Lift we have three goals as part of our mission statement:

Lifting              To give people an opportunity to change their situation be it educational or economical

Guiding           Develop the person as an individual

Mobilising       Giving opportunity for a person to use the skills and knowledge they have acquired to change   the lives of those in their local community

Do I believe that poverty can be wiped out – most definitely! Will it? That has yet to be seen.

What I have seen is the transforming of lives. Young people who have made it through school and are now trained in a particular field. They are employed, starting their own business and families. Their lives haven’t been changed by a magic wand, giving them a house with a white picket fence but people partnering and believing in the worth of a young person – one they have never met.

Times are changing here at an ever increasing pace but there is also ‘pole, pole’ (slowly, slowly) for those who struggle each day. We are believing God for a great future for our young people – why not be a part of that change?

How to turn our donors into partners

In any successful organization today, donors are deemed as an integral part of their activities day in and day out.

Afri-Lift has had the privilege of working with faithful donors constantly supporting us in numerous ways with different projects.  Thanks to this partnership with our donors work has been made easier, wonderful progress has been witnessed and lives have been changed.
Currently Afri-Lift has five ministries: Riziki Child Assistance, Osiligi Training Center, Touch a Family, Training of Teachers and Manyota Street Outreach Program.

We want to turn our donors to partners

 

The Oxford English dictionary defines a partner as a person who takes part in an undertaking with another or others, especially in a business or firm with shared risks and profits.  Afri-Lift seeks to see to it that our donors turn to partners to see to it that our mission, to see the children and adults of Africa reach their God given potential by lifting, guiding and mobilizing them, is reached.

 So, how do we help our donors turn to partners?

Prayer

A.J Gordon, an American Baptist preacher once said “You can do more than pray, after you have prayed, but you can never do more than pray until you have prayed.”

We encourage our donors to constantly support us in prayer over this organization and what we do. Those countless prayers have moved the heavens and changed many lives by touching the hearts of the young people that we serve here in Kenya.

Give

Presently, the world is experiencing different financial pressure from all sides that has affected many of the decisions and sacrifices we make concerning our lifestyles. Our donors have been faithfully supporting us in monetary terms and this has paid fees, bought uniforms, fed families, built training centers and most important of all spread the Gospel.

The donors may not be with us physically wherever we go but through their support we are making a difference

Visit and be part of us

Donors are encouraged to join us and see what their support is doing.  

Many of the donors who have visited and participated in the various activities we have going on have left this country with transformed in a bigger way.

Write a letter to your child

Here in Afri-Lift we ensure that the sponsor hears from the children thrice a year to ensure there is constant communication between the two sides.  The best part is when the children get to hear from their sponsor, this makes their day. We encourage our sponsors to regularly keep in touch with the children. The is a Swahili saying ‘barua ni nusu ya kuonana’ this means that a letter makes the distance shorter and is halfway to seeing each other. 

Where would we be without you?

Imagine one of your children, nephew, nieces, grandchildren or your friend’s children go without a meal, in deep need of clothes or addicted to drugs and have no way out. Wouldn’t you go to any length to help them?

Children should be  given the chance to reach their God- given potential

That’s what our partners have done so far and greater things are still yet to come. We here in Kenya believe that the good things that you do will never go unrewarded whether here on earth and someday in the new world. Thank you for the support so far.

Let’s make this world a better place.

Thanks Mum!

My mother passed away 4 years ago. We lived in Australia, she in New Zealand. I couldn’t get to the funeral as we were going to Africa and there wasn’t enough time to get there and back. I remember watching the service on YouTube in Nairobi. Mum had been unwell for some time but that doesn’t make it any easier.

My mother wasn’t the type that you had coffee dates with. In fact she was glued to her soapies on TV and we had to book taking our kids around for a visit in between. While she wasn’t the grandmotherly type, there were some cool things she did. She loved knitting little kids cardigans and jumpers. They came with complimentary dolls clothes - very cute indeed.

My mother wasn’t the greatest cook in the world. I still have strong memories of this curried chicken that was so hot none of us could eat it, but she could make great pavlovas. Hey, if they flatten you just throw more whipped cream on them!

Mum and Me

A mother is a special and influential person. She can often make or break a family. She’s there with the kids when they are unwell, at school report nights, baking for some school fundraiser and making sure everyone has enough clean clothes for the trip away. This is not taking away from dad’s, especially those who are raising kids by themselves – they work jolly hard.

For many of the sponsored children within our programs, their mother is the only parent they have. For some, they are not only looking after their immediate children, but others who are dumped at their doorway.

We honour them as we head into Mothers Day this Sunday.

They won’t be taken out to lunch at a café nor given a bunch of flowers but they have the joy of being able to have a meal a day. They know their children are enrolled in school, something they didn’t get the opportunity to do. They also know their family as a social worker assisting them in times of crisis.

My own mother struggled through life, battling cancer and the early death of her husband. She raised 4 teenagers by herself – no mean feat.

This week, let’s give honour and respect to our own mothers, grandmothers, aunties or guardians who raised us the best that they knew how. They may not have been perfect, but they tried.

Let’s also remember the millions of mothers in developing countries who walk 7 kilometres a day to collect water or to take their children to a medical centre. They do 75% of the work in the household and in the fields around their home. They weave baskets to be sold for $2, taking them days to make – just to pay school fees. They go without, so their children can have.

Remember to say thanks to your mother this week – our Mum’s are special.

Another Sharon and her Mum

Who can find a virtuous woman? She is far more precious than jewels...
Strength and honour are her clothing, and she can laugh at the time to come.
She opens her mouth with wisdom, and loving instruction is on her tongue.
She watches over the activities of her household and is never idle.
Her sons rise up and call her blessed.
Her husband also praises her:
Many women are capable, but you surpass them all!
Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised.
~Proverbs 31:10, 25-30