Kindfund

In the week before Christmas let me begin by praying for a joyful Christmas for each one. Despite our circumstances, whether we are challenged in spirit or on top of life we can know that deep sense of joy in our spirit as we abide in Christ.

We give thanks to our Heavenly Father for each one of you as you continue to support the Kindfund children and indeed the whole family of Kindfund as it has grown during the past year to meet the very basic needs of children under pressure from the famine conditions in the Horn of Africa.
Life is difficult for many here at home and we therefore appreciate all the more the support you are providing for those living in life threatening conditions in NE Kenya.

For those of us who have travelled to Kindfund Kenya in 2022 those conditions have been starkly obvious and our hearts have gone out to the people suffering on the verge of malnutrition. We have where we are able increased the numbers of children we are supporting and followed through with medical and hospital support where it has been required in the more serious cases. (In the case of one 9 yr old girl this involved arranging for a stay at a hospital 600kms from the village along with a mother and an uncle, because the mother could not speak Swahili or English). There is more we can do and we are actively looking for opportunities to reach out with God’s love, to new communities in need. On our last visit, just returning in early December, Jonathan and I met the senior Government official and some of his senior officers in Moyale to inform them of the work we are doing supporting children in his area. He warmly welcomed us and suggested another village in the hinterland where children are in great need because of the famine conditions. We undertook to see if we could start a relief programme there and have been discussing this with our team at Dabel where we are supporting 60 children with porridge breakfast and a cooked lunch. The key for us is identifying someone, called by God, with the right heart and trustworthy spirit to head up a new programme in this remote village. Please make this a subject for your prayer. ‘Unless the Lord builds a house they labour in vain that build it.’ Ps 127:1.

In 2022 Gillian, Pamela, Jonathan and I visited the programmes twice and our Austrian team, Lea along with her sister Miriam and friend Fiona once. There are earlier reports in this News section from Gillian and Lea in which you can read about their experiences.

All of you are set in families and you will have experienced the ups and downs of life in the past 12 months. In Kindfund we are committed to a large family of some 65 staff and c.200+ children of which 120 of the children live in our homes and depend fully upon us. This is a serious and demanding responsibility which requires our regular presence on the ground in Kenya to ensure we maintain the standards of care and support we have set. This year we have had the reality of life and death, happy times and sad, proud moments and disappointments which are associated with life. We thank God for his wisdom and grace in handling the many and varied situations we face. Please continue to pray that God will meet our every need as we respond to the challenges of such a large family and deal with the regulatory framework in which we are set.

As 2022 passes and 2023 arrives please uphold the children, staff and the Trustees in your prayer as we seek to be obedient to God’s call on our lives

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Lea
I remember a moment when we went for a walk to climb a rock with the kids. Standing there in midst of the African landscape looking over the brown furrowed soil, the trees, and the mountains I just felt

so deeply grateful to my God that I was able to be there, that He led me to this very place.
I was back in Kenya for the third time! And this time with two more Austrians – Miriam my sister and Fiona a good friend. We started our journey in the beginning of August and stayed for four and for Miriam two weeks. I was excited to introduce them to Africa with all its impressions and Kindfund Family for the first time.
There are many ways how to connect with the kids and staff here:
We had suitcases full of materials to do crafts and games. Things like watercoloring, beading, books, and parachute games … We had the opportunity to do bible discovery groups with the older ones in Wamba. Having split them in small groups we were sitting in a circle under the shadow of African trees digging in the Word of God by simply reading it and reflecting on it with help of some questions.
Something special to me this time was to connect with one boy named Thomas and a girl, Emily, in doing some physiotherapy with them as I am currently doing a course for this. The kids open-up especially when you do a one-to-one time, and you realize how much they need that as they have no parent who is there for them.
This reminds me of a little girl called Judy who is with Kindfund only quite recently. I was sitting behind the sleeping hut in Ngaremara to do a quiet time when this little probably 2-year-old girl came up to me to cuddle and sit with me. I just felt for this little human who has no parents and has to fight for herself in midst of all the older kids. I wondered what all she might have experienced in her young years. What a gift and blessing that Judy and kids like her can be with Kindfund family now, having loving people around and learning about God and have education.
Another way how to connect with people there is to join with cooking – it was a memorable experience for Miriam and me as the African women showed us how to cut scuma (a sort of spinach). Some evenings we spent with older girls and boys. In a way they are friends to me as some almost have the same age as I, I feel for them in their stage of life, and I realized that for a growing-up there in Kenya you really must work hard to reach a workplace that secures your living. Many are struggling with finding a job or even have problems with things we never would think about here in our countries. One guy, James who is a full orphan still has no birth certificate which he needs to start his work. The bureaucracy simply lets him wait.
The singing is beautiful and remarkable at this community. There are regular fellowships at Kindfund where the kids are worshipping God.
We had the chance to do a day visit to Ndikir. On the way to this small children’s home in the rural nowhere we passed by pastoralist kids looking after herds of goats/sheep and exposed to hard living conditions especially in the current dry season. Seeing kids from this background worshipping the one true God in a beautiful choir was very moving. Although from earthly perspective there is such a hardship in living the life in these surroundings, they can have hope in the ever-living God that surpasses all.
Kids are very joyful here. They are happy with simply sitting and chatting with you and usually start to braid the long hair if you have any. From young to old they love to listen and dance to music, like everything about taking pictures and videos and you can see how creative they are at the attached photo. Some boys in Wamba were building complex vehicles out of any materials they could find!
The eager team of teachers in Wamba introduced us to a project they are running which is a ‘journalist club’ where students are encouraged to talk in front of people and improve their English skills. Another event they organised at that time was an ‘Athletics day’ which was a day full of different running and jumping competitions. The whole Kindfund community enjoyed this event and even sporty ‘Mum’ Pamela took part in a race!
It was great to spend time with Gillian and Pamela who were there during our visit. They do an amazing job, a lot of important behind the scenes tasks and I observed how much patience and God given wisdom they bring up.
Please pray for Kindfund and for the whole country as they go through a very hard time at the moment with desperately needing rain.

Asante sana for having me!
Lea

Fiona
I found it fascinating from the beginning. Pamela, Gillian, the Kindfund staff and the kids were so welcoming and open-minded. What I enjoyed much about my stay was that I was able to shut down from my daily life back in Europe, that can be stressful at times. Here in Kenya, I felt better connected to the environment and I was able to live every moment to the fullest. Moreover, I was able to give time to the kids and received so much love in return. It has been a great and enriching experience to interact with kids of all different ages.
I am so thankful that the Lord brought me to Kindfund and guided me and my friends and that he is always here for the whole Kindfund family. This experience will forever have a place in my heart.
Asante sana!
Fiona

Miriam
Back at home, I am still filled with precious memories and the children in my heart. Thankful how God protected us at our journey! Pamela and Gillian gave us much insight of the whole project and warmly welcomed us, we are very grateful for that. We spent a blessed time with the children and people at Kindfund. As the children pray at fellowships, before school lessons, do bible studying and sing together, God is put in the centre at Kindfund family.
It was great to spend some individual time with single kids in Wamba and Ngaremara, for example at our two walks. During the stay in Wamba, we also did a little drama, called “Punchinello” – that tells how everyone is special before God. He has created us, loves, and calls us. Some of the teens did the speaking and some kids were the artists.
A short report from our daytrip to Ndikir – the most northern home. As we arrived the children, Lucy and Raphael and the people who work there greeted us. The children sang hymns in English to us, and their voices filled the school room. They carefully listened at the bible story and were eager to participate at the activities afterwards. One boy with disability had such a sunny smile. It’s great to see how the children are integrated in the family and how they look after each other. Trusting God in everyday and guiding the family in a peaceful way Lucy and Raphael are serving God in one of the northern and desert parts of Kenya. On the journey to and back, we passed people, cattle, wild animals and watched the sunset– a real and exciting safari.
I had the chance to get in contact with the kindergarten, which was very interesting for me as I work with the 3- to 6-year-olds at a kindergarten in Austria. It’s great to get in touch with nursery schoolteachers from a different part of the world. Seeing that everyone is actually doing the same work. As a goodbye and blessing the children of the nursery school sang some songs.
It would be wonderful to come back again :)
Asante sana!
Miriam

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Children who seemed to have no hope in this life but now, through the saving power of Jesus, are transformed

The article below first appeared in Echoes International mission magazine in September 2022

Click to download (640KB)

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