As I prepare for my upcoming trip to Kenya, I am filled with a big mix of emotions. I am really excited to get back to Kenya for the first time since 2019. I never expected to be away so long. I was planning for a visit in 2020, but I learned I was pregnant in February of that year and then everyone knows what happened in March. Our son Malcolm was born that October and by November 2021 I was pregnant again with our second son, Howie. Naturally, traveling across multiple time zones and hemispheres hasn't really been an option. My husband has been twice during this time, but this will be my first trip since 2019.
The best way that I can explain this feeling is that my heart is being pulled in two different directions. Every trip that I have made to Kenya has been bittersweet, both in coming and going. I am always leaving people I love to go to see other people I love. Only this time I am a mother of two gorgeous toddlers, so that bitter, as I prepare to leave, is much stronger. But at the same time, it has been so long since I have seen my Kenyan family that the sweet in going is all the sweeter this time.
Five years is a long time; inevitably there is a lot of change. Especially when it comes to children. I am constantly shocked when I see pictures of our kiddos in Kenya, many of whom are grown adults now. I keep up with them all, thanks to modern technology, but when I get to see their faces in person and hug them after so long–I feel like my heart will just be bursting out of my chest. I also really miss Mrs. Opot (Mathe), my Kenyan partner and friend and mentor and mother–and of course our entire awesome Kenyan team.
Seeing them all and catching up is what I am looking forward to the most. However, I am also looking forward to just being in Sirembe. I have spent years of my life there and it is very much my second home. It has raised me as much as Fayetteville has. The journey to get there is very long, four flights (30+hours) followed by a two hour drive. But then there is that moment where we will pull off the main highway onto the dirt road headed to Sirembe when my heart always starts to feel lighter. As we make the last few turns, I can see Mathe's house and our JCO Children's Home–I know I am home and my heart is at peace.
There is something special about that place. Its people, of course, would be the main reason I love it so much, but there is something more that has worked its way into my heart. There is no electricity (though we do have pretty good solar panels now), running water is usually available these days (though it is freezing cold), and internet is pretty scarce. And while I miss regular access to electricity and a hot shower, it is also kind of nice to really unplug.
It will be so good for my heart and soul to be there. To see all of our people again and see our programs at work. It is crazy how much we have accomplished since my first visit to Sirembe in 2007. We have been able to completely transform dozens of lives of the kiddos in our JCO Children's Home and been able to positively impact thousands more through our various Outreach Programs. The ripple effects are already being felt and we have only just begun.
I will be sharing my journey along the way (when the internet cooperates) and will have lots to share with you upon my return. To each and every one of you who have supported us along this journey, thank you. Please know you helped make this happen and we couldn't do it without the support of our ever growing RH Global Family.
I will be in touch soon…
With Gratitude,
Sarah Fennel Buchanan
Founder & CEO
Restore Humanity