Mother Knows Best

Mrs. Opot aka Mathe, which means “mother” in Sheng (common slang spoken in Kenya) is the reason we have a project in Kenya. I met her in 2000 as the actual mother of my dear friend Joab. I would see her periodically, over the years, while she was visiting her children in the US. Years later (2007) the Opot Family approached me to help them open a home for children in Kenya. There was a building on Mathe’s land that wasn’t being used, but needed some serious renovation. Mathe donated a plot of her family’s land with the building and we set to work to make it a home. Her nephew, Patrick Lumumba who is a certified nurse and midwife came on board and we built our team. Mathe, Patrick, and I are the three Managing Directors of the James Christopher Opot Children’s Centre (JCO). Mathe was a full-time teacher in Nairobi for 33 years and raised 6 wonderful children of her own. She now cares for our 16 children on a daily basis, in addition to anyone in need around her. Her living room is a never-ending stream of people coming for food, advice, or a listening ear. She is always involved in community betterment projects (i.e. bringing water to the village and economic development). She is a respected elder at her church and in her village. She is a very strong woman. She is a “force to be reckoned with”, yet she possesses such a kind heart--a “mother’s” heart-- for everyone. I am always amazed at how she never seems to tire; she is always ready to welcome someone else.

I feel very blessed to have spent so much time in Sirembe. Since 2007 I have been able to go almost bi-annually and spend months at a time, under the constant care of my Kenyan mother. When I come to visit, Mathe and I sit there for hours each night just talking, over the light of a kerosene lamp. During my first visit to Sirembe, she showed me around, taking me to meet people in many different homes. It meant so much for me to be welcomed into their homes and to begin to understand more about Luo culture. At the same time, it meant so much to these people that we would want to come and spend time with them in their homes. It helped to bridge so many gaps without even trying.

She is a mother, a constant mother to everyone, but it is more than that. She has an innate generosity that is deep and abiding. There is such ease to it, I see people coming to her literally begging, but she never makes them feel that way. She helps them in a respectful manner—ensuring their dignity remains in tact. She makes it seem as if she isn’t doing anything, like it is the most normal thing in the world. As if it is a necessity and not just an act of kindness. Her constant compassion is an ideal that I agree with, but seeing her apply it day in and day out is awe-inspiring. It is what I would call “living generosity” and I continue to learn from her example every day.

Although Patrick and I bring our ideas to the table and sometimes we are right, the one thing I have learned over the years is that it's generally a good idea to defer to her wisdom. Because after all Mathe knows best.

Education Saves Lives- World AIDS Day

Education saves lives, the facts are over-whelming. By ensuring education, for girls in particular, you can completely change communities. Education is crucial for the survival of individual children and their entire communities. Educated girls lead to healthier families, in turn healthier communities. For instance, in sub-Saharan Africa if a girl is educated, more often than not, she will:

• Delay sexual activity & have fewer partners: (girls with at least 8 years of school are 87% less likely to engage in sexual activity before they are 18 than girls with no schooling.
• Delay marriage & childbirth
• Have fewer babies and healthier babies (Children with educated mothers are half as likely to suffer from malnutrition as those with uneducated mothers)
• Help to break the cycle of poverty by becoming a provider and a decision maker in her home. (Education provides families with more economic options)

Education gives her the one thing that her uneducated counterparts lack, options.There is also a significant increase in the likelihood of this educated woman ensuring that her children are also educated, thus passing the benefits to the next generation.

The life-saving power of education is not limited to girls. According to recent studies: "If every child (globally) received a complete primary education, at least 7 million new cases of HIV could be prevented in a decade."

That is astounding! By providing education to the children of the world we can SAVE LIVES!

So in honor of World AIDS DAY, join us in providing a crucial part of the cure! DONATE to help Restore Humanity educate more children and save lives today!

Horrible Stats Become Reality

I KNOW the problems facing the majority of human beings across the globe... the health, economic, social, and emotional issues that I try to make people aware of -have very real consequences. In fact I see them all the time. However, a recent story of a woman I knew unfortunately followed every “pattern” that an impoverished, uneducated woman in the third world is at risk of falling into and she suffered the very real consequences of them. I would say cliché if it wasn’t so tragic. Pamela was a woman that didn’t get past a primary education, married young, and gave birth to 11 children, 8 of which are living. The last pregnancy and stillbirth delivery and the complications from it was the cause of her death this past July.  The night of her death, she had no access to the medicine she needed... That night in the village I could hear her husband’s family screaming and praying for hours on end. Finally an ambulance came and took her, but at this point she was already convulsing. Upon reaching the government hospital there was no medicine to be had because the pharmacy was closed.

Her tragic death could have been prevented up until the end. What I mean by that is:  if she had been properly educated through at least secondary school, then she wouldn’t have gotten married so early and when she did get married she would at least have more job options and most likely ensure her children’s education. She would also have prolonged giving birth to her first child and if statistics mean anything, as an educated woman she wouldn’t have given birth to that many children. Even if she didn’t get to pursue further “dreams” she would most likely be alive right now taking care of her family. We also see that the lack of healthcare in her area and the lack of education about it played a big role as well.

The bad news is she died and has left 8 children without a mother. However, the GOOD news is we can care for those children and others like them. We are raising funds now to provide the immediate care needed (i.e. building a Clinic, supporting the schools, food, and workshops) and laying the necessary foundations to prevent tragic stories such as Pamela from even beginning.