Happy International Women's Day 2024

 I have spent years of my life in Kenya.  It is my second home and there is an entire community of people there that welcome me and claim me as their own. And for that fact and many others I am so grateful to my Kenyan family.

When I am in Sirembe, at home (Mrs. Opot's home), I feel cherished, loved, and protected. Juanita Opot, my Kenyan partner, makes sure of that, but I also feel this from the larger community and especially all of the Kenyan women I know and love.

I am amazed by Kenyan women. Their fortitude, their beauty, their perseverance through difficulties, their joy, their humor, their love and their ability to work harder than anyone else I have ever seen--male or female, worldwide. This even goes for women up into their eighties. They are pillars of strength that provide the foundation for their community.

Every year during Women's Month we raise money for our "Support Other Women. Period." campaign wherein we raise the money to buy 1,000 Kenyan school girls AFRIpads maxi-pads that will last them an entire year. It is a powerful way for women (and some wonderful men) to support other women and provide a simple solution to a serious problem.

In honor of International Women's Day, I wanted to share something beautiful that I have learned from Luo culture (Luo is the predominant tribe in the area where we work) that might inspire us to find specific ways to support each other.

In Luo culture, traditionally girls leave their parents' home and move to another area to get married and join their husband's home. Many women in Sirembe grew up in another area, and you hear these hometowns referenced in the greetings. So for instance, my Kenyan best friend's English name is Christine, but she is called “Nyarkisumu” by most people, which translates to “girl from Kisumu”. Mrs. Opot is originally from the town of Siaya, so she is sometimes called “Nyarsiaya.”  There are variations of this all over.

When I first started spending time in Sirembe and learning about Luo culture I thought at first that it was dismissive like “oh she's just a girl from___.” But when I really started paying attention, I realized that it is more often used as a term of endearment. Especially from one woman to another.

Instead of it being a lack of recognition, it was the opposite—by calling you by the name of where you are from they are telling you that they know something extra about you. Like “I know where you are from” or more simply “I see you”.  Men use this phrasing too, but I hear it much more amongst women.

At some point over the years, I was given the name “Nyarsirembe” and so many people from the area call me that when I am there. They always say it with such gusto too, like they want me to know that they mean it. They have claimed me as a “girl from Sirembe” and it is one of the greatest honors of my life.

We can learn from this beautiful tradition and, especially today, reach out to women whom we love and admire and tell them something special about them that you know and appreciate. It always feels good to really feel seen. 

Women constantly inspire me. Women of various cultures, races, and ages—in all stages of their journeys. Although our differences span far and wide—there seems to be so much more that connects us. Our struggles, both collective and individual—our failures, our successes. Women are magnificent and our abilities are vast and awe-inspiring. I feel blessed to know all of the beautiful women who are in my global family. I love you all and you inspire me daily. To every woman across the world, know that you deserve to be seen and celebrated, and even if only just for today, then let's do that for ourselves and each other! Happy Women's Day!

With Love & Gratitude,

Sarah 

Learn more About “Support Other Women. Period.” Campaign

Mamas, Babies, & Restoring Humanity

While our principal program is our JCO Children's Home (est. 2010), in 2014 we had the opportunity to do something quite different and we took it! We were approached by the leadership of a local clinic, the Sirembe Dispensary, and they asked us to help them build a maternity ward.

As a rule, we only take on new projects that are first requested or initiated by the local community. The village of Sirembe is where most of our programs are located and so It was clear to us that the people there would benefit greatly from a well-functioning maternity ward.  With this offer of formal collaboration to build one came the certainty that there was also enough support on the ground to make it happen. So we decided to partner with the local clinic in Sirembe, Kenya - which is where our JCO children and staff get treated when they are sick.

The Sirembe Dispensary was where a great many local women would go to deliver babies and while the staff there did the best that they could with the resources available, it was not very conducive to a healthy delivery. There was no drainage in the patient rooms and there was no real separation between delivering mothers with newborns and the other sick patients at the clinic. Many of these sick patients have highly communicable diseases such as TB, which is particularly dangerous for people with compromised immune systems (e.g. delivering mothers and their newborn babies). It was very clear that a proper facility was needed.

At that time the local committee in Sirembe came together and identified what the needs were and raised $12,000 from the Kenyan government. However, they needed an additional $25,000 to complete the construction, which included a septic and drainage system. Our Restore Humanity Medical Committee made up of members from our Board of Directors and doctors from NWA decided to step up and help out.

 Our Restore Humanity Medical Committee Chairman, Dr. Scott Bailey, led the way and we were able to raise the remaining money needed for construction and some basic furnishings and equipment by the end of 2014.  By March 2015 the first baby was born at the new facility! A healthy boy named Titus!

 What's even more incredible is that well over 1,000 healthy babies have been born to healthy mamas in the time that has passed since those doors were first opened. I am so thankful that we were given the opportunity to help and that our wonderful donors made this all possible!

 Now having delivered two baby boys myself, I have an even greater understanding of how crucial it is to have a hygienic, safe, and calm environment in which to give birth. To have both the space you need during the process, but also to have professionals there to help you and your baby through the journey. It is a magical time, but everyone is also quite vulnerable during the process.

I feel so grateful that we were able to do this for mamas and babies in Sirembe. I am so thankful for Dr. Bailey and everyone else who helped to get this done! In the future, we hope to find even more ways to help Sirembe's mamas and babies, but in the meantime, I just wanted to take a moment to look back with gratitude at how far we have come.

Our Sweet Boy

The worst has happened. One of our kiddos has passed away. This is an email that I prayed that I would never have to write.  I have dreaded the mere thought of it. Our sweet boy, Clinton Otieno Musa died last week from Burkitt's Lymphoma. He was almost 12 years old and had lived with us for 11 of those years. It all happened very quickly. He got sick at the beginning of June, was diagnosed at the beginning of July, and he died on August 14th while undergoing treatment in Nairobi. He was buried yesterday on his family's land in Sirembe surrounded by so many people that loved him dearly.

He and his brother Austin moved into our JCO Children's a few weeks after their brother Elvis in the summer of 2011. Clinton was not yet 18 months old when we found him and Austin (3 years old at the time) in a very bad state, both with severe malnutrition and extreme cases of malaria. After staying in the hospital to recover for 2 weeks, they both moved in with us and became a part of our JCO Children's Home Family. From the moment they arrived, they brought so much love, light, and laughter to our home and they have ever since. Since that time Clinton has been a very healthy young boy who spent most of his time playing in the yard with all of his JCO siblings. He was beloved and cherished and such a happy little guy.

At the JCO Children's Home Clinton lived a very happy life. He was the youngest kiddo from when he moved in at 1-year old until he was about 6, so he was doted on by all of the older kiddos and staff. And when I was around, I couldn't keep him out of my arms. He was ridiculously cute and he knew it. And everyone absolutely adored him. From the time he could run you could find him out in the yard with Austin and other younger kiddos playing all sorts of games that they created and having the time of their lives. Clinton LOVED mangoes, as any sane person does, but he once made himself physically ill during mango season because he just couldn't get enough. He also loved hot wheels cars, in fact, he asked for one when he was in the hospital.

Mrs. Opot and our staff cared for him and helped him through every stage of development. He learned to walk and talk and even use the outhouse like a big boy. I was there helping with some of the toddler tantrums and potty training, but our JCO Staff dealt with most of that day in and day out, and they did a phenomenal job. Clinton grew to be a handsome, loving, and well-behaved little guy. He loved to play board games and run around the yard with Austin and his other JCO siblings. He was also becoming quite the artist and would spend long stretches of time quietly coloring.

He was such a special kid and holds a very special place in my heart and I think that is true of everyone who knew him. I have spent a lot of time imagining who he would become as a grown man and how he would contribute to the world around him. Although he didn't ever get to grow up, I can say that he contributed so much to my world and I know Mrs. Opot, Patrick, our entire staff and all of our kiddos would say the same. He brought joy to our hearts daily and so much love and laughter. Our lives are infinitely brighter because he was here and I thank God for the day that I met him and he joined our home.

He meant the world to me and our entire global family. We are all devastated by this loss. However, if you could, please say a prayer and send loving thoughts to his brothers Austin and Elvis and all the rest of our kiddos—we are all feeling so much pain, but I imagine theirs is the worst.

We appreciate all of your love and support of our Home and our kiddos. Many of you loved Clinton from afar and helped us to give him the beautiful life that he had and we thank you for that. The thing that I am holding onto right now that brings me comfort amidst this horrible tragedy is that although his life was way too short, I can say with 100% certainty that it was a really happy one. Clinton spent every day surrounded by laughter, joy, and people who loved him deeply. With the exception of the rough beginning and end of his life - he lived every day as a happy and healthy young boy whose biggest concerns were having fun with his buddies, his toys, and his JCO Family that loved him. We are so grateful to have him in our home and in our hearts, now and forever. 

Support Other Women. Period. 2020

Help us Provide Maxi-Pads for 1000 Kenyan Girls for an Entire Year!

Today is International Women’s Day and we want to celebrate all women across the globe! The women of Restore Humanity believe the best way to celebrate International Women's month is for each of us to look at other women and find out what they really need--and then find effective ways to help provide it. Here in the US our focus tends to be on the necessity for our equality, respect, and opportunity--and rightfully so! However, we are remiss if we fail to notice the huge chasm between groups of women when it comes to more basic needs. And what could be more basic, or more of a woman’s issue than our periods?

While “lady-time” is no picnic for anyone, for millions of women and girls worldwide it means so much more than discomfort. Millions of women and girls do not have access to maxi pads or tampons at all simply because they cannot afford them. However, every woman knows that nature will still take its course and “Aunt Flo” is coming whether you want her to or not. So unfortunately these girls and women have to use things like mud, sticks, leaves, pieces of a foam mattress, or old rags to try to manage their cycles. Not only do these things not work, they sometimes cause harmful infections.

The statistics are staggering. For example, some estimates say that the average girl in Kenya misses 4.9 days of school every month, every single month of the school year. That means they’re missing at least 20% of their school year due to lack of maxi pads! That is just unacceptable. Period.

In 2012 I met with the girl students at Sirembe Secondary School (In Kenya) to talk about life and being a girl. At some point our discussion turned to the issue of schoolgirls having sex with older men, which is a problem for many reasons, not the least of which is the rapid spread of HIV. I asked them why girls were doing this and the first answer I got was “they do it to get money to buy things like maxi pads.” My jaw hit the floor. As I was leaving I asked them if there was one thing that I could do to help them, what would it be? Unanimously they said “Please buy us maxi pads.”

Since then Restore Humanity has provided maxi pads for the girls at Sirembe Secondary School, even as their population has continued to grow rapidly (to over 700 girls). While getting them pads was the most important thing, the impact on the environment was always in the back of our mind. The plastic in maxi pads is non-biodegradable which means they stay in landfills for about 800 years! So if we buy pads for 700 girls each month, and if each girl uses that pack of 12 every month, that is 8,400 pads thrown away each month and 100,800 per year from just one high school in rural Kenya! (432 million pads are disposed of each month globally).

The good news is that 3 years ago we found a better way! An incredible social business in Uganda called Afripads makes reusable maxi pads that last for an entire year and they are amazing! They employ 150 people in Uganda and upwards of 90% of them are women (in all levels of the business). They partner with nonprofits and women’s groups and have reached over 3.5 million women and girls with their products! (Watch the video below to learn more!)

Another exciting development is that Afripads is offering a special “schoolgirl menstrual kit” which has five pads (instead of four) including one for light days. They changed up their original product based on the feedback of school girls and we are excited to get this improved product to our girls! This packet costs around $5 and it lasts for an entire year. I have tested them out myself and they are really comfortable, they actually work really well, and they’re also really easy to wash and take care of! There are so many reasons why we love this program and here are just a few:

1. We help girls be safe, stay in school, and manage their periods with confidence and comfort.

2. We help the environment in a big way.

3. We support a social business in Africa that employs over 150 women.

4. AND it is cheaper! We now spend around $5.00 per girl per year and we were spending $12.00.

So pretty much it is a win, win, win, win. How could it get any better than that?!?

HERE IS WHERE YOU COME IN

We want to buy 1000 packets of Afripads at the end of this month for girls 7th-12th grade in Sirembe and at least one other secondary school in the area (high school). Again, this packet will last these girls ALL YEAR!

We need to raise $5,000 by March 31st.

We have raised $1,300 of our goal so far and only have $3,700 to go!

Let us all celebrate the month of women by supporting those of us who need it the most!

Donate Here

$25—COVERS 5 GIRLS FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR

$50—COVERS 10 GIRLS FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR

$100—COVERS 20 GIRLS FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR

$500—COVERS 100 GIRLS!!

DONATE HERE

Thank you all for your support and today we are so happy to celebrate women everywhere!

Please watch this video below to learn more about our partner Afripads!

Since we launched almost 10 years ago, our business offering has adapted and grown a great deal. Our experience and expertise had led us from being solely a ...

Outreach Education Update: We Reached 107 Students!

How #educate60 became #educate107

We want to thank each and every person who contributed to educate Kenyan high school students for the 2020 school year! Kenya’s school year is from January to December, so thank you for helping us to start their year off right! It is impossible to overstate the importance of education.  It’s the key to opportunity and a crucial first step towards breaking cycles of poverty. This is a game changer for these kiddos and on behalf of them we thank you!

This year we decided to change our program a little bit, based on feedback that we received from parents, school administrators, and students. We created a new application process to help us ensure that we are getting help to the students who need it the most. We also opened up eligibility for our scholarships to students in three different area schools. We are excited to announce that we were able to give partial scholarships to 107 Kenyan students!!! That is 107 high school students who are in school today because of YOU! Thank you so much for your support!

We appreciate our donors and we also appreciate our Kenyan partners who make this all possible. Without our Kenyan Country Director and Co-Founder of the JCO Children’s Home, Juanita Opot, nothing we have done in Sirembe over the last 13 years would have been possible.  Her wisdom, leadership, and tireless work on the ground every single day are indispensable to Restore Humanity’s impact in this community. We are also deeply thankful for the Principal of Sirembe Secondary School, Mr. Henry Airo. He is an incredible Principal and teacher and he goes above and beyond for his students. We also want to thank the leadership of Malunga & Ndegwe Secondary Schools. 

We are a Global Team and a Global Family and if you have supported our work in any way, you are a part of this family! We thank you all for your support and for donating to help to send 107 kids to school! Education can completely change the trajectory of their lives, so thank you for making that possible.

Giving Tuesday 2019-- Help us Educate 60 Kenyan Students!

Restore Humanity began its Outreach Program in Sirembe, Kenya in 2008, two years before we opened our Children's Home. Our Outreach Program assists families in need by paying school fees for their children. It is one of the simplest ways to help people and move towards alleviating poverty one family at a time. Many of the families in Sirembe need some form of assistance to send their children to secondary school (high school) and while there is some help available, it's not nearly enough. That is where we (well, actually YOU) come in. 

In our Restore Humanity Outreach Program we usually pay a partial scholarship for each student, but will provide a full scholarship for those in the most dire of circumstances.  We tend to pay partial scholarships because we have found that encouraging the families to pitch in makes this a real investment for everyone involved. However, there are cases where the family literally has nothing to give. In such cases we cover more, if not all of their fees. School fees in Kenya fluctuate quite a bit from year to year and so we raise $250 per student, then if the costs have decreased we just get to educate more kids! So everyone wins! For example, last year we raised money to educate only 60 kids, but we were able to stretch that cover 73 kids! How awesome is that?

We began by giving the partial scholarships only to girls in the community. Historically they have had less support both from their families and their society to attend school. Thankfully, all of that is changing! We still have work to do, but in the community of Sirembe the school leadership made it their mission to increase the attendance of girls and now the school is around 50% female. While boys traditionally get more support from their families, there are still many families that cannot afford to send their boys to school either. We all rise together and that means we also need educated young men. Providing help for boys was also what young men, teachers, and parents asked of us, and so we listened and adjusted our program accordingly. While we will always lean towards uplifting more girls—since they historically have had much further to climb—we are also really thrilled to help these awesome young men who, without assistance, would not have the opportunity to be educated either.

For the 2020 school year (which starts in January) we hope to be able to assist 60 Kenyan students! Our goal this year is to raise $15,000. Our campaign starts NOW and will run through December 31st. We are excited to announce that we had some early donors and we already have 3 students covered! Only 57 more to go! Please join us in providing education to some amazing young people who, if given the opportunity, can change their community, their country, and possibly the world!

Click the link, choose your amount, and you can make a note at the bottom if you prefer to send a boy or a girl

$250--sends one girl or boy to high school
$500--sends two
$750--sends three
$1000--sends four

DONATE HERE

Moses in the Big City

Last week was deeply significant for me and my husband, as well as for Restore Humanity. The first kid that we ever helped in Kenya, Moses Vincent Agare, boarded a plane from Arkansas and moved to New York City.  Yes, you read that correctly, Moses is now a resident in the Big Apple. He was one of the first people I met in Kenya on my first trip in 2007. He was the first and only kid we helped during the years we were building our JCO Children’s Home. In 2008 we paid for his Secondary School fees making him the first student in our Outreach Program.  In 2013 he became our first RH Scholar and moved to Arkansas to study Civil Engineering at the UofA. This past May he graduated with this bachelor’s degree and just last week he took a Civil Engineering job in New York City. 

As we stood there in the lobby of XNA, all in tears, it occurred to me that this was a day that I never thought of and wasn’t prepared for. I have spent all of this time with my head down working to ensure that we get them through school and prepare them for life—basically working to make this day happen, but still, it never occurred to me how I would feel once it came. How could I feel so proud of him and terrified for him at the same time? I just wanted some assurance that he is going to be ok. But that’s not how life is for anyone, as much as we want it to be. I know he is both capable and prepared for this.  And yet, I still want to protect him and be with him to make sure he is ok. But I cannot be there—it is time for him to spread his wings. I imagine this is something which parents feel all of the time. It is both wonderful and terrifying to love someone like this and be responsible for their well being. You work so hard to prepare them so that they can stand on their own and yet you don’t want to let them go. 

Moses applied for jobs all over the country but when this opportunity came in New York City, he was especially excited.  Despite initially not knowing anyone in the city or where he would live or even who would pick him up at the airport he found a way to make it happen.  Through an awesome Kenyan network of people who are helping him to start a new life, he was able to answer all these questions so he just went for it! It is a really big move, but if you know anything about our Moses, that is pretty much the only way he rolls. 

Many of you probably saw his departure on social media, but just in case you didn’t—I wanted to update our entire Restore Humanity family on his success. Moses has made it so far and still has so much more to do on his journey. Thank you to each and every person who has made his amazing journey possible. 

And don’t worry, this isn’t the end of the story. We talk to him almost every day, so we will keep you updated on all of the amazing things he will do in this next phase of his life.  

Moses & I in 2008 in Kenya

Moses & I in May 2019 at his University of Arkansas Graduation Ceremony

Me, Moses, and my husband Boo all teared up at the XNA Airport last week

Moses just being Moses

Winetopia 2019--Wrapped up in Gratitude

Winetopia 2019—-Wrapped up in Gratitude

Two weeks ago, on October 4th, we had our annual Winetopia Event at the Pratt Place Barn and it was better than ever. Every year I am in awe of this community. Hundreds of people all contribute in ways both big and small to ensure our event is a success. That includes volunteers, sponsors, vendors, donors and guests! To have this kind of support in our community means more than I could ever express, but I hope each and every one of you knows that you are appreciated. We raised $64,083 this year and that is our record for this event!! So thank you all for your support!

We spent two days setting up with the help of incredible volunteers and then as the event began I watched as hundreds of people started pouring in the doors ready to enjoy all the wonderful things our vendors had to offer. It always feels good at our event, but the energy this year seemed even better. The way I would describe the feeling is being wrapped up in gratitude. Everyone was so happy to be there and participate—and you could feel it.

A little more about what our vendors had to offer…We had four of the best restaurants in Northwest Arkansas serving their finest: Bordinos, Bocca, Arsaga’s and Cafe Rue Orleans. For dessert, we had the famous Mia Tarts, Pure Joy Ice Cream and Chuck’s Cake Shoppe! Wine lovers enjoyed tasting all of the delicious wines poured by Natural State Distributing, Constellation, Diamond Beverage Group, De Nux Distributors, and Scout & Cellar. Two of the finest breweries in town—Core & Fossil Cove—were pouring their wonderful craft beer. Black Apple Crossing poured their fabulous cider and Beam Suntory provided top-shelf bourbon! And imagine— ALL of that was included in each and every Winetopia ticket!

Local businesses were exceedingly generous this year as they provided incredible contributions to our silent auction making it the best one we’ve ever had and we are so grateful. We had it all and our guests loved it! Papa Joe at the Wine Toss was a huge hit as always. Matt Boles (DJ M. Bolez) was spinning the sweetest tunes all night—he was the cause of many spontaneous dance parties. We had a team of awesome ladies design and set-up our outdoor lounge area. It was magnificent and packed full of people all night long. And my favorite barn—I have never seen Pratt Place look prettier (thanks to Lightworks). It was a really wonderful evening and we appreciate you all so much!

We have some gorgeous photos taken by the one and only Cole Fennel below, but first take a moment to scroll through the lists of all of the wonderful people and businesses that made this night possible!

Grape Crusher Sponsors

Mertins

Adventure Subaru

Rockline

Miller Boskus Lack

Greg & Hannah Lee

Harvester Sponsors

Advanced Monitoring Services

Signature Bank of Arkansas

C&C Services

Max & Lydia Mahler

Frozen Bean

Harmony Proteins

Planter Sponsors

Affiniti Management

Elevate Performance

The Law Offices of NWA

Roblee Orthodontics

Olsen Clinic

Buffington Homes

Underwoods Fine Jewelry

Winetopia Retail Wine Shops

Cheers Liquor & Wine Shoppe

Liquor World

Wine, Beer, Cider, & Bourbon Sponsors

Natural State Distributing

Constellation (Robert Mondavi)

Diamond Beverage Group (Steele)

De Nux Distributors

Core

Fossil Cove

Black Apple Crossing

Beam Suntory

Scout & Cellar

Food Sponsors

Arsagas

Bocca

Bordinos

Cafe Rue Orleans

Chuck’s Cake Shoppe

Mia Tarts & More

Pure Joy Ice Cream

Community Sponsors

Intents Party Rentals

AV Design Consultants

Lightworks

Westwood Gardens

Eventures Party Rentals

Moxy Ox

Showerfilter Store

Media Sponsors

Citiscapes

KUAF

3W Magazine

Hosts

Dr. Scott & Leslie Bailey

Leigh & Candra Davis

Gary & Teri Head

Chris Goddard & Bartus Taylor

Dr. Allyson & William Mertins

Neal & Gina Pendergraft

Linley & Dave Dust

Adam Jones

Andrew & Sarah Dabney

Jennifer & Wade Esty

Martel & Bethany Brown

Abdi & Laura Dubed

Volunteers

Alannah Massey

Chris Beavers

Tareneh Manning

Lexy Hill

Lana Lyon

Cheryl Walsh

Kim Norris

Terra Stephenson

Lori Boatright

Kristi Batchelor

Misha Gardner

Kristing McDill

Jessica Ginger

Aileen George

Nathan George

Juma Ogongo

Moses Agare

Tarri Fennel

Jay Fennel

Joe Fennel

Jean Ann Fennel

Miriam Smith

Rusty Jones

Charlotte Jones

Adam Jones

Kimberly Clinehens

Silent Auction Donors

All Sports Production

Blakeman's Fine Jewelry

Bocca Italian Eatery

Bordinos Restaurant & Wine Bar

Buffalo Outdoor Center

CBD & Me

Cheers Liquor & Wine Shoppe

Chris Beavers, Realtor with Bassett Mix

Clubhaus Fitness

Coach Jessica Phelan

Coach Michelle Fyfe

Counts Custom Duck Calls

Dark Star Visuals

David & Candace Starling

DK Design

Dog Party USA

Dylan Taylor at 2nd Life Wood

Elayne's Dance

ELXR Yoga Lounge

Eureka Pizza

Farmer's Table Cafe

Fast Lanes Entertainment

Fayettechill

Fayetteville Acupuncture

Fayetteville Athletic Club

Fayetteville Pilates & Barre

Fitness One

Flora

Gall Excavation

Good Things Eco Boutique

Grey Dog Vintage Boutique

Hugos

James & Stacey Keenan

Jay Fennel

Jessy Lang Independent Wine Consultant for Scout & Cellar

Juice Palm & Con Quesos

Kathy Thompson

Khana Indian Grill

Kirk Lanier

La Vida Massage Gift Card

Lola Boutique

M.buell.design

Mae's Emporium

Markham & Fitz

Mary Linda Biddy

Maude Boutique

McDonald Eye Clinic

Mertins Eye & Optical

Mockingbird Kitchen

Mount Sequoyah Center

Nan Sherry

Natural State Distributing

Onyx Coffee

Ozark Escape

Petra Cafe

Pieceful Hands Quilters

Pinpoint Bar

Rainbow Valley Lodge

Rejuvenated Medical Spa

Remedy Road

Revive Medical Spa

Revive Spa

Robyn Robynson Jewelry

Rod Roark Family Dentistry

Romance Diamonds

Scout & Cellar Independent Consultants, Paul Pasnell, Corinne Power, and Rebecca Mason

Skydive Fayetteville

Southern Trends Basket

Tease Salon

Thatch Jewelry

The Bike Route

The City Supply Store

The Company Club

Theatre Squared

Trailside Yoga

Underwoods Fine Jewelry

Urban Forest Axe House

Walker Bros

Westwood Gardens

Whitney Mountain Lodge

Woodstone Pizza

Gorgeous Greenery from Westwood Gardens!

M. Bolez creating dance parties all over the place!

Outreach Campaign Update

We want thank each and every person who contributed to educate Kenyan high school students for the 2019 school year! It is impossible to overstate the importance of education.  It’s the key to opportunity and a crucial first step towards breaking cycles of poverty. This is a game changer for these kiddos and on behalf of them we thank you!

We just returned from our trip to Kenya.  We were able to give scholarships to 63 students at Sirembe Secondary School and also assist 10 additional students at a neighboring high school. That is 73 students total who are in school today because of YOU! Thank you again for your support!

We appreciate our donors and we also appreciate our Kenyan partners who make this all possible. Without our Kenyan Country Director and Co-Founder of the JCO Children’s Home, Juanita Opot, nothing we have done in Sirembe over the last 12 years would have been possible.  Her wisdom, leadership, and tireless work on the ground every single day are indispensable to Restore Humanity’s impact in this community. We are also deeply thankful for the Principal of Sirembe Secondary School, Mr. Henry Airo. He is an incredible Principal and teacher and he goes above and beyond for his students. Sirembe is lucky to have him and we appreciate all he and his fellow teachers do every day to help their students.

We are a Global Team and a Global Family and if you have supported our work in any way, you are a part of this family! We thank you all for your support and for donating to send 73 kids to school! Education can completely change the trajectory of their lives, so thank you for making that possible.

The two photos below are of Brian and Juliana.  They are seniors this year (in Form 4) and have been receiving our Outreach Scholarships for the past 4 years. Brian and Juliana are both excellent students and really good kids as well. This program has given them the opportunity to attend high school and they will graduate in December! This would not have been possible without your support, so thank you.

Juliana

Brian

Winetopia 2018—What a Wonderful Night!

On October 19th we had our best Winetopia fundraiser to date—it honestly gets better every year! With the help of so many awesome individuals and businesses we raised $63,000!

The weather was rainy and cold all day, but cleared up before the event and ended up being the perfect fall evening. The Pratt Place Barn looked beautiful even before we started, but once we were finished it was stunning.

Our guests mingled, ate, drank, and were merry. People tried their hand at the wine toss, relaxed in the lounge, enjoyed high quality drinks, and each other's company. DJ Shortfuze did an amazing job (as always) by playing smooth tunes that livened up the party and made everyone's night just that much better. Our food selection this year was phenomenal as well! We had some of the best cuisine in our area all in one fabulous location: Bordinos, Bocca, Arsaga's and Mockingbird Kitchen! We also had the best desserts! Of course we had one of our absolute favorites, Mia Tarts. Those perfect little delicious pastries have become a staple at our event. However, we had an awesome new addition this year: Pure Joy Ice Cream! They made some delicious flavors in honor of our event and everyone loved it!

Bartus Taylor outdid himself again creating the Buzz Events Lounge outside. As always it was the hotspot and it was amazing. Every year he creates another world outside on the deck and blows us all away. This year is it was simply magical. Everyone perused all of the wonderful silent auction items donated by local artists and businesses. And of course we had pictures of our sweet kiddos all over the barn bringing the point home that all of the work and care that went into that night was oh so worth it.

My favorite part of this event each year is that I am reminded what an incredibly kind and enthusiastically generous community we live in (I mean, honestly). Whether it's the sponsors, donors, guests, or volunteers—people extend a hand to help however they can. I cannot thank you all enough for all of the love and support!

Since it is such a big event, it takes a serious crew to get it all done well and our volunteer crew is the best in the business and I am so thankful! Below are some gorgeous photos of the night taken by the one and only Cole Fennel (Cole Fennel Photography). Please take a moment to look at this list of volunteers, sponsors, and silent auction donors who helped to make this night possible!

Lots of Love & Gratitude,

Sarah Fennel Buchanan

Winetopia Core Crew Volunteers

Alannah Massey—Volunteer Coordinator

Tanj Donovan-Auction

Brooke McDonald- Auction

Chris Beavers-Auction

Herbert “Boo” Buchanan—Event Coordinator (He “puts out fires”)

Joe Fennel- “Carny in the Corner”

Missy Gardner

Cheryl Walsh

Kim Norris

Moses Vincent Agare

Juma Fredrick Ogongo

Ellie Jones

Kaitlyn Akel

Kristi Batchelor

Adam Jones

Curtis Willis

Lana Lyon

Jean Ann Fennel

Bartus Taylor & Buzz Events Crew

Aileen & Nathan George

David & Cheryl George

Honorary Hosts

Dr. Scott & Leslie Baliey

Chris & Jeremy Beavers

Leigh & Candra Davis

Abdi Dubed & Laura Dubed

Linley & Dave Dust

Gary & Teri Head

Chris Goddard & Bartus Taylor

Dr. Allyson & William Mertins

Hassan & Danielle Huntley

Neal & Gina Pendergraft

Dr. Lance & Tareneh Manning

Stewart & Grace Nance

Candace & David Starling

Adam Jones

Sponsors

“Grape Crusher” Level Sponsor

Mertins Eye Care & Optical

Miller Boskus Lack

C&C Services

Greg & Hannah Lee

"Harvester" Sponsor

Roblee Orthodontics

Rockline Industries

Signature Bank

LaVida Massage & Medspa

Underwoods Fine Jewelry

Advanced Monitoring Services

Max & Lydia Maher

“Planter” Level Sponsor

Lucke Dental

I Street Modern Apartment Living

Wine Sponsors

Natural State Distributing

Diamond Beverage Group

Constellation

De Nux

Tardis

Naughty Diva

Bourbon Sponsor

Beam Suntory

Local Craft Beer

Core Brewery

Apple Blossom Brewery

Community Sponsors

Buzz Events

Intents Party Rentals

Moxy Ox

Eventures Party Rentals

Light Works Events

AV Designs

Showerfilter Store by NewMarket Naturals

Pratt Place Inn & Barn

Cole Fennel Photography

Media Sponsors

Citiscapes Magazine

3W Magazine

KUAF

Restaurant Sponsors

Bordinos

Bocca

Arsaga's

Mockingbird Kitchen

Mia Tarts

Pure Joy Ice Cream

Winetopia Retail Wine Shop’s

Liquor World (All Wine Toss Wine)

Cheers Liquor & Wine Shoppe (Silent Auction Wine)

Silent Auction Donors

All Sports Production

Apple Blossom

Arts Live Theatre

Blakeman's Fine Jewelry

Bocca

Bordinos

Brittany Phillips

Candace & David Starling

Chuy's

City Supply Store

Clubhaus Fitness

Dark Star Visuals

Dog Party USA

Dominique Scott

Embellish Boutique

Farmer's Table

Fayettechill

Fayetteville Acupuncture

Fayetteville Pilates & Barre

Fayetteville Roots Festival

FHS Student Council

Flora

Gall Excavation

Glo

Good Things

Grey Dog Vintage Boutique

Heidi Brugliera

Jay Fennel

Joe & Jean Fennel

Kathy Thompson

Khana Indian

Kirk Lanier

Lola Boutique

Lucke Dental

Lululemon

Mae's Emporium

Maude

Mertins

Mia Tarts & More

Michelle Fyfe

Nan Sherry

Nitron

Onyx

Pack Rat Outdoor Center

Petra Café

Phunbags

Pieceful Hands Quilters

Rainbow Valley Lodge (Montana)

Raney Elizabeth Art

Remedy Road

Revive Medical Spa

Riff Raff

Robin Devine

Roger Boskus

Romance Diamonds

Savoir Faire

Shindig Paperie

Southern Trends

Spring Valley Anglers

Sunshine Broder at Shine Salon

Swetnam Cosmetic Surgery

The Bike Route

Theatre Squared

Total Fitness Shop

Trailside Yoga

Underwoods

Walker Bros.

Westwood Gardens

Woodstone Pizza

Yoga Deza

Unconditional Love

Unconditional Love

“The greatest gift that one human being can give another is unconditional love. It’s the only thing, ultimately, that really matters”

-Joy Gardner

Something which I have noticed over the years of building relationships and working with people who have been through some kind of serious trauma is a common tendency to push love away with both hands (as a protective measure).  If you don’t ever have someone’s love then you never have to suffer its loss.  Children who have been abandoned (intentionally or otherwise) have a hard time believing that you are not just another person who will leave them in due time. They don’t trust in a situation that seems stable—life has shown them a very different reality.

Some children will throw fits, say mean things, act out, and push everyone away. They assume that you will eventually give up on them, so it might as well be now. Or maybe they just do it to push the boundaries, to see if your kindness, love, and care for them is in fact unconditional. I am not sure of all the underlying motivations but I have seen it enough times to know that the bad behavior is not a true reflection of who the child is, but rather a defense mechanism—a wall they have put up to protect themselves. I also know that once you get past it and earn the trust of a child you invariably see a beautiful heart that wants nothing more than to be loved.

My first real experience with this phenomenon shook my world to its core and to this day it’s something I still wish I could somehow remedy.  However, I learned much from this experience.  It became deeply instructive for how to properly build the framework for the operation of our JCO Children’s Home.   In 2005, on my volunteer trip to South Africa, before I ever had any plans of starting an organization of my own, I volunteered at a Children’s Home there.

This Home was very different than the one we have worked to create in Kenya, and we were very intentional about that. I learned many things working at that home in South Africa and it was mostly what not to do.   

There was a young girl there who was really difficult to deal with. I came day after day and many of the children warmed up to me easily, but not her.  At times she actually  worked to make my job harder and seemed to enjoy it. But I kept coming back and stayed engaged until I eventually won her over. She began to trust that I was who I said I was. We became really close and when she finally opened up she revealed the beautiful heart that she had all along. It wasn’t until the day I was leaving that I realized what I had done. She was sobbing on her bed and would not come down to hug me. I assured her that I would come back and she just cried and shook her head and said with a devastating certainty “No, you won’t.” She wouldn’t even look at me. It broke my heart. In all my efforts to win her over and show her love I didn’t realize that when I left I would just be another person that she cared about who was abandoning her.

She had been through so much and lost so much and she was only 13 years old. My intention was good but it ended up causing her more pain. I kept my promise and did return for a visit two years later, so maybe that counts for something.

Although I cannot go back and change that situation, I have used that experience to help us to provide better care for our children in Kenya. We work hard  to provide consistent care and love for our kiddos.  With very few exceptions we have had the same caregivers at the JCO Children’s Home since it opened 8 years ago .  Our staff, lead by Mrs. Opot, has done a wonderful job providing a healthy routine of daily life, year after year.  With a safe environment and continuity of caregivers, our children have been able to grow up in a home full of love, compassion—and occasionally, discipline (we have to face their issues head on or we cannot help to fix them).  I’ve spent several years of my life at this point (a few months at time) living in the village and developing close relationships with our kiddos.  The quality of their daily lives does not depend on my being there but the fact the we are all part of the same family is the worst kept secret in Sirembe.  In the beginning I was there for longer durations of time to help Mrs. Opot establish the policies, procedures, and culture of the JCO.  The relationships I have with our kiddos have never been better but my role has evolved over time to something like the cool auntie who brings gifts during the holidays.  However, while I’m there I still do my very best to help ensure they all know how much they are loved.  On our most recent trip to Kenya, I experienced some sweet confirmation that we’re succeeding…

Miriam with her boys. She has been a Head House Mother in the JCO Children's Home for 7 years and as you can see our kiddos love her. 

Earlier this year while in Kenya, we went up to the Secondary School (high school) to see our kiddos. When school is in session we don’t see too much of our high schoolers because they are so busy with their studies. But we still find time to catch up and encourage them. However, our trip was cut a week short this year due to my brother’s sudden and severe illness and we had to leave quite quickly. As I went to go talk to our kiddos that afternoon at school, I pulled aside our three high school girls Pamela, Treezer, and Sheryl to tell them that I was so sorry that we had to leave, but that I hope they know just how much I love them. They all looked at me with those beautiful faces, smiled, and wholeheartedly said yes they understood—like it was the most obvious thing in the world. There was no hesitation or doubt in their response. They knew I loved them and am here for them no matter where I am physically. And I felt their love right back, stronger than I have ever felt it.  We have this fiercely strong bond and at that moment I could literally feel it like a bridge between us. It was one of the most beautiful moments of my life. It filled my heart and has been such a comfort to me during what was the beginning of the hardest months of my life…

Treezer, Me, Pamela, and Sheryl just a few moments after our conversation mentioned above

When we opened the JCO Children’s Home in 2010 we wanted it to truly become a home for all who lived there. We wanted to build a family and a real support system for those little ones who didn’t have anyone. We wanted them to know that they are loved unconditionally, that we are their people and there is nothing they can do that would change that. There is a security and feeling of safety that comes from knowing that you are loved unconditionally which nothing else can provide. I am so thankful our children know it and feel it in their lives. “The greatest gift that one human being can give another is unconditional love. It’s the only thing, ultimately, that really matters”

 I couldn’t agree with this quote more and we all need that in our lives. We need to know that there are people who are with us no matter what, at this moment and forever. In this arena, our actions are the only things that really matter. Many of our kiddos know that we love them unconditionally, but that took years of consistent care and loving support. Although our kiddos are all thriving and doing well, many of their individual journeys have been really rough—some continued to be so after they moved in with us. But the very fact that we are willing to work with them and continue to be there for them despite any bad behavior is what has helped our kiddos to truly see and believe that this is their home and we are their people, no matter what.  They know they are a part of our family, just as your child is a part of  yours—forever.  That is how we feel about and treat our kiddos at JCO.

Providing unconditional love also doesn’t guarantee that they will always make good choices or live up to their potential. One of our older girls who moved in with us when we first opened our Home decided her Junior year of high school to drop out.  We tried EVERYTHING in our power to stop her and help her make a better choice. Ultimately she was 18 years old and it was her choice to make.

I still wish she would not have thrown that opportunity away but one thing I do know is that we did everything we could for her and she knows that too. She knows that she was loved and embraced by people who just a few years prior had been strangers to her.  I hope that willingness to try and connect and help someone is something she passes on to others in her life. I hope that her faith in humanity was restored, at least a little. We still keep up with her family and she is doing fine and we wish her the very best.

The stability and security that unconditional love provides is made possible by the consistent care we provide at our JCO Children’s Home. Our kiddos know they are loved and that is everything. I wish that I could have been in a position to provide a similar stability and security for the young girl in South Africa.  Loving someone without the actions to back it up, in the end, just isn’t enough.

DONATE HERE

Donate above to support our JCO Children’s Home and help us to continue to provide care and support to our wonderful kiddos.

We want to thank each and everyone of you that have helped us to provide this consistent and high quality care to our kiddos at the JCO Children’s Home. We could not have done it without you.

Put in a Nickel—Get out a Dollar

"Put in a nickel—Get out a dollar"

By H. Lee ("Boo") Buchanan

Stewart Nance, Grace Nance, Lee Buchanan, Sarah Fennel Buchanan

In early September of 2016 Sarah, Moses, and I had the pleasure of spending an evening with Grace and Stewart Nance out at their beautiful home on Beaver Lake in Eureka Springs.  Their hospitality was amazing. They arranged to have delicious food and beverages available, not just for the three of us, but also for about 20 of their closest friends and neighbors, all of whom were invited for the express purpose of being introduced to us so that they might learn something about (and hopefully be inspired by) Restore Humanity.  We may have also watched and enthusiastically celebrated the Razorback Football team’s overtime victory over TCU but mainly we were just getting acquainted with new friends while attempting to pass around some awareness alongside the alcohol. After Sarah and I made a brief presentation we answered some questions before engaging in some pretty interesting conversations about philanthropy generally and our projects in Kenya specifically.  At one point our gracious host, Stewart, felt compelled to extol the virtues of giving to Restore Humanity. He talked about us as a grassroots organization which is incredibly efficient with its resources and how this efficiency really maximizes the impact of every dollar donated. Dr. Scott Bailey, who serves as Chairman of Restore Humanity’s Medical Advisory Committee, then reiterated Stewart’s praise with a clever turn of phrase. He said, “You put in a nickel--and you get out a dollar”.    

Dr. Scott & Leslie Bailey

This is my second solo contribution to the RH Blog and I want to use it to unpack what Stewart and Dr. Bailey were saying.  When you make an investment you are spending money with the expectation of getting more out of it than you initially put into it.  The return on an investment is typically thought to be measured in terms of monetary value but I submit to you that what counts as a reasonable return should depend entirely on what you’re investing in.  And make no mistake, charitable giving is a kind of investment. Restore Humanity’s various projects are all designed to provide people with improved health (both mental and physical), as well as opportunities for educational attainment and an improved quality of life. So when you make a donation to support these efforts your investment is best thought of as yielding increases in human health and well-being.

Right now 1 US Dollar is worth around 100 Kenyan Shillings so the purchasing power of your donation in terms of its influence on the people Restore Humanity helps is considerable.  Per capita spending on children’s healthcare in the United States is around $3000 annually. That breaks down per kid to about $250 a month--which just so happens to be how much it takes to cover the monthly cost of healthcare for all 19 of our kiddos in our Children’s Home combined.  The average monthly cost of childcare in the US is around $1000 per month.  That means to have a single child looked after and properly cared for during business hours of 9 to 5, Monday through Friday for three months will cost about $3000.  That same amount--$3000--would cover all the costs (yes all of them) associated with taking care of one of our kiddos at the JCO Children’s Home 24 hours a day, 7 days week for an entire year.  Take a moment and just think about that.  $250 provides a month's worth of healthcare.  In the US it covers 1 child but in Kenya it covers 19. $3000 provides 3 month’s worth of (daytime) childcare for for a single kid in the US but is enough to meet the totality of a child's needs for a calendar year in Kenya. Given this state of affairs Restore Humanity can do a whole lot of good with just a little bit of money.  However, with more than just a little bit of money there is no telling just how transformative our efforts may become.  We would love to find out just how awesome things could get but we first need help from generous people who understand the virtue of our work and the value of investing in our programs.

The economics of our situation allow us to stretch a dollar to be sure but it’s the prudence of forethought when deciding what to spend money on that is the key to making Restore Humanity successful.  On this front my beautiful wife and fearless boss, Sarah Fennel Buchanan, deserves all the credit in the world. Her commitment to transparency and making certain we spend money only in ways she’d look you in the eyes and be proud to tell you about forces us to move slowly and grow organically.  For those who know her well it will come as no surprise that she learned such fiscal philosophy growing up in the household of Joe and Jean Ann Fennel. However, Sarah would be the first to tell you that she’s also benefited immeasurably from the guidance and mentorship of our Kenyan partner and dearest friend, Juanita Opot, who co-founded our Children’s Home along with Sarah 8 years ago.  The JCO Children’s Home was actually constructed on Mrs. Opot’s land and is named after her late husband James Christopher Opot.  Mrs. Opot is a Village Elder in the Luo tribe. She is among the most respected and influential people in her community. She oversees the day to day operations of our projects (and the raising of our 19 kiddos).  She is as motivated by love and compassion as anyone you’ll ever meet but she’s also a strategic thinker with a brilliant mind. She understands very well how to negotiate the local culture and politics of her community to get things done.  It is largely because of her and the relationships that she and Sarah have cultivated with local leadership that make Restore Humanity’s work possible. The efficacy of our projects can also be attributed to the two following things:

1. We’re lucky enough to have highly competent, highly motivated people in key leadership positions in the community of Sirembe.  This makes collaboration both desirable and easy to arrange.

2. We’re usually able to get a high degree of buy-in from the relevant stakeholders because Sarah and Mrs. Opot have employed a policy of not using any resources or beginning any projects unless we are first asked to do so by people whose collaboration is essential for the project’s success.

Juanita Opot & Sarah Fennel Buchanan, Co-Founders of the JCO Children's Home

When I think about the name ‘Restore Humanity’ it calls to mind the fact that there is a wide spectrum of possible human experience ranging from pointless misery and suffering on the one hand, to sublime happiness, love, and compassion on the other.  The programs Sarah and Mrs. Opot have created represent an effort to move the lived-experience of the people we work with away from the bad (on this spectrum) and as close to the good as we can get. The purchasing power of US dollars in Kenya has an impact which is wholly disproportionate to what it actually costs to make a donation.  Between Sarah and Mrs. Opot we have what is frankly an embarrassment of riches in terms of leadership, vision, wisdom, and compassion and the community in which we work has competent and cooperative people in key positions of influence and authority. All of these serendipitous facts taken together add up to make donations to Restore Humanity an outstanding investment.  I know of no other opportunity likely to give you more bang for your buck. If you’re interested in learning more about Restore Humanity or any one of its programs I invite you to contact me via email at HLee@RestoreHumanity.org.  I LOVE coffee and am always looking for an excuse to schedule a meeting at Arsaga’s Depot.  Or if you need no further persuasion to join our Global Restore Humanity Team and want to help sooner rather than later then I encourage you to do so here.  I’m happy to meet you for coffee either way...

Austin, Baby Christine, Owen, Peter, and Clinton (up front) just relaxing outside our JCO Children's Home

Support Other Women. Period. 2018

Today is International Women's Day, which means it is time again for our "Support Other Women Period" campaign! Last year we were able to provide maxi pads for almost almost 500 girls for the entire year and this year we are kicking it up to 750! The high school population that we support just keeps growing, so we have to grow with it. 

The women of Restore Humanity believe the best way to celebrate International Women's Day is for each of us to look at other women and find out what they really need--and then find effective ways to help provide it.  Here in the US our focus tends to be on the necessity for our equality, respect, and opportunity--and rightfully so!  However, we are remiss if we fail to notice the huge chasm between groups of women when it comes to more basic needs.  And what could be more basic, or more of a woman’s issue than our periods?  AH! Yes I said it.  It’s nothing to be ashamed of ladies. Half of the world’s population deals with this one week out of every month, so we should be able to talk about it.

While “lady-time” is no picnic for anyone, for millions of women and girls worldwide it means so much more than discomfort. Millions of women and girls do not have access to maxi pads or tampons at all simply because they cannot afford them. However, every woman knows that nature will still take its course and “Aunt Flo” is coming whether you want her to or not. So unfortunately these girls and women have to use things like mud, sticks, leaves, pieces of a foam mattress, or old rags to try to manage their cycles. Not only do these things not work, they sometimes cause harmful infections.

The statistics are staggering. For example,  some estimates say that the average girl in Kenya misses 4.9 days of school every month, every single month of the school year.  That means they’re missing at least 20% of their school year due to lack of maxi pads! That is just unacceptable. Period.

In 2012 I met with the girl students at Sirembe Secondary School (In Kenya) to talk about life and being a girl. At some point our discussion turned to the issue of schoolgirls having sex with older men, which is a problem for many reasons, not the least of which is the rapid spread of HIV. I asked them why girls were doing this and the first answer I got was “they do it to get money to buy things like maxi pads.”  My jaw hit the floor. As I was leaving I asked them if there was one thing that I could do to help them, what would it be? Unanimously they said “Please buy us maxi pads.”

Since then Restore Humanity has provided maxi pads for the girls at Sirembe Secondary School, even as their population has continued you grow rapidly. When we first started it was less than 100 girls and now it is 596!  While getting them pads was the most important thing, the impact on the environment was always in the back of our mind. The plastic in maxi pads is non-biodegradable which means they stay in landfills for about 800 years! So if we buy pads for 596 girls each month, and if each girl uses that pack of 12 every month, that is 7,152 pads thrown away each month and 85,824 per year from just one high school in rural Kenya! (432 million pads are disposed of each month globally).

The good news last year was that we found another way! An incredible social business in Uganda called Afripads makes reusable maxi pads that last for an entire year and they are amazing! They employ close to 200 people in Uganda and upwards of 95% of them are women (in all levels of the business). They partner with nonprofits and women’s groups and have reached over a million women and girls with their products.

A packet of Afripads contains 3 daytime pads and 1 nighttime pad and a storage bag.  This packet costs around $5 and it lasts for an entire year. I have tested them out myself and feedback from all the girls last year was all positive! They are really comfortable, they actually work really well, and they’re also really easy to wash and take care of! There are so many reasons why we love this program and here are just a few:

1. We help girls be safe, stay in school, and manage their periods with confidence and comfort.

2. We help the environment in a big way.

3. We support a social business in Africa that employs almost 200 women.

So pretty much it is a win, win, win, win.  How could it get any better than that?!?

HERE IS WHERE YOU COME IN

We want to buy 750 packets of Afripads at the end of this month--600 for the High School in Sirembe, Kenya (where all of our projects are located) and 150 for the primary school girls in 7th and 8th grade. Again, this packet will last these girls ALL YEAR!

We need to raise $3,600 by March 31st. So our goal is to get 100 people to give $36 each! Of course you can always give more and if you you cannot give that much, please know that every little bit helps. Let us all celebrate the month of women by supporting those of us who need it the most!

DONATE HERE

A Summer with our Scholars

What a wonderful summer it has been, especially for our RH Scholars! These bright young minds have spent the summer learning valuable skills and having their worlds expanded. We thought it important to update you all a little on their journeys.

As many of you know we started our RH Scholar Program in 2013 with our first student Moses Vincent Agare. The following year we added our 2nd scholar Jerrym Molla Gilbert who was the eldest from our Children’s Home in Kenya. And this summer we were so happy to welcome our 3rd Scholar to the fold, Juma Fredrick Ogongo. To learn more about what our RH Scholars Program is click here.

We will begin with Moses, who was given an incredible opportunity this summer. He is studying Civil Engineering at the University of Arkansas and was granted an internship with Nabholz Construction Company this summer. He was able to put  to work so much of what he has already learned in school and he loves it! He spent most of his time at the new Children’s Hospital site where he was part of the team that ensures the safety of the building materials and the workers. He also worked many nights and very early mornings supervising the concrete pouring of the new Parking Deck at XNA airport. He comes home each day excited to tell us all what he learned on the job and we couldn’t be prouder of him. We are so thankful to Nabholz for this wonderful opportunity!

Our 2nd Scholar, Jerrym, who studies at USIU in Nairobi, Kenya has had a busy summer as well. He is studying International Business and just completed his summer term. Jerrym is a bright as they come and has maintained no less that a 3.2 GPA since he began his studies in 2014. This summer he took Investments, International Managerial Finance, and Chinese! What a schedule! I was so impressed to hear that he decided to take Chinese! For a business student in Kenya (or anywhere else) it is an extremely valuable skill to have. Jerrym is not afraid of a challenge and he approaches his studies with so much enthusiasm. It is a beautiful thing to witness.

Juma, our newest scholar, arrived here in the US on June 1st and has been living with my husband and I  (and Moses) since his arrival. He is here to study Mechanical Engineering. He has lived in our Children’s Home in Kenya since 2012 and we are so happy to have him here. Juma is acclimating to the US remarkably well.  His curious nature is the main reason for that. He began his studies here at the Spring International Language Center (SILC) at the UofA in June and just finished his first term. SILC not only provides Intensive English Training and vital university preparatory work, they also provide such a welcoming and warm environment for international students. It is a wonderful place with students from dozens of countries attending.

We have had a wonderful summer with our two Kenyan boys here with us. They took swimming lessons at Wilson Park Pool. We introduced them to the beauty of the Ozarks and spent a weekend on the White River fishing with my dad.  My wonderful husband Boo has also gained a new title as Restore Humanity’s “Head of Transportation” since he has been carting these two around everywhere. That includes dropping Moses off many times at the airport in the middle of the night for the concrete pouring. We have had a wonderful summer and we hope that has been true for each and every one of you. Thank you for your support of Restore Humanity and for helping these three wonderful humans get the education they need to realize their dreams and make this world a better place.

With Gratitude,

The Restore Humanity Global Team

It's the Little Things

It's the Little Things

Life is so amazing. Earlier this week I was sitting outside watching the sunset with Baby (Christine) on my lap and the other kiddos surrounding me.  My heart was full. Being surrounded by my kiddos is absolutely my happy place.  A few days later I am home in Arkansas walking outside on an unseasonably warm February day trying to wrap my head around the fact that only a few days ago I was on a different continent on the other side of the planet.

People always want to know if it is really weird to come home after living in an African village—if the reverse culture shock is too much. Well, at first it was.  It took me doing this twice a year for multiple years for my brain to get used to it. While I flow in between them pretty easily now it still takes my brain a few days to catch up. What I mean is, right now I know that I am physically in Arkansas but it still does not exactly feel like I am.  It is as if my brain is still somewhere, maybe over the Atlantic, in transition between the two places.  Whether I am arriving in Kenya or coming home to Arkansas it always takes a few days to feel grounded where I actually am.

Something else that comes out of each and every trip I take is a renewed sense of purpose. This time is no exception. It is one thing to know intellectually that we are providing a home for children who need one—that they are cared for and provided with each and everything they need to be healthy and happy, but it is something altogether different to viscerally experience how their hearts have opened when they give you a squeeze or when you see them completely at ease as they go through their day.  It’s the kind of ease that you can only feel when you are truly at “home.”

Although it might seem a small thing to someone else, to me witnessing that is the most beautiful and affirming thing in the world. I remember the pain and chaos that these children have come from and know the physical and emotional state that they were in when they arrived. To now witness them being so calm because they feel safe and loved is nothing short of miraculous and no matter how many times I see it my heart continues to be completely overwhelmed.

I will give you an example of what I mean from this most recent trip.  During the first week we were there it was just a regular school day for the kids. I had been at our Home playing with them that afternoon for a few hours and then dinnertime came around. Wilfrieda, one of our House Mothers (she has worked there since before we opened our doors), announced that it was time to wash up and sit down to eat. I was just standing there observing it all. Some kids headed to bathe.  Some were putting away toys, others were preparing the table for dinner. Then I noticed Peter, one of our smaller kids (he just started 3rd grade). One of the other kids yelled for him to get something from the kitchen.  Peter giggled, made a funny face, spun around, and then ran toward the kitchen.

And there it was, something so subtle, but so telling. He was totally at ease.  He felt so free, just a kid being a kid, in his own home. Now anyone with children has seen this with their own kids.  When they are home they’re generally goofier than when they’re other places. They feel free to be themselves, no matter how weird that might be. Seeing Peter do that and feel so free was an “aha” moment for me. He is home. Peter was very cautious and guarded when he moved in with us and remained so for a long time afterward. He would have fun and play, but was always still skeptically watching what was happening. He didn’t let his guard down at all so to see him so carefree without any hesitation or a second thought was pretty incredible.

Our boys being silly, a regular occurrence. Peter is the one laughing the in the Hawaiian shorts.

It is the small moments like these that remind me what all of this is for—providing a place and space for kids to be loved, a place where kids can just be kids. Everyone deserves that and I am so thankful for the opportunity to help provide a true home for 19 amazing children who would not otherwise have one. Caring for those who cannot care for themselves is, by my lights, the most important thing to be done in this world and because of the hard work our staff does everyday along with the support from our generous donors we are doing just that.

From Left Owen, Sammie, Baby, Peter, Clinton, Austin and Boo is in the back.

Thank you all for your support and for being a part of our global family.  We are excited about the year to come and have many more wonderful things to share with you!  Stay tuned...

Reflections for 2016 and Goals for 2017

As we reflect on the past year we cannot help but smile. Our kiddos in our Children's Home are all healthy and strong. Each one of them progressed in school and will head to the next grade in January. Two of our boys, Austin and Clinton, whom we have had since they were babies will start 1st grade next month and will proudly walk to school each morning with their siblings. That is oh so bittersweet, as any parent can attest to. Our RH Scholar Moses Vincent Agare also had a really big year, as most of you know since he was actually crowned the first University of Arkansas Homecoming King at the Ole Miss game this past October! It is amazing what love, support, and encouragement can do for people. Given the right environment infused with lots of love does wonders. And we feel so blessed to have a front row seat to see it all unfold.

Thank you all for your support this year, we could not do it without our donors, volunteers, and Board of Directors. You all make it possible. Below is a brief synopsis on what we did this year in each project and what we hope to do in 2017. 

Please also keep in mind that your donation today will help us to met those goals and if you donate by midnight on December 31st your donation is tax deductible for the 2016 tax year.

DONATE HERE

Our newest kiddo Christine aka "Baby" moved in with her sister Pamela in February of this year.

JCO Children’s Home

      2016

o   We have provided a loving and stable home for our 19 boys and girls this year. They are all healthy and doing well. They just finished their school year and will begin a new grade in January. Our kiddos are our daily inspiration. They have such bright futures and we feel so blessed to have a front row seat to see how they make the world a better place!

o   Our eldest kiddo Juma is graduating High School this month and we are so proud of him! He has lived with us for the last 5 years and has been a bright shining light in our home since the moment he got there. He is a very smart young man that wants to be an aeronautical engineer.

      2017--Goals

o   Juma will be moving out and headed to college and we already have another little one in mind that will take his place. If all goes well we will move him into our home in January!

o   We plan to continue to care for our kiddos in our home. We will continue to give them love and support and cover all of their needs because we are their family.

o   We also have some infrastructure goals that we hope to accomplish in 2017.  Here is what we need:

  A boy’s dormitory for our Children’s Home. As our kiddos are growing we need more space in our home. The bulk of our kids are about to be teenagers as well and a little more space between the girls and boys sleeping areas is needed.

  Kitchen Renovation for our Home. We cook everything with firewood and our kitchen needs much better ventilation for our staff’s health. We plan to purchase two big cooking vats that drastically reduce the smoke and make their jobs safer and easier. The current kitchen will also need to be bigger to accommodate the new equipment.

  Solar panels for our Children’s Home. We do not have electricity in our home, but since we sit right on the equator there is quite a lot of sunshine. We found a great company in Kenya that can provide and install the panels for a low cost and they work really well!

  We also want to purchase two more 10,000-liter rainwater tanks to collect water for the home.

DONATE HERE

Violet who lives in our Children's Home with her buddy Rose who is in our Outreach Program.

Outreach Program

Our Program to assist other children in the area that live with their families

      2016

o   We assisted 44 children with School Fees and all passed well and continued         on the the next grade.

o   We provided maxi-pads for 325 girls in Sirembe each month

o   We have a Daycare Center where 35 local children attend to prepare for Primary School

     2017--Goals

o   We hope to assist 55 kids with School Fees (Click here to contribute to our #Educate40 program)

o   We plan to continue to provide 350 girls in Sirembe with maxi-pads every month.

o   The new school year at our Daycare Center starts in January

Our First RH Scholar crowned UA Homecoming King at the Ole Miss Game in October.

RH Scholars Program

      2016

o   Our RH Scholar Moses Vincent Agare became the first International Student to be elected a Senator in the University of Arkansas Student Government.

o   Moses also was crowned the first ever Homecoming King of the U of A

o   Moses is doing well in his junior year at the U of A studying Civil Engineering.

o   We all knew he had potential, but recently he has been blowing us away!

o   Another RH Scholar Jerrym Molla, who used to live in our JCO Children’s Home, is studying International Business at USIU in Nairobi. USIU is rated the Top Business School in East Africa and Jerrym is thriving! He currently has a 3.4 GPA.

     2017--Goals

o   We hope to bring Juma here to be our 3rd RH Scholar! He is the bright young man that has been living in our JCO Children’s Home for the past 5 years. He wants to study engineering and feels passionately about helping Restore Humanity as an adult. He is an amazing young man and we believe he will indeed make the world better.

o   Moses and Jerrym will continue their studies and we will be here to support them.

DONATE HERE

A newborn baby girl just a few hours old born in the Maternity Ward that we helped build

RH Medical Project

·      The Maternity Ward that we helped build in 2015 has now had almost 200 healthy babies born there to healthy and happy mothers.

·      2017-Goal

o   On our trip to Kenya in January we hope to find new ways to support the Maternity Ward and assist in even greater healthcare for the community of Sirembe. 

May 2017 be full of blessings for you and your family! Happy New Year

Something Has Shifted (Part 2)

Something has Shifted (Part 2)

Encouraging quotes from students are put up all around Sirembe Secondary School

If you missed Part 1 last week click here...

 When I first visited Sirembe in 2007 the Principal was the late Peter Owour. Mr. Owour almost immediately shared with me that he was troubled by the lack of girls in school and the high dropout rate. In his years at Sirembe he did his best to grow the school both in the number of students and in academic performance. He was successful on both fronts. He built new buildings and made the school much better for everyone.  He also went to great lengths to encourage the girls that were there.  Mr. Owour and I had countless conversations about educating girls and he did all that he could, given his resources and the attitudes of the community, to improve the situation for them.

 However, a major shift happened in January 2014 that serendipitously coincided with changing attitudes surrounding girl’s education.  A new Principal took over the school. Mr. Henry Airo, a man whose wife was studying for her PhD at the time, is very passionate about educating girls. To be clear, not everyone was ready for this particular change. I actually overheard an Education Minister telling Mr. Airo on his very first day on the job that they were thinking that Sirembe Secondary School should start “phasing girls out” and just become an all boys school because girls were “difficult”. I was infuriated and began to discuss it with two women members of the school Board, Margret and Susan. They were as appalled as I was and my partner Mrs. Opot felt the same way.

 Our outrage persisted until a few days later when Mr. Airo invited Mrs. Opot and I to his office. That day he told us about his plans not only to keep girls there, but to actually start allowing the girls to board at the school too! He said he had every intention of giving girls the exact same opportunities as boys. I was blown away and right then and there we gave him the remaining money he needed for the girls bunk beds.

He cleaned out a classroom and set it up for the girls to stay in. He started with just the Form 4 girls (Seniors) boarding due to a lack of space. As a result of the girls being able to board at school just like the boys, the grades of the girls in that class averaged higher than the boys for the first time in the school’s history. That was quite an accomplishment and the confidence and enthusiasm of the girls in that graduating class of 2014 was passed down to all of the girls coming after them.

 Fast forward to January 2016 when I stood in front of almost 300 shining and beautiful faces. We had just informed Mr. Airo about our #Educate20girls campaign and that some wonderful donors in the US had paid to assist 20 girls in need with their fees for 2016. We hadn’t chosen which girls yet, but I encouraged all of them to do as well as they could.  I let them know that the better they did, the easier it would be for me to find support for even more girls the following year and that if they continue to work hard and focus on their dreams that they would go far.  I also told them how proud I was of them.  Their faces were just beaming and it was such a beautiful thing to witness. Many of them were really confident and even assertive. They knew it was their right to be there and they intended to make the most of their opportunity. That was a very different group than the girl students I encountered just 9 years before. It was pretty amazing.

A group of some of the powerful young ladies attending Sirembe Secondary taken August 2016

After I left I almost immediately began reflecting on how far that school had come. Just nine years ago the Sirembe Secondary School population was less than 300 boys and girls (10% of that were girls) and in 2016 there were over 700 students attending the school and 326 of them were girls! That is almost half, which is incredible! That combined with the academic performance of the school increasing every year is just so inspiring! Both Mr. Airo and Mr. Owour are to be commended. It has been an honor to work with them both. We will continue to support education through Sirembe Secondary School as long as we are able.

 The combination of the worldwide support of educating girls, two enthusiastic principals willing to go to the mat for them, the first boarding class of girls doing better than the boys, and the growing confidence of our girls, all conspired to cause the community of Sirembe to begin changing its attitude toward girl’s education. In recent years I have heard many people changing their tune. It’s no longer uncommon (i.e. rare) to hear many people in Sirembe saying, “ Of course you should educate girls.” Now that is progress!

In 2017 we hope to assist a minimum of 30 girls and include 10 boys this year too. While boys traditionally get more support from their families, there are still many families that cannot afford to send their boys to school. We all rise together and we also need educated young men. Our goal is to raise $10,000 and our campaign starts tomorrow and will run through December 31st.  Please join us in providing education to some amazing young people that if given the opportunity, can change their community, their country, and possibly the world!

Something Has Shifted (Part 1)

Photo by Cole Fennel Photography

Something has shifted... (Part 1)

Last January in Kenya I stood in front of almost 300 Kenyan girls at Sirembe Secondary School at the beginning of their 2016 school year. The feeling that I had is hard to put into words. Their excitement about the new school year was palpable. Though excitement is not uncommon for students all over the world at the beginning of a new school year or even a new semester, for these young women it meant so much more.

For one thing, I had just informed them that, with the help of some awesome US donors, we had raised enough funds to assist 20 of them with their school fees for the 2016 school year but their excitement largely came from a deep appreciation of how precious an opportunity it was for them to even to be in school.

 Let me back up a minute and take you back to my first visit in 2007 to the Sirembe Secondary School (it is a high school, grades 9th-12th). At that time the school was much smaller and only boys were allowed to board there. There were around 30-35 girls total that were attending the school at the time.  More than 85% of the school’s population was boys. There were years that not even one girl made it to graduation.  

The two main causes for the massive discrepancy between girls and boys being educated stem from the culture and from poverty. In this case these two are intertwined.  From a cultural standpoint there is no real impediment to educating girls but when school fees are expensive and you have to chose which child to send to school, close to 99 times out of 100, the boy would be chosen.  There is of course some male patriarchy involved in this, which is an unfortunate worldwide phenomenon, but the main reason circles back around to economics.

 In traditional Luo culture when a girl marries she leaves her family and is from that point forward part of her husband’s family. She lives on their land and stays with them, often even when her husband dies. It is the boys who inherit their parent’s land and will build a house right next to where their parents live. It is the boys who are responsible for supporting their parents in old age. In contrast, the girls will be supporting only their in-laws and so parents would see educating them as a waste of scarce resources.  Why educate your daughters if her in-laws are the only ones who will ever benefit from your investment while you are left with nothing?

 People here in the US (myself included) will at first glance judge that as a selfish decision. However, an interesting point was brought to my attention in the book Poor Economics that complicated my view. They are living in a country that doesn’t have a successful social security system or any sort of safety net for older folks. As a result, impoverished elderly people in rural communities especially are left to fend for themselves. So if they have to choose, then it makes sense to choose the boy.

 Of course, that is not the entire story. Over the years, I often heard people ask “Why does a girl need to be educated?” or something along those lines. At the same time I knew some very awesome women in that community that would just as quickly retort with all of the reasons they should be.

 The world was also changing. Many non-profits and leaders began a worldwide movement to educate girls. Eventually this caught on and the Kenyan government started campaigns to encourage people to educate girls by showing them just how much girls can do for their communities. Many non-profits began giving money only for girl’s education worldwide and it became almost trendy to support girls. Over the years this began to reach even rural communities…like Sirembe…

Read Part two

These are some of the wonderful girls that we were able to assist this year through our Outreach Program #educate20girls.

Winetopia 2016

On October 21st we had our best Winetopia fundraiser to date—it honestly gets better every year! With the help of so many awesome individuals and businesses we raised $63,157!

It was the chilliest night of October, but it was perfect for our event. The Pratt Place Barn looked gorgeous as usual even before we started. But once we were finished it was stunning. There were a few big changes this year. We had multiple wine sponsors with their own tables with so many wonderful varietals to taste, 3 awesome local craft beer distributors pouring lots of goodness and even a bourbon table with some delicious top shelf bourbons to taste. We also had some really good food this year! Every year it is good, but this year it was even better! (Beer, wine, bourbon, and food sponsors listed below).

Our guests mingled, ate, drank, and were merry. They piled in the Making Memories Photobooth for some fabulous photos and enjoyed the sweet tunes coming from our DJ Matt Boles. Bartus outdid himself again creating the Buzz Events Lounge outside. As always it was the hotspot and it was amazing. Inside the barn my dad (a.k.a Carny in the Corner) had people winning big at the Wine Toss and everyone perused all of the wonderful silent auction items donated by local artists and businesses. And of course we had pictures of our sweet kiddos all over the barn bringing the point home that all of the work and care that went into that night was oh so worth it. 

My favorite part of this event each year is that I am reminded what an incredibly kind and enthusiastically generous community we live in. I mean, honestly. Whether it's the sponsors, donors, guests, or volunteers—people extend a hand to help however they can. It blows me away every year and I am beyond grateful. In fact, that was my strategy for dealing with the stress of the event. I just focused on being grateful for the generous hearts in our community and how much good we will be able to do with the funds we raise!

Since it is such a big event, it takes a serious crew to get it all done well and our volunteer crew is the best in the business and I am so thankful! Below are some gorgeous photos of the night taken by the one and only Cole Fennel (Cole Fennel Photography) and please take a moment to look at this list of volunteers, sponsors, and silent auction donors that helped to make this night possible! 

Lots of Love & Gratitude,

Sarah Fennel Buchanan

Winetopia Core Crew Volunteers

Chris Beavers—Auction Chair

Meredith Adkins—Volunteer Coordinator

Adrienne Stone- Auction Assistant

Herbert “Boo” Buchanan—Event Coordinator (He “puts out fires”)

Joe Fennel—Carny In the Corner

Darrin Ingraham- Tech Master

Warren Fyfe--Parking Captain 

Alannah Massey

Tanj Donovan

Jessy Lang

Charlie Hoeven

Kaitlyn Akel

Kristi Batchelor

Anne-Michelle Hopwood

Michael Adkins

Chris Arcana

Jack Scaccia

Hassan Huntley

Grant James

Germaine Chambers

Brooke McDonald

Lana Lyon

Kimberly Clinehens

Nick Mote

Rick & Bridget Wall

Jean Ann Fennel

Jay Fennel

Moses Vincent Agare

Steven Stone

Jose Aviles

Tristan (Custom Beverage)

Bartus Taylor & Buzz Events Crew

Honorary Hosts

Dr. Scott & Leslie Baliey

Chris & Jeremy Beavers

Ben & Molly Blakeman

Abdi Dubed

Linley & Dave Dust

Chris Goddard & Bartus Taylor

Leigh Hopkins & Stephanie Isaman

Dr. Allyson & William Mertins

Neal & Gina Pendergraft

Tom & Debbi Smith

Rick & Amy Sorrell

Sponsors

“Grape Crusher” Level Sponsor

Miller Boskus Lack

Blakeman’s Jewelry

Mertins Eye Care

Greg & Hannah Lee

"Harvester" Sponsor

Roblee Orthodontics

Max  & Lydia Mahler

“Planter” Level Sponsor

Signature Bank

Quadrivium

Lucke Dental

Wine Sponsors

Custom Beverage

Southern Glazers

Constellation

De Nux Distributors

Naughty Diva

Bourbon Sponsor

Beam Suntory

Local Craft Beer

Core Brewery

Fossil Cove Brewery 

Arkansas Craft Distributors

Community Sponsors

Buzz Events

Intents Party Rentals

Moxy Ox

Eventures Party Rentals

Light Works Events

AV Designs

Showerfilter Store by NewMarket Naturals

Making Memories Photobooth

Cole Fennel Photography

Media Sponsors

Citiscapes Magazine

3W Magazine

KUAF

Restaurant Sponsors

Bordinos

Bocca 

Arsaga's

Slim Chickens

Mia Tarts

Fayetteville Pastry Shop

Wine Toss Sponsors

Liquor World

Pandora's Bottle/ Iron Hand

County Line Liquors

Silent Auction Donors

All Sports Production

Apple Blossom

AR State Beauty Supply

Arts Live Theatre 

Bella Vita Jewelry

Blakeman's Fine Jewelry

Bordinos

Brad Haj

Chef Thomas from Tyson

Chris Beavers and Michelle Fyfe

Chuy's

Claudia Smith 

Closets to the Max

Clubhaus Fitness

Coach Darin Phelan

Cole Fennel Photography

Copper Pig

Dark Star Visuals

Dog Party USA

Don Schaap

Dr. Brian Buell

Elevate

Fayettechill

Fayetteville Acupuncture

Fayetteville Athletic Club

Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce

Fayetteville Pilates & Barre

FHS Cheer

Flora

Good Things

Greg Dog Vintage Boutique

Heidi Brugliera

Hermans

i'Mindful Studio

i'Mindful Studio

Jeff Caudle

Joe & Jean Ann Fennel

Joe Giardi of New York Yankees

Khana Indian

Kirk Lanier

Kyle Adams

Lola Boutique

Lucke Dental

Matt Buell Designs

Maude

Mertins

Mertins

Mia Tarts & More

Nan Sherry

Native Nectar

Nitron

Onemanband

Pack Rat Outdoor Center

Petra Café

Phunbags

Pieceful Hands Quilters

Pratt Place Inn

Remedy Road

Retreat Day Spa at FAC

Revive Medical Spa

Robin Devine

Robinson Cano of Seattle Mariners

Roger Boskus

Romance Diamonds

Rustic Mule

Salon Bloom

Sara Kincaid & Jessica Phelan

Sarahndipity

Savoir Faire

Shindig Paperie

Showerfilter Store by Newmark Naturals

Southern Trends

Speckled Pig

Sunshine Broder at Shine Salon

Tareneh Manning @ Bassett Mix

Terra Tots

Thatch Jewelry

The Bike Route

The Independent

The Rainbow Lodge

Trailside Yoga

Walker Bros.

Walker Bros.

Walton Arts Center

Westwood Gardens

Yoga Deza

Buzz Events Lounge

Buzz Events Lounge

Mia Tarts & More

Buzz Events Lounge

Arkansas Craft Distributors

Bordinos yummy crab cakes

Bocca--these were spectacular drizzled with fresh pesto

Arsaga's goodness

Fayetteville Pastry Shop

Fossil Cove Brewery

The Secret to Our Success: Our Kiddos

The Secret to our Success: Our kiddos

At our JCO Children’s Home in Kenya we have worked so hard over these last 6 years to provide a true “home” for our kiddos, in every sense of the word.  We have kept the same well-trained staff, and they’ve done an amazing job providing a safe and loving environment in which the kids have been able to stick to a consistent schedule and be cared for in every way that they can be.  We have also kept the number of children in our home small in order to foster a family atmosphere and ensure they build the kind of familial relationships conducive to proper development and an enriched life. We started with 10 children and have added slowly over time. We now have 19 children (the maximum is 20) living in our home.

The results of operating our home in this way has been incredible and exactly what we had hoped for.  They are indeed a little family. I see all of our kiddos making so much progress emotionally and in school and I am amazed. You would be too if you had seen just where they started. I do feel like Mrs. Opot, Patrick, myself, and the rest of the staff have done a great job but to be honest the main reason this model works so well is because of the children themselves.

These little humans are full of so much love and goodness and they just needed the right space to let it all out. On my last trip I just watched in wonderment how much they all love each other and know each other on such a deep level, in the way only siblings can. They love me, Mrs. Opot, Patrick and the rest of the staff to be sure, but whom they love the most is each other.  It is a beautiful thing to witness.

At the beginning of this journey we opened the doors to our first 10 children and cared for only them for the first year. This was the most challenging time to be sure because all 10 of them came to us in very raw emotional states, many of them having endured more than anyone should ever have to. Our staff was also learning how best to manage 10 kids that were really unpredictable. We worked hard to give them consistency and a feeling of safety. We immersed them in love and over time we saw the rough edges just melt away.

While each child has their own path and some take longer than others to find their stability.  It has become significantly easier over time for our new kids to acclimate to their new home. In recent years the transitions have been much smoother. The staff deserves some credit here because they have learned a lot and are extra sweet to the newbies. But the main difference, by my lights, is the other children.

After starting with 10 kids and living with only them for the first year I was a little apprehensive about how they would treat any newcomers. I wondered if they would be “clicky”, or resentful of someone new in their space. However, to my surprise and delight the exact opposite happened! Our kiddos were extremely welcoming and to this day every new kid that comes in is made to feel at home.

On my last trip we moved in two new little girls, Christine aka “Baby” and her sister Pamela. The children were told about their arrival and two of our older girls worked hard to prepare their space for them. One of them (also named Pamela) even gave up the bed that she had slept in for 6 years so that the sisters could sleep on the same bunk bed and feel more comfortable. I was so moved by this, no one asked her to do it, she just decided that the girls would feel better that way. Pamela and Teresa prepared the beds for the new girls beautifully, so that as soon as they arrived they were thrilled.

Baby and Pamela's new bed that the older girls fixed up for them.

Another really cute example is how Austin treated a new kid that was about his age on his first day. Austin was only about 4 at the time. Our new little one was pretty skittish and had a tight grip on my hand as we walked into the home. I had just spent the last hour with him and was at that moment the only person he felt even slightly comfortable with in his new surroundings. We arrived at the home at night and as we walked him into our boy’s room to show him where he would sleep, Austin said to him (in Luo) “Hey, don’t worry. Tomorrow we will have porridge.” It was such a simple way to comfort a new kid and it just warmed my heart. Within 10 minutes our new kiddo felt so welcome by everyone he let go of my hand and did not even notice when I left.

Any child that comes into our home has suffered devastating loss of one or both of their parents and often the suffering did not stop there. As bad as this situation is, how great is it that they get to come into a home full of their peers that have been through exactly the same thing? What better support network could there be?

Violet and her new sibling "Baby". This was Baby's 2nd day in our home and the love just flows.

Our kiddos also do everything together. They wake up and have porridge in the morning and walk to school together. A staff member cooks them lunch every day and walks it up to school to feed them, so they all sit together under a tree and have lunch. After school they walk home together, play in the yard a bit, bathe and prepare for dinner. Dinner is at 6:30 and then they sit together and do schoolwork until bedtime.

On Sunday nights they have a weekly meeting that is just the kids. They voted in a Chairman, a Secretary, and a Vice Chairman. The Secretary actually takes minutes of the meeting each week and they give them to our manager Jane. The minutes consist of things like someone taking someone else’s toy or another person not keeping their area clean. It is actually pretty hilarious, but they have been doing it every week for the last 3 years and take it very seriously.

It is so true that love begets love and the more we give our kiddos the more they give to others. This is not to say that they don’t fight sometimes or disagree on things. They are siblings and if you have siblings of your own then you know exactly what that means. They know each other better than anyone else and are there for each other. They know each other’s quirks and fears and will often protect each other when needed without hesitation. They share in each other’s triumphs and pain. The love between them is a bond that cannot be broken. It is a beautiful little family and I am thankful to even be a small part of that.