A reason to ...

Young friends from the rowdy neighborhood, Sao Tome & Principe

Worn out at the end of the day.  Ever get discouraged and tired of trying so hard?  There are reasons to go on.  Each one has a face, each has a name, a family, ....  they're our neighbors.  It would be easier but such a shame to just pass by on the other side of the road.

In this tiny country on Africa's west side, the basics of being fed are mostly met, though the effort to do so is pretty demanding.  Balanced nutrition is still needed.  So are schools, clean water, health care, and more.

The great burden is borne by moms and dads, as you might imagine.  Too many are illiterate and unskilled, and the local economy offers little opportunity.  Their great desire is to care for their children and to give them a chance at a better life.

Walking several miles for water, local folks struggle

just to survive in Kenya.  I took this picture last year;
rains have failed again, and the need is greater yet.

On the East coast of Africa, the continued drought has brought such concerns to a critical stage; there's no water, little food, and today, immediate needs.  Want to lend a hand?  We have direct access to 40+ children (our school sponsorship group) and their families.  We'll cover the administrative costs and your gift will go directly to the need.  A $100 gift will feed a couple of families for perhaps a month, or it will buy a truckload of water.  Give me a call; I'll be glad to plug you in. 


Despite the distress of today, folks everywhere receive us graciously.  They're glad for friends who will labor with them through the hard times.  Just knowing them returns more than can be described.

Want to be a hero for a day?  You can, you know.  :)  Or a month.  Or more.

Abdul and Samuel (by the car) sort through things for the

school kids.  (Photo from last year's visit to Guruguru)

...
I'm on your side
When times get rough
And friends just can't be found
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.

(Often, music says things a little better than a narrator could; this particular song from the past points at a deeper good than perhaps we realized when we first heard it.)