Dear
Friends,
We
believe that you and your families are doing well in this unusual
time for all of us. Who could have expected that everything would
suddenly stop- schools, nurseries, hotels, restaurants, other
institutions, businesses, etc. We don't know the answers to many
questions, we can only not lose hope and trust God to strengthen us,
both mentally and physically, and lead us through this strange
period. My wish and great hope were to meet with you, but it did not
happen, this time. We believe it will be possible at a better time.
In
short, how we are doing:
Like
all over the world, schools, churches, restaurants, and other
businesses have been closed in Kenya. Therefore, our school remains
closed too. The 2nd semester was meant to start at the beginning of
May, unfortunately, the quarantine/ lockdown period got extended,
according to the ruling the quarantine/ lockdown is to last until June
6th. A ban on moving between districts and major cities was also
introduced. Curfew from 7 pm was also introduced. Some sources claim
that schools will open in June, although in my opinion, this will not
be the case. The number of new daily cases of Coronavirus is higher
every day, compared to the initial statistics. As of today, there are
more than 1,000 cases in Kenya, including over 50 deaths. Only God
knows the real number because it is impossible to reach and examine
the sick in all areas, especially those in smaller towns.
Very few schools have started running the curriculum online, most children are still waiting for the physical opening of schools. The reason is that not all schools, including parents, are equipped with the necessary materials to provide over the internet teaching. In Kwademu, unfortunately, it is impossible, parents and guardians do not have smartphones, internet access, besides, most of them did not complete education and would not be able to carry out lessons for their kids. We hope that this quarantine/lock-down period will end soon and life will return to normal. Although the children are not at school, the building work is progressing slowly. I don't remember if I mentioned it earlier, but along with the water reservoir tower plan, an idea came up of using this project to build bedrooms for teachers. Most of the teaching staff are from outside the village, it will be much easier for them if they are provided with accommodation on school grounds. That's why 3 rooms are being added to the water reservoir tower. We hope to build more in the future.
We
have now entered the rainy season. Heavy rains caused a lot of water
to accumulate on the school grounds, not only in tanks but also on
the playground. We do not have any drainage system as a result solid on the ground got torn up. We planted some grass and started some
minor work – making pathways. We were able to make the pathway to
the office and from the office to the area with flags, we also
completed the pathway from the kitchen to one of the gates.
We
had to repaint the exterior of the youngest kids' classroom as there
were drawings and marks done by kids. We also bought another large
mattress for the youngest children group. Furthermore, building work
on the church has also started. This week, we plan to return to the
church building and move the work forward a bit. Thank you most for
your prayers and support. God is good, and with the following verse,
I would like to encourage you and finish my letter.
1
Thessalonians 5:18 New International Version (NIV) ''..give thanks in
all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus''
