A letter from Lewis’s mother, Esther Maina:

Lewis was born on 14.11.1998 with a body weight of 3.6 kgs. He had slow physical growth, poor feeder hence small in size and feather weight. He had a fast heart beat.

He was diagnosed PDA (Patent Ductus Arteriosus) in april 2006. Advised to seek specialized treatment at Nbi which God sent Dr. Rick assisted greatly.

At Mater Hospital Lewis was found to have retarded growth, height 115 cm expected 132 cm, weight 20.5, expected 23kgs.

Closed heart surgery was done on 23rd August 2006 a certain gadget was inserted. After six months of observation he was given a clean bill of health. He has normalized, grown remarkably, intellectually super. He is doing his national primary school exam in November. His dream is to become a cardiologist to help children like he was. THANKS to his role model Dr. Rick.

His mother,
ESTHER.

2. Carpentry School – BBI has contributed to the start up of a carpentry school.  Peter and James, who are members of the Deliverance Church and in the carpentry business, will teach skills to teenagers. Pastor Joseph said of the proposal for the school, “I therefore wish to highly recommend the proposal for it will be of great help to the youth in the community and also create job opportunities to others.  Those are the kinds of skills they need for empowerment.  I will also be very much willing to see such a school succeed.”

3. Deliverance Church Crusades, 2011 – BBI contributed to the support of crusades in April and August.  Pastor Joseph wrote, “We have been having a series of teachings and preachings from different parts of this country (Kenyans preaching and teaching Kenyans). which has brought changes in the lives of many.  Souls came to the Lord, more than 500 people at each medical fair received free medical screening and treatment (Kenyan health  personnel taking care of Kenyans in need jointly supported by members of Deliverance Church and BBI), and hundreds of people were ministered to through the Word of God.”

4. Jocelyn Macharia – Jocelyn writes to TNAP and BBI: 
“Greetings. My Base group was selected by the professor to be visited by new Masters’ students to learn how to form Base groups and sustain them.“  She is now writing her dissertation (or thesis).  Jocelyn finished her course work with a distinction. The research topic is “Factors Influencing the Spread of HIV Infection Among the Youth 15-24 Years. A Case Study of Three Youth Groups in Otghaya, Nyeri, South District. Way to go Jocelyn!!!!

5. Eleanor Campbell, 2011 – Eleanor Campbell was supported through BBI to visit Ndathi from June-August, 2011.  She was instrumental in establishing the Kabaru Community Library.  Plus she coordinated all of the activities for BBI in Ndathi. She is well loved by her Kenyan friends and all of us who have had the pleasure of working with her through BBI. Eleanor will soon leave for Liberia through the support of Samaritan Purse. Another good job Eleanor. Thank you.
 
(Please see Eleanor’s personal letter posted separately.)
 
6. Kabaru Community Library – Please visit our Photos Page to view the newest photo album documenting the new library and the immediate response of the local children. The photos document the transformation of an existing 10 × 20 structure in the Kaburu’s compound.  Peter and James of the carpentry school did the hefty lifting (literally) of the building and moved it nearer to the front gate. The photos show the progression from a few children the first few days to overflowing with children within one week.  Esther wrote,” I have visited the library. It’s wonderful.  A real treasure to our children and the entire community.  Eleanor has included some of the books I love… e.g. WHERE THERE IS NO DOCTOR, SOLVING IRRIGATION PUZZLES and WHERE THERE IS NO VET FOR ANIMALS.” Good job Eleanor and Anne and all involved.

7. Eustace Kamunya – We are so sad to announce that at the end of December 2010,  Eustace Kamunya died suddenly of a heart attack. We continue to grieve for our loss of this wonderful loving Christian man.  As Rosemary and her family work to put their lives in order without their beloved Eustace, we at BBI wait to continue our active support.

Today I am working on a short-term contract in Kenya to help establish a community library in a region where there is no electricity and no running water- much less any libraries. Our aim is to bring books, audio and visual materials and other artifacts to the community to help increase their access to knowledge while also promoting a culture of learning. By doing this, it is our hope that we can help the community help themselves.
 
Over the years, I have worked on various projects in this region and learned countless lessons but undoubtedbly the most important lesson I have learned is to work hand-in-hand with the community. It is much easier said than done, but at the end of the day if the project does not resonate with the community, the project will fail no matter how well-intentioned it is. To me, it goes back to loving our neighbor. Many organizations come in with big budgets and great ideas, but they often fall short at respecting and loving the community they are aiming to help. It is easy to enter a poverty-ridden area and automatically feel sorry for the locals but I have learned that this gut reaction is often mislead. I have met people who cannot afford to eat more than one meal a day but they have a joy inside of them unmatched by any other. This simple discovery stirred within me a desire to learn from my neighbors, which in turn has facilitated a two-way relationship where we are both able to share our particular areas of knowledge and encourage each other.
Whether it is your dream to serve communities in far away lands or to serve your local community, take time to appreciate people’s unique gifts and knowledge and then work with them to determine the best way to spur on development. As my time in Kenya comes to a close, I look back and am incredibly appreciative for my Kenyan friends. The lessons I have learned from my neighbors, most of whom have not completed 9th grade, far surpass the knowledge I acquired during my graduate studies.
 
Never take for granted the lessons you learn when you stop and take time to live with a community different from your own. It is my hope for all of us to venture out into the world, eager to love and learn about the beauty of the nations. After all, one day we will all be together- people from every tribe, tongue and nation- worshiping our Creator. The more people I meet from different tribes, tongues and nations, the more joyfully expectant I become for the days ahead. 

Efforts are currently underway in central Kenya to develop the nursing profession through standardized practice, research, and graduate education. Our organization is actively engaged in supporting these efforts. We hope our investments in training and equipping health care professionals will lead to the development of a model program that can be implemented in any setting, austere or urban, to showcase the critical role of nurses in advancing global health initiatives.

In the spring of 2009, BBI decided it could help address these needs by funding construction of the WAKA Continuing Education Center in Nyeri, adjacent to the WAKA Maternity Home and Health Services Clinic, run by Rosemary and Eustace Kamunya. Construction began in August 2009 and the Center was completed in May 2010. The facility is centrally located, easily accessible by private and public transportation, and supported by basic infrastructure. The two-story building has two classrooms accommodating at least 20 participants/students per class and a computer lab for 20 students, along with an office, board room, kitchen, WC, space for humanistic models, and a small library.

The Kamunyas are BBI’s partners in the endeavor and are managing the Center. The couple have actively trained nurses for a number of years, Rosemary as a training adviser for the Kenyan programs of JHPIEGO, an international health organization affiliated with Johns Hopkins University, and Eustace as the principal of the Mt. Kenya Medical Training College. In addition to offering advanced training programs for nurses in the Mt. Kenya cluster, the WAKA Continuing Education Center will provide a means for other organizations to channel equipment and supplies to the area.

The building was dedicated on April 6, with BBI board members Poppy Buchanan and her daughter Lizzie Krump in attendance. It was Lizzie’s first trip to Kenya, and she was accompanied by her husband Tom and their four children: Poppy, Duncan, Aidan, and Josephine.

On June 4, a team from the Kenyan Ministry of Health visited the center and were impressed with what they saw. In their view, the Center has the potential to become a center of excellence and a model for similar facilities throughout the country. They highly recommended it for accreditation and registration for short certificate courses, which will allow local nurses to work toward an RN degree.