Gifts...

Together with the delivery of the Land Rover two weeks ago, some other important equipment and gifts also arrived in Kenya. During the past two weeks I had the opportunity to be involved in the process of handing them out, and I wanted to take this time to thank the relevant people who gave, gathered and boxed everything that was sent over in December - people are now seeing the benefits.

In Mombasa, I visited the Association for the Physically Disabled of Kenya's (APDK) Rehabilitation Clinic in Port Reitz. Here, Footsteps International has had some involvement in donating and assisting particular children. The clinic mostly works with children who need orthopaedic surgery to correct physical disabilities in their limbs, but they also undertake life-altering neurosurgery. They perform the surgery and provide rehabilitation; sometimes the patients stay for many months and receive in-house schooling and tuition.

The container that Mission Care International organised carried toys, books and gifts. I was there when Martin and Mary Print of Footsteps handed these out to the children. Some of the children had suffered so much trauma, but through the work of the APDK Rehabilitation Clinic they have found not only life-changing surgery, but also the hope that when they return home they will be integrated into and accepted by their communities. Their response to the gifts was beautiful - they sang, clapped and enjoyed their first playtime. It was fantastic!

Amongst the many other items that were delivered with the container were computers donated by Bickley Primary School. The pupils of both Bishop Wambari Secondary School and the AIC Polytechnic College are now receiving much needed computer training thanks to the generosity of Bickley Primary. I spent time watching as the students had a computer class last week and they are a huge benefit to the operations of both institutions.

Finally, this week, I was with the Sunshine Boys. The boys were sent a bag of gifts (similar to the shoeboxes that many organisations send at Christmas time). Although these arrived late for Christmas, due to the troubles slowing the transport in Kenya, it didn't affect the excitment of the ex-street boys who received the gifts. I need to particularly thank Alison Evelyn-Rahr and her whole family, who organised, gathered and packed the gifts. Giving the boys their bags was a huge success and a very moving experience for me. It is often said that we take so many things for granted in the UK, but the sheer delight expressed by the boys as they received a bouncy ball or cuddly toy was quite magnificent. We have so much - what a privilege it was to bring such joy to these boys who have had a difficult start to life. With the work of Footsteps and Mission Care International, their future is so much brighter.