Editor’s Note: Our fellowship recipient Emily Lohmeyer has been living and volunteering at Sure 24 since Dec. 29th. Sure 24 is a local orphanage in Nakuru, Kenya taking in children and giving them a safe place to stay, receive education, clothing, food, and the chance for a future. Read more about Emily’s experiences and the children she’s helping below with this week’s update.
I’ve been trying to soak it all in. The smells, tastes, sights, and most of
all the stories. We’ve been enjoying the last few days before school starts
for many of the children. We’ve been playing soccer, working on computer
skills, reading books, building desks, and eating lots and lots of good
food. I feel like I’m learning more and more by the second. Here’s another
story from one of the girls that I’m staying with:
Nancy – 14
When I was young, my parents divorced. My mom left but my dad stayed.
After a while, my dad decided to go too and he left us behind. My brothers
and sisters and I stayed all alone. One day, we decided to go to a new place
where we would be able to pay rent. I was carrying my little brother on my
back and I had to jump over some water. It must have hurt him because he bit
my back and then when I turned him around he bit my breast. That’s when I
started to be sick. I didn’t tell anyone though, I kept quiet.
My brother started working so I stayed home to care for my little brother. I
wasn’t able to go to school and study.
Nancy poses with a friend at Sure 24
In 2007 there were clashes and the tribes started fighting. One tribe said
that boys under 18 had to go fight or they would be killed, so my older
brothers left. I stayed at home with my little brother while my sister went
out to look for food. Then our house was burned down in the violence, and we
became hopeless. I found Marianne when I was looking for a new place to
stay. She asked me why I was carrying such a big baby, took me to a home,
and gave us food. I left to find my brothers and sister and when we came
back we told Marianne everything and she let us stay. That’s when I finally
told my brother about my illness. My brother went and found my mom and told
her, she came and visited me but she didn’t have money to take me to a
hospital. I still stayed at Jamii with Marianne because she was able to care
for us.
Four months later I started going to a clinic. After they saw me, they sent
me to an expensive hospital but I was not able to go so I just went home.
Outsiders came and said they would help me when they came back but they
never did. I lost hope in telling anyone about my problem, I would just tell
everyone I was fine but inside there was a lot of pain. Then my last born
brother got sick too. Marianne took him to the hospital but it didn’t work,
he passed away. We mourned and buried him.
Even after that I couldn’t go to school because I couldn’t walk far.
In 2009, a woman from the US came and she opened a free clinic at Jamii. At
first I refused to go. I didn’t trust them, I was telling myself, if my
brother died I must wait too. The doctor encouraged me though and eventually
I went. She saw that I was very sick and the next day she took me to
Kenyatta hospital in Nairobi. I finally got an operation and they removed
the lump. When I went back to Jamii many children had left so the woman from
the US stopped sending money for my treatment as well because she didn’t
know if I was even there anymore. So until now, I haven’t been able to
finish treatment.
Nancy
In the future, I want to be a journalist or a surgeon. I want to be
a journalist so that I can travel and find out how my country is doing and
compare it to other ways that people live. I want to be a surgeon so I can
help many people who are sick and dying. I want to treat the sick with a
kind heart and encourage them. I will have to study very hard, but I am very
determined to achieve my goals. I would also like to have a family, the
biggest family I’ve ever seen. I’d like to go live in Canada or some place
where my children will be able to go to school everyday and achieve their
dreams. I don’t want my children to live like me now. To other girls, I
would say that whenever you have problems you should tell your parents
quickly so they can help you.
Everything is possible with God.
Tomorrow I’ll be traveling with Nancy to Kenyatta hospital in Nairobi for a
consultation to see what further treatment she needs. I’m not sure what to
expect but I’m so excited that she will be able to atleast find out whats
going on, and hopefully we can find a way to finish her treatment! This was a
long one, thanks for sticking with me as I learn on this journey.
Let us knoow how we can help.