December 24, 2003

Dear Friends,

I'm now back in the United States, having finished my work in Kenya on Monday.

On Friday, my shooting in Ethiopia ended with a near-tragedy. Mini Desi, who at 20 months weighed only 11 pounds, had been getting worse over the week. Tuesday morning, when we arrived at ENAT, Mimi's eyes were glazed over. She was unresponsive and wouldn't eat.

She was brought to the hospital, where nurses and doctors tried for an hour to get an IV in. She was simply too thin, too small, to get the needle into the vein, and her body was cold by the time the doctor was finally successful. We all thought she had died, but somehow she stayed alive, and soon after the IV fluid started flowing, Mimi started crying. She was eating and doing a little better on Friday, when I returned to Kenya.

This is probably only a temporary victory for Mimi, as without anti-retroviral drugs her chances are slim. Please visit www.orphandoctor.com to find out more about the World Wide Orphans Foundation's work to bring anti-retrovirals to Ethiopia.

Friday evening I went with Ochieng to western Kenya to find out more information about his 13 year old brother, who on my last trip was in prison, accused of raping a 17 year old girl.

This trip, we again met with Ochieng's uncle on his mother's side. He told us that the police had been asking for a 10,000 shilling bribe (approximately $150), but since it wasn't paid the brother went to trial, was convicted and sent to a distant prison for 15 years.

At the trial, the boy did not have a lawyer, and had no one to support him or help him build a case. His uncle on his father's side (the uncle who kicked Ochieng off his land) even acted as a character witness against the boy. Again, though I cannot begin to judge the case, it is clear that because the boy has no family, the justice system is not giving him due process.

I returned to Nairobi on Saturday evening, but Ochieng stayed out in the west to visit his brother on Monday, when the prison was open. He hopes to find out more information about the 15,000 shilling ($200) fine which might get the boy out of prison sooner.

(In an interesting side note that is telling about the contrasts one finds in Kenya, Friday night Ochieng and I stayed in his uncle’s hut made of mud and cow dung. The family has no hopes of getting electricity or running water until at least 2010. But my mobile phone worked, and if I had had enough money in my account, I could have called anywhere around the world. I did send a text message to a friend in Nairobi, simply because I could.)

Back in Nairobi, Chalo's uncle came to visit the Good Samaritan Home and discuss the possibility of him transferring to a boarding school. Auntie, Chalo, and he agreed that this would be for the best, and they are looking for a school between Nairobi and Machakos, so Chalo can still be near his friends but also near his extended family so they can keep a better eye on him. He will probably transfer in the middle of the next term, which begins on 5 January.

Boss's life is far less settled. He is refusing to go to his family's land, claiming that they don't want him. He has also decided he does not want to be a carpenter, which the Home could teach him through their vocational training program. For the time being Auntie has given in, and is going to enroll him in an auto mechanic school.

On Tuesday, though, after I had begun my trip back to the United States, a Kenyan friend who I introduced to Good Samaritan took the kids to see his father's printing press and factory. One of the senior machine operators at the factory used to live on the street, and talked to Boss about how he got a job and moved off the street. They offered Boss a job at the factory, and he may begin work in early January. On my next trip, I will find out if Boss can remain focused enough to keep the job.

Having now visited the families of both Chalo and Ochieng, it is striking how educated they seem compared to some of their cousins. Though neither has been given any resources from their families, they have both been given a good education. Because the AIDS crisis has broken down the traditions of inheritance in much of Kenyan society, intelligence is all that the orphans at Good Samaritan have. If you are able, please help Good Samaritan continue to teach these children by making a donation to the Good Samaritan Education Fund. Visit www.orphansofmathare.com/howtohelp.html to find out how.

Until my next trip to Kenya, all the best and happy holidays.

--Randy