A big Thank You goes out to everyone who attended Rock The Cause at The Double Door last Thursday. Following two great performances from It Is What It Is and 28 Mansions, we managed to raise close to $2,500 to help complete construction of the House of Hope orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya.

Along with your donations, many of you expressed interest in taking a trip to Kenya to volunteer at the orphanage once it's completed. Although there's no guarantees in Africa, i'm hoping that the House of Hope will be fully staffed an filled with kids by the end of summer 2010. So if you are interested and beginning to plan vacations and short-term leaves for the upcoming year, plan to head to Nairobi sometime after July. Above all, however, please contact me directly regarding your interest so we can discuss the multitude of questions which I imagine you may have.

Special thanks goes out to David Selmer and Denise Andras for making the Chicago Fundraiser a success. I look forward to seeing everyone at our next Chicago fundraising event in the new year!

Construction Update - 27 October

Before leaving Kenya, Irene took me one final time to see how the construction is going. Friends Annie, Katie and Tami joined us, enjoy the photos!

Construction Photos!

*PHOTOS ARE NOW POSTED! ENJOY!
Now I was really excited to post photos for this post, because I know that there are many people back home who are interested in the status of Lord's House of Hope orphanage in Waithaka. Hopefully I'll be able to come back later and get some images uploaded in order to show you how wonderful everything is looking.
First of all, the land is just superb! Joe has told me all about it and I've seen photos but until I didn't fully appreciate its beauty until I was actually standing on it. The big trees and green hills are a far cry from Kibera or the IDP camps around Nakuru. What a wonderful environment in which to raise 40 kids!
The construction is really moving along and both Irene and I were thrilled to see how much has been done. I was able to walk out on the roof of the first floor and to really take it all in. The six men working on the project, employed from the Pipeline IDP camp, have been working extremely hard and were proud to show off what they've accomplished. It was such a wonderful moment - standing on the roof of the orphanage and looking out over all of the beautiful land on one side and the buildings that are beginning to take shape on the other. (Joe, I tried to call you to let you share in the moment but I got your voice mail.)
I've talked to Irene and we are going to organize a couple of days in the next couple of weeks for my friends from Chicago (and other volunteers if they're interested) to come and help with the manual labor. I'm looking forward to getting my hands dirty (or dirtier, seeing as no hands that spend their days in Kibera can be considered clean) and leaving my mark on the building.
To Judy, Karen, Joe, David and all others who have given of themselves to this project: well done! I know that if you could see it now, it would leave a huge smile on your faces!

Jambo from Safari Jenn!

I hope everyone is doing well back home! After much too long of an absence, I'm finally back in Kenya! I visited the site of the Lord's House of Hope on Friday and have posted about it on my blog Safari Jenn. Please check it out to see more photos and read all about it. Feel free to follow my time in Kenya.

Until next time!

Foundation of Hope!

The Lord's House of Hope Foundation started on July 27th after the Ground Breaking Ceremony. Around 16 workmen began the process of digging the foundation by hand, bending and cutting the wire with a homemade device made out of a tree stump to make the pillars and mixing the cement by hand by adding cement, stones and water. The workmen work very hard getting paid around $5.00 a day, and are very happy to be able to work so they can feed their families. We are very blessed to have an excellent contractor and security guard to make sure that the work is being done correctly and the materials are protected. Irene, who we have partnered with in Kenya, is a tremendous help and we "thank" her for all that she has done and will be doing. The foundation will be completed by the end of October and then the next stage of construction will begin after funds are raised.

Ground Breaking!

Jambo!

I'm delighted to pass on wonderful news from Judy and Karen in Kenya - The Lord's House of Hope has officially broken ground! A beautiful and moving ceremony took place at 10AM Kenya time on Monday, July 27th and everyone is extremely excited!

A Busy Summer On The Horizon....

This is from Judy Wilson.... whose technological illiteracy defies all logic ; ) -joe
________________________________________

Habari yako!

Getting very excited about leaving with my good friend Karen on June 24th for Kenya! We plan on being there for 6 weeks, during which we plan on helping and supporting the construction of the orphanage, handing out Bibles to all the workers, having blankets made for the children, delivering supplies to the Refugee Camp in Nakuru and spending time with our extended family. Local volunteers have created prayer shawls for all the children and adults that will be living in their new home. We are also bringing Educational Materials for the children to learn and play with. We will be attending a wedding for our dear friend Mercy while we are there as well.... and we are very excited for this.............Lastly, look out for my new hair doo!

Watch out for updates in Kenya if I can ever get this technological stuff figured out!
Kwaheri,
Judy

It's movie time!

The Lord's House of Hope now has it's own YouTube channel where all of your favorite volunteer-made Kenya videos can be found in one place!  So grab a box of Kleenex and get ready to be moved by the faces behind this project - the children of Kenya.

The Man with the Plan

Jambo rafiki!

We are all very excited to announce that we have found an architect in Kenya to partner with us on this project!  Kennedy was educated at University of Nairobi where he earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree.  He has 14 years of experience, is registered by The Board of Registration of Architects and Quantity Serveyors of Kenya (BORAQS) and has a good understanding of the Nairobi City Council.  Kennedy comes highly recommended by Nick, an engineer that David worked with during his time in Kenya.

We would all like to welcome Kennedy to our Lord's House of Hope family and thank him for agreeing to partner with us.

A Hole in One!

To everyone who participated in the Lord's House of Hope fund raiser golf outing on May 9, we can't thank you enough!  It was a fantastic success, raising more than $7,000 for the project!  Together we can truly make a difference for these orphans in Kenya - ASANTE SANA!

Mad River Madness!

I just wanted to write a quick post to thank everyone who came out to Mad River for the bar night fund raiser last week!  It was a huge success and your support and encouragement was truly appreciated.

Be on the look out for more LHOH fund raising events at Mad River - the bar loved our group and the cause and they're eager to work with us again.

A huge ASANTE SANA!!!

Hey Chicago, Raise a Glass!

We hope that all of you Chicago folk will join us for a fun bar night fund raiser!  Feel free to bring your friends and coworkers, details are below.

Where: Mad River (2909 N. Sheffield)

When: Thursday, April 30 from 7-10

Mention "House of Hope" at the door to purchase a $20 bracelet which will get you unlimited well mixed drinks, domestic drafts, wine, pizza and pasta for the evening.

Hope to see you there!

An African Dinner

Please join us for a night of African cuisine at the Seymour Hotel to learn more about The Lord's House of Hope and help raise money for the children of Kenya!

When: Wednesday, April 15 2009 at 6pm
Where: The Seymour Hotel, 210 S. Main St, Seymour, WI
Cost: $25 (includes family style chicken and tips meal with all the fixings and donation to The Lord's House of Hope)

Joe Wilson and David Selmer will be on hand to share their experiences in Kenya and the status of The Lord's House of Hope orphanage.

For more information and to purchase a ticket to the meal, please contact lordshouseofhope@gmail.com

"Welcome to Kibera" Video

Hi Everyone!

Be sure to check out Welcome to Kibera, a short video introduction to life in the Kibera slums of Nairobi, Kenya.

jenn

Construction Has Begun!

Taken from an email written by David Selmer on 29 January, 2009.

...I am the lucky one that gets to start building here in Africa!  Mornings have started at 6am (told you I wasn't on vacation here) and work wraps around 7pm.  Some of the men sleep at the site - I tried it myself a few times before finally realizing that, try as I might, I'm dependent on a shower and bed to function.  The first project I am building is a boundary stone wall.  The work is shoveling all day, masonry, mixing concrete by hand, hauling concrete, lifting 65kg stones... you know, the usual lawyer gig.

The challenges are many, but how cool is it to hire some 30 guys/day to build your own orphanage.  unlike the states, you don't just go to the Home Depot, or order the pre-made materials.  You go to the quarry yourself, hire guys to smooth rocks, hire men to cut down trees and cut trees into timber, hire guys to chip at stone to make ballast, hire guys to sift the river's sand to remove the stones, etc.  There are no machines in these projects either - all digging, hauling, pushing, lifting, is done by man power.  The work mixed with the cheap cheap cost of labor makes me laugh at the fact that I used to pay more to work out at a gym.  $2 buys a good shovel and that's all you need here.

Love to you all - 

David

PS - If any of you were looking to help sponsor a child, please read below:

There is this really amazing kid working with me at the site.  His name is Carisse and he's 15.  He's been an orphan as his parents died of AIDS.  (He is HIV negative, thank God)  He works to earn money to do a term of school, then drops out to earn the money to go back to school.  He's been doing this for some time and only has 3 years left before he gets his diploma of secondary school.  His grades are fantastic despite the rough go he has of trying to find a place to stay, work, food, clothes, etc.  He would like to be an architectural engineer eventually.  Presently I am housing him at the site and he is working with the builders and me to get some experience in building.  I will be sending him to school on Monday for the next term, but am already over-extended in sponsoring kids and cannot take him on for the remaining 3 years.  The cost per year will be about 150,000 Kenyan Shillings (about $165/month) for uniform, school fees, transport, room and board.  I will send you an itemized list if you are interested, and all funds can be sent directly to his school avoiding any complications with taxes or thoughts of misallocation of funds.  The total cost does not have to be carried by just one person -  you can contribute what you can/want and hopefully together there will be enough support to help Carisse out.

If you are interested in helping Carisse, please send an email to lordshouseofhope@gmail.com to be put in contact with David.

A Visit to the Refugee Camp

Taken from an email written by Joe Wilson in September, 2008.

Hello from afar!

Yes, once again the time has come for me to send a little communique to all of you wonderful people that I have the pleasure of knowing back home.  After a great deal of travel to some of the world's most fascinating locations I've now found myself back in a dusty, overcrowded, heavily polluted and 100% McDonald-less corner of the world known as Mother Africa.  It feels so good to be back!

After only being here for a week, I see things so much differently the second time around.  The cultural traditions, the less ambitious pace of life and, most notably, the incredible level of poverty that still exists here - all seems to hit some sort of proverbial "shield of expectation" within me.  Perhaps best compared to the likes of a surgeon who has performed too many unsuccessful ER operations... I feel less affected, on an emotional level, to my surroundings. 

One incredibly strong exception to this has come from what I experienced one day ago, in the city of Nakuru, about 3 hours from Nairobi, Kenya where I'm staying.  About 9 months ago, a corrupt election led to massive violence across the country.  Riots ensued; buildings were burned and ultimately tribal persecution let to genocide.

What remains today in Nakuru is the country's largest refugee camp: over 12,000 people - penny-less families, and what feels like enough orphans to occupy Lambeau Field, all stacked on top of each other in a holding ground that is lacking in every imaginable way.  Living two families per UN donated tent, they receive rations of food once or twice a month, have no electricity, a river of sewage between the tents and one water pump for 12,000 people.  

Even after expecting it, seeing it was hard to take in.

Given the fact that I know many of you want to help the disadvantaged in some sort of way, I've decided to rent a Military Cargo Truck and fill it with as much food as all of your donation dollars can buy.  Whatever you donate in the next two weeks will 100% to toward buying bags of Rice, Flour, Beans, Sugar, Potatoes and other dispensable food for the camp.

Best,

Joe

Joe was able to raise almost $2500 to purchase more than 7 tons of beans, flour, corn, greens and rice for the refugees at the camp.  Go here to see a video of the food distribution.

Purchasing Land

The following is from an email sent by Joe Wilson in September 2008.

Hello everyone...

I wanted to take some time to update all interested parties on what is taking place with the progression of The Lord's House of Hope over here in Kenya.

...My current goal is to find 2 plots of land (1/2 acre) for 1.4 to 1.4 million Kenyan shillings (around $20K).    Each passing day, however, is proving that this may be very difficult to accomplish.  On an additional note, the corruption here leads from the common scam artists all the way up to government within the Ministry of Lands.  the possession of a "Title Deed" here doesn't carry the same piece of mind that it does at home.  Just this morning, after speaking with multiple contacts, I bailed out on an offer that at home in the US would have appeared to be "iron-clad."

Now for some good news regarding our budget: construction costs (mainly labor) are much cheaper here than in the US!  As an example, I met with George, the head of the host family that I stayed with in 2006.  He shared with me the blueprints and cost breakdown for his 4-story, 8-unit residential apartment building that is currently being built in his backyard.  The total cost of land improvements was just over a mere $100K!  This is very encouraging!

George is going to be working with me to make contacts in Kenya so that we can hopefully work with these individuals overseas to have all pre-ground breaking requirements satisfied prior to our groups arrival in the summer of 2009...

...And with that, I will come to a close.  Thank you again to all who are taking the time out of their busy schedules to work through what can only be described as the lower rings in this project's upcoming ascent to greatness.  I appreciate so much the opportunity.  Being here is like an injection of inspiration, remind me of what it feels like to stand up for those who don't yet have a voice in this world.

Best,

Joe Wilson

Joe eventually purchased 1/2 acre of land for Lord's House of Hope in Waithaka, Kenya, just 10 minutes away from the capital city of Nairobi.  A photograph of the site of The Lord's House of Hope - all of the green grass and open air is a far cry from life in the slums!

Karibu!

Welcome to the blog for The Lord's House of Hope, an orphanage being built in Waithaka, Kenya.  The Lord's House of Hope will provide a loving home to over 40 Kenyan slum and refugee orphans.  Thank you for visiting and please check back often for updates on construction, ways to help this cause and volunteer opportunities in Kenya.

Asante!