Kenyan Friends

We carry a little piece of each other in our hearts, and that is what we really care about, not this distance. 

It's a great privilege to have so many Kenyan friends!

Let me introduce you to a few of them.

First Joseph Mwengea, the Executive Director of Kenya Keys in Kenya.  Along with Rinda Hayes, he is a founder of this organization that has been such a force for good in the Taru area.

He is one of the most brilliant people I have ever known, with an interest in everything from construction to politics. I honestly believe that he could tell you the life story of each of the 900 sponsored students from the last 17 years.

Every team member who has ever gone to Taru will tell you that Joseph's wife Mwaka is a brilliant hostess, a caring mother, and a truly beautiful person.  Can you imagine preparing food for groups of foreigners who have totally different tastes and preferences from what is normal in rural Kenya?  She does it with grace and a smile.

Everyone falls in love with her!

We all agree that Mwaka is awesome!

Behind Mwaka is Gloria Hope, once a shy secondary student now an African celebrity who ran for political office, went to Cairo to an African Leadership conference and works hard to improve lives of girls and women in Kenya and the Sudan.

It is a privilege to know her.

Mwaka doesn't make our stay in Taru so pleasant all on her own.  Masaika and Rukia also help to cook and clean and wash and make us feel so at home.  These two have also become friends and we love to laugh and have fun together.  They are the two women on either side of me.

Mariam and Ann - both Kenya Keys board members in Kenya.  

Ann is a secondary school principal who has turned Taru Girl's School into something to be very proud of.  The campus is beautiful with new buildings and a verdant garden. The students are happy and achieving great success.

Mariam is a widow who has become a very successful business woman.

Stephen, a formerly sponsored Kenya Keys student, he is a very successful business man in Taru who employs several people.  I love the advice he shared for others who want to be successful in business.

Start small and be patient.

Be consistent and willing to sacrifice.

Look for opportunities

Connect with people

Learn to communicate

A young man who is definitely going places!

Daniel, also a Kenya Keys board member.  He is a pastor who has gone through many hardships but is now studying computer tech and has started a tea shop with his wife.  Their hope is to have a TV so that during the World Cup, customers can come in to drink tea and watch games.  If I were in Taru, I definitely would.

And his little girls are just the cutest!

Halima was also a sponsored student.  During the summer before she started the university, she volunteered at the Kenya Keys Community Library and we became friends.  Now she owns several successful businesses.  I love her mega-watt smile!

Iris - a nurse and a long time friends of Kenya Keys.  Her adorable little girl was abandoned at birth.  A policeman found her naked in a field with the umbilical cord still attached and took her to Iris.  It was that little baby's lucky day to be taken in, loved and cared for by Iris. The little girl's name in Swahili is actually Malaika, which means angel! Iris has some major health challenges but still has a smile and a warm hug for everyone she meets.

Raphael Mangisi - another Kenya Keys board member.  He was the driving force behind the only stand alone library at a primary school in the area.  Anyone who loves books and supports the reading culture is a friend of mine!

Do you see that small man on the right side of the photo in the light colored shirt?  That is Charles, one of my heroes.  He and his wife left their jobs in Nairobi to start an orphanage for AIDS orphans. Currently several of the children were rescued from human traffickers. I admire how he makes the children at the orphanage feel like family. They are his family.

Audrey - We became friends when I met her son way back in 2012.  5th grade James had read every book in the community library. You can read James's story. A great investment  After I met him, he went home and told his Mom that he had a white lady who was his friend.  Now we chat on Facebook and always make it a point to see each other when I am in Taru.  Currently James is  studying water management at the university.

Another good friend is Abdallah Ruwa.  He was the very capable teacher/librarian at one of the primary school libraries.  We got to know each other years ago at library meeting and felt an instant bond because of our dedication to our two religions.  You can read about this first encounter here.  Their Story is my Story

On this last trip I had the privilege of going to his home and meeting his family.  It meant so much to me that he took public transportation from the new school where he now works back to Taru just so I could come over and spend some time with his wife and children.  Abdallah recently got a promotion and now has his dream job teaching humanities at a secondary school about 30 miles away from Taru. 

Such well behaved, friendly children and a wife who is also a teacher!

I consider it a blessing to call them all my friends. 

Last but not least - Joseph Mbotte - our driver and safari guide. 

He stole my heart on my first trip when I arrived alone in Mombasa late at night after 20 hours of travel.  I walked out into the chaos and heat, not sure if someone would be there to pick me up.  As I scanned the crowd, I saw a big smile on a man wearing a Kenya Keys T-shirt!  Trust me when I say that I wanted to hug him! And I have felt that way ever since!

This trip it was a pleasure to introduce George to him and to also be introduced to his wife Mary! She's a primary school teacher/principal so we felt an immediate bond.