Pray for Kenya!

My last semester at Moody I had a brother named Paul in one of my urban ministry classes who had come from Kenya to attend Moody. I stayed in touch with him after graduation, and a couple of years after graduating he invited me to a celebration at his church - a Kenyan church plant on Chicago's northwest side. During the meal I met three young sisters from Kenya who were studying at Chicago State. All three of them are from the Maasai tribe in Kenya, and all three of them finished at Chicago State and are pursuing graduate studies here in Chicago with a vision to return to Kenya. Over the years, I have stayed in touch with the three of them via email. This morning, one of the sisters named Sitatian, sent me an email asking me (and others) to be praying for the people of Kenya. Here is what she sent...

Hello Friends and Well wishers:
I hope this finds you well. I am well. I am still living in Chicago. I am currently working for a few months after which I will go back to school for graduate studies. I have just been accepted at the University of Illinois School of public health to pursue a masters degree in Epidemiology with a concentration in Maternal Child Health. I am really excited about this opportunity and cannot wait to complete and go back to Kenya to help elevate the conditions of child health.

I am writing to ask for your prayer and support for the people of my community and family in Kenya who are suffering the effects of the severe famine that is facing Kenya and the bad economy world wide. Kenya and the Maasai community generally, depend on rains to sustain their animals and to grow crops. But during the last year, the rains were shorter than usual and this adversely affected the yield of crops which has led to the food shortage that is being experienced at the moment. Grass lands are very dry and cannot sustain the animals. Additionally, most streams have dried out and humans and animals have to walk more than 10 kilometers every other day to obtain water for drinking and house hold use.

I have just been informed that local schools at my village are closing because children are not attending school. The parents cannot afford to pay their school fees and in some house holds the children do not have food to eat so they are not allowed to go away from home. This is a very unfortunate situation that will affect the now and the future of these children. I know what they are feeling because I have lived it! I missed school so many days for lack of school fees and have gone hungry for a countless number of days. I am not there to share in their suffering but, I am hurting with them because I totally understand what it means for a young kid to go for a whole day or all night without food and actually not knowing whether they would get any on their next meal.

We are hoping that it rains in April as it usually does, but I am afraid that no animals will survive it till then. I hope the people do. Please remember them in prayer and any support will highly be appreciated. I am hopeful and wishing that one day they can get a borehole at the village that will, at least, provide drinking water.

PS: I have attached pictures of cattle that were recently sent to me. Notice how the grass land is dry! Just recently, some people received relief food from well wishers here in the USA but ,unfortunately it was not much to sustain them for long. The crowds you see on the pictures are women and children receiving the relief food.
Sincerely,

Sitatian Kaelo- for the Maasai community.
You may contact me at any time for ways that you could help.
Sitatian@gmail.com

Sitatian along with three nursing students(now registered nurses) came together to form a non for profit organisation(Emayian) in the Maasai land to help educate the people on nutrition and basic preventive measures. Its through this organisation that the people of her community are receiving some help in the form of relief as you have seen on the pictures.

The conditions are very bad right now and she is trying to create awareness through churches/organisations and individuals. So feel free to share this need and opportunity with people who may want to get involved and support the Maasai. You can freely do so through EMAYIAN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT.