Posts by dianahom
May 9, 2012 by dianahom
We can’t thank you enough for sponsoring our children and for increasing your giving. We had positive responses to the need to increase sponsorship fees to care for our children in both Children’s Homes. In Ilula, 84% of sponsors increased their giving and 78% in Kipkaren. What a tremendous act of sacrifice and love. Thank you!
With your sponsorship, we can continue to give these precious children an opportunity to live their lives with a hope and a future.
The children and our staff in Africa want to express their gratitude towards you in a special video.
Questions or comments? sponsorships@empoweringlives.org
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April 27, 2012 by dianahom
Mrs. Mushengenzi Zihalirwa with her second grade students
We asked our second grade teacher, Mrs. Mushengenzi Zihalirwa, from our school in DR Congo why she likes teaching at ELI’s School. Here are some of the things she said:
ELI gives the poorest of the poor children an opportunity to study.
We provide both intellectual and spiritual education
We hope that children and their families will know the love of God
Our school gives hope to the children, especially since the children come from poor backgrounds and many of their parents would not be able to pay for their school fees.
An education will help children be able to contribute to society in a useful way.
As teachers we receive training and attend regular seminars to ensure good quality education with results in the success of our children.
Our teaching methods create positive interaction between students and teachers which encourages students to participate in the lessons.
By providing food (porridge), ELI helps reinforce active participate of students during class because they are not tired.
We provide a good spiritual environment which is not only present in our school, but impacts the community and neighborhood; this makes parents want to send children to our school.
Thank you to everyone who is supporting our school!
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April 20, 2012 by dianahom
Jacob’s blood count is still low. He received a blood transfusion on Wednesday but still needs another, however, the hospital did not have the correct blood needed for the transfusion. The doctors are not completely sure what is causing Jacob’s nose bleeds and anemic blood. They are thinking about doing another bone marrow test. Please continue to keep Jacob in your prayers and for insight into what is causing this sickness in his body.
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April 19, 2012 by dianahom
Thank you to everyone who has been praying for our school in South Sudan and for our students. Our school is still temporarily closed during the time of disarmament in South Sudan, but, our 8th grade students continued to prepare for mock final exams that took place March 29-30th. These mock exams were in preparation for the final exams they will take in order to graduate from the 8th grade. Our 8th grade class consists of 17 students and all of them passed these mock exams! Please pray for them as they continue to prepare for their actual final examinations. Please also keep South Sudan in your prayers as they build the new country and avoid an internal war.
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April 18, 2012 by dianahom
Hello ELI Family!
Thank you for all your prayers for Jacob in our Kipkaren Children’s Home. Please continue to pray for him. He is back in the hospital in Eldoret after experiencing profuse bleeding from his nose. After consulting the staff in the clinic it was decided he needed to return to the hospital in town. Blood tests showed that his blood count numbers are dropping again. We are not sure if the recent set back is a result of having malaria. Please pray for healing for Jacob and for doctors as they work to determine the cause of Jacob’s low blood count. Please pray that Jacob would remain at peace despite his physical struggles.
Thank you!
CLICK HERE for the previous prayer update
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April 13, 2012 by dianahom
Hi ELI family. We would love your prayers for one of the boys in our Kipkaren Children’s Home. Jacob Ayieko has recently been diagnosed with a very serious anemia. About three weeks ago he was taken to the emergency room because he was very sick. At one point they thought that it was a very rare type of anemia that could become life-threatening. However he has been able to see a hematologist (blood specialist) who does not believe that that is the case. Until recently he was sent home to rest.
On April 11th we received another update that Jacob went to the clinic with lots of headaches and high fever; he was also having trouble seeing. They tested him for malaria and it was positive. He was also positive for malaria when he was in the hospital a short while ago. We think his immune system is just so low that he is catching everything. They are giving him an IV drip and he is resting at the clinic. Please pray for his strength to improve. Evidently his blood count is improving but he is just so sick.
We would appreciate prayers for his physical and emotional strength and healing. We will keep you posted.
Thank you for partnering with us in prayer for Jacob!
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April 10, 2012 by dianahom
We received a request from our ELI South Sudan Director to join him and the people of South Sudan in prayer. The South Sudan army has taken measures to disarm villages of any guns. To protect the children from any potential harm if a fight breaks out during the confiscation of the guns, schools across the country have closed. They don’t want any children to be around or in school while this process takes place.
Normally our school takes a month holiday in May and again in August, however, to accommodate the current situation of disarmament of villages, the children will have a holiday this month (April) so that the normal academic year can be kept on track.
Please join us in prayer for the following:
- Peace for the nation. Wisdom for the New South Sudan leadership so as to avoid a return to war (this time an internal war).
- Conviction of rebels, that they will be saved and transformed by the grace of God.
- For protection over our school children (some conflicting tribe bandits sometimes move in quickly to steal children and cows)
- Protection for our school compounds and structures (safe from any military control or physical damage).
- Protection from emotional trauma for the villagers and children.
- For the Christian Church to grow in vitality in the midst of and in spite of this situation and threat.
Thank you friends for caring and for remembering a people who have undergone more than we can imagine.
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March 13, 2012 by dianahom
Daniel is one of the new 10 boys to the Ilula Children’s Home. He is 6 years old and arrived on January 12. Orphaned in 2009 when his single mother passed away, Daniel and his siblings lived with their widowed grandmother who could not take care of all the children. When she heard about ELI’s Children’s Home, she was eager to have him take the opportunity. When Daniel first arrived to the home, he was very scared to be left with people he did not know. He cried when his aunt left him but after a few minutes of the children welcoming him, he was reassured. He now enjoys being in the home.
Upon his first medical check-up, Daniel was being examined by one of our volunteer nurse practitioners (Jessica) and asked me in Kiswahili, “Na mimi nawezakua daktari?” (Can I be a doctor/physician?). I could not hold back my tears upon hearing his question because there was so much hope in his inquiry. I asked him why he wanted to be a doctor and he said because he liked how Jessica was helping people and he wants to do the same by helping people back in his home village. I encouraged him and his dream to become a doctor. During his check-up he would put on Jessica’s stethoscope and say, “mimi ni daktari kutoka leo” (I am a doctor from today). My prayer is that one day Daniel will achieve his dreams of becoming a doctor and return home to help his people.
By: Dorcas Jerotich, Ilula Children’s Home Secretary
Daniel is still in need of full sponsorship ($100/month). If you would like to sponsor Daniel or any of the children still in need of sponsorship, please fill out our ONLINE FORM or send an email to sponsorships@empoweringlives.org
Dorcas and Jessica performing medical check-ups
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February 17, 2012 by dianahom
February 12th was a unique Sunday as we received 60 students from 3 university campuses in Eldoret, Kenya (Moi Main Campus, Annex School of Law and Chepkoilel Campus). The students belong to the club called Christian Concert Group Spread.
The group had wanted to visit an orphanage to donate food and clothes. John, my son and a 5th year Civil Engineering student, invited and organized for the coming of his fellow student colleagues.
All 60 students attended and participated in a church service then shared lunch with the kids. In the afternoon they sang, danced, played soccer, volleyball, jumping games and all other fun games with the kids. It was really fun for everyone. Finally we assembled for the university students to present gifts to the kids which included rice, maize flour, sugar, cooking fat and a lot of donated used clothes. It was a time filled with great excitement! A few children from the Home represented all their siblings and thanked the Christian Concert Group Spread for coming, interacting, playing with them and donating clothes and foodstuff for them. Some representatives of the university students then expressed their excitement at the discipline and good care the children receive and encouraged them to work hard to join university where they can study law, education, engineering, nursing etc.
Patrick, one of the students who studies microbiology, encouraged the children by explaining society needs educated people in all fields to be able to serve the masses suffering from ignorance and prevalent diseases. The children were encouraged and motivated to do everything to glorify God. It was a well spent Sunday. Everyone was very happy but reluctant to part even when darkness approached and the vans had yet to come and take the students back to their campuses. The children were very happy and tired at the end of an eventful day.
- Laban Rono, Director of Ilula Children’s Home
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February 6, 2012 by dianahom
It is with much joy that we celebrated our third group of first year students in our Ilula Children’s Home who are off to high school. Before they left for school, the 13 children had a meeting with the Directors of the Ilula Children’s Home (Laban and Angelina, AKA “Babu” Grandfather and “Gogo” Grandmother) and Don and Amy Rogers. It was a time of congratulating them on this new step in life with cake (lovingly baked by Amy) and giving last minute “life advice”. We are so excited for our children and pray they are shining lights for Jesus in their new schools and do well in their studies.
Celebrating with cake
From Left to Right: Rose, Thomas, Alex, Jonah, Emmanuel, Dickson, Hellen, Francis, Vincent, Sharon, Emmanuel and Faith (missing from photo: Mercy)
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