June 8, 2011 by Don
Water is key to life. ELI has partnered with and helped to stimulate a group of community leaders from Simit area in the Kerio Valley of Kenya to come together and use their strength as a group to make a difference in their declining community. Soil erosion and deforestation has had a devastating impact on the village= of Simit and the surrounding region. This week key leaders from the area have assembled at ELI training center in Ilula, Kenya for training and the making of a strategic plan and way forward. A proposal to the government is in process and many other activities are now underway. The people use to say there was no hope – but now – they are feeling and SEEING hope return as tree nurseries are being established and plans for a better future are in place as are community leaders to help implement the directives that come out of the meetings they are having this week.
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June 2, 2011 by dianahom
Our first group of seven children in the Kipkaren Children’s Home started High School at the beginning of this year. Upon their return home for a holiday break, they shared about their experiences. We are so proud of them and see future leaders being raised up. Here are two of their first-hand accounts:
High school turned out to be a different world altogether because last school year I was a pioneer in grade 8 but now I have started school all over again. Oh! Yes a journey of thousands of miles starts with a single stride. I had mixed feelings because I had parted from my old friends and I was going to gain new friends and new teachers. In primary school I only studied five subjects but I was now going to deal with eleven! They had more than doubled so I felt the need of doubling my efforts in order to cope up with the increased tasks. Actually with all this I most of all treasured the verse from the book of Psalms 23:1-6 which gives guaranteed safety and wellbeing to anyone who really depends and trusts in God. (more…)
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May 6, 2011 by Katie
“God has brought us far.”
It’s difficult to imagine what the kids at the Kipkaren Children’s Home in Kenya experienced to get to where they are today. Losing both of their parents. Being taken from life as they once knew it to start again in an unfamiliar place; meeting strangers for the first time who are supposed to become parents and siblings. Brian Kiptoo is in class 8 and dreams of becoming a flying doctor someday, the type of adventurous physician that responds to emergencies by flying to the bush in a helicopter to evacuate someone who has been injured. As we shared ugali and sukumaoiki one evening, he gave me a glimpse into what the beginning was like for them. (more…)
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April 29, 2011 by Don
The streets were filled with people moving rapidly to and from the market – dodging the river flow of motorcycles and well equipped four wheel drive vehicles.
This city of JUBA at one time was abandoned – no motorcycles and people moved about with great caution –not knowing if a soldier would come out from around the next building or if an airplane would fly over dropping as one child once wrote, “Fire from the sky.” Juba is soon the become the capital city of a new nation called Southern Sudan. After decades of war this city is on a completely new course. Its “personality” has changed from one of fear to one with a future which shouts for continued change as buildings and roads are being remade or built for the first time higher and higher into the sky. Flood control pipes are being pushed into newly dug trenches and scaffolding wraps around new structures on every other corner. People are returning to the city and surrounding areas with great anticipation but there is a problem. (more…)
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April 19, 2011 by dianahom
We love connecting donors with their sponsored class, so, it was especially great when a class of first graders from Bethany Elementary School in California decided to write to the fourth grade class they sponsor in DR Congo. Miss Olson’s first grade class prays twice a day for their sponsored class, once before lunch and then at the end of the day. The DR Congo flag is hung up in the classroom which spurs curious questions from other students in the school. It gives the children a chance to bring awareness of the children in DR Congo and how they are helping.
This first grade class in the USA and fourth grade class in DR Congo have connected via email and have sent letters and photos to each other. It has been a fun exchange of friendship.
Miss Olson’s class sent a photo of themselves holding signs that spelled out, “Jesus Loves You. Trust in Him!” When the fourth grade class in DR Congo received the letter and photo from their friends in the USA, they stood up, clapped their hands and said, “Glory to our alive God!” They were so excited to receive such a nice letter and photo from Miss Olson’s class. They hung the picture on the wall of their classroom as a reminder to pray for their friends. Then they responded with a photo in return with the students holding signs of their appreciation and blessings. It was a sweet exchange between children on opposite sides of the world.
If you would like to write to your sponsored class, send an email to sponsorships@empoweringlives.org and write your sponsored class number in the subject heading.
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April 6, 2011 by editor
I joined the ELI team in the summer of 2001, only two months after returning from my honeymoon. I was introduced to ELI by my husband who travelled to Tanzania on the first APU/ELI team in 1996. He had kept in touch with Don Rogers (founder of ELI) and the ministry and mentioned in a brief conversation with him that if an opportunity to work with ELI ever came up, I would be interested. In July of 2001 I received a phone call from Don who was living in Kenya and my life path was instantly changed.
At the time there was only one other person serving with ELI state-side. Kathy Gaulton, now Director of Heavenly Treasures, worked from her home in Temple City developing the handicraft-based empowering projects. Being that there was no office, my husband and I moved the entire organization into our home until Don returned from Kenya in the fall. (more…)
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April 5, 2011 by editor
ELI has been training farmers on how to increase their milk production, and we have engaged with micro-loans for those who don’t have the capital to get going, but there was another piece missing. How do we help farmers, especially poor farmers with smaller quantities get a better price for their product? Onesimus is a milk collection and cooling plant that was created to buy milk from the farmers in the Kipkaren, Kenya area and sell it to processors. It is run as a for-profit enterprise with the goals of generating income to help fund the ministries of ELI as well as stimulate the economy by developing the farmers in our community. In 2007, we began with an idea and did the necessary feasibility studies and business plans. By October 2008, we raised 2/3rds of the capital necessary to get up and running and began construction. We began collecting milk on April 1st, 2009, collecting 45 galloons that day. After 6 months, the business reached an operational break-even point. By the end of 2010, Onesimus has employed 12 people, collects approximately 2,500 gallons daily from over 4,000 farmers. We have been able to reinvest $20,000 of profits into initial capital needs, and we have begun contributing monthly from the profits to the orphanage. (more…)
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by Don
The visiting Team from Water of Life Church (Rancho Fontana Calif) has been an amazing help to our work. Their hard work and love for God is evident and a great blessing. Today: Painting Ilula Training Center Dining Hall – Roofing new Button Mushroom Production House – beading jewelry with kids – games at Childrens Home. All are doing very well! Thank you Water of Life!
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March 22, 2011 by dianahom
Today is World Water Day! This day has been internationally observed since the United Nations General Assembly deemed March 22 a day to “focus attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.” ELI joins in World Water Day 2011 by celebrating finishing the drilling of a borehole in Ilula! Thanks to the Second Watoto Race and the donations of many people from the US and Kenya, drilling of the borehole has been completed at the Ilula children’s home. Praise God! All the Ilula staff, children, Samro School children, and teachers gathered to witness the arrival of the drilling equipment on March 2, 2011. As the truck entered the Children’s Home gate, there was joyful singing, dancing, and shouting to celebrate. Children were in awe as they saw the big truck arrive that held the borehole drill. They had a lot of questions to ask from how the drill operates to when there will be fresh water running from the borehole. Everyone was surely excited! (more…)
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February 25, 2011 by dianahom
The children of our Kipkaren and Ilula Children’s Homes received new outfits for Christmas! The children were so excited to try on their new clothes and pose for some photos. Thank you so much to all of those who donated towards purchasing their new outfits!
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