Background: The Emmanuel Technical-Vocational School is located in Kibera, a slum
in Nairobi, where there are over a million people living in an area just over 1 square mile. This area has also
been deeply affected by the horrific riots and violence following the January elections in Kenya. Most youth in Kibera are unemployed, and learning a skill is the way for them to get out of poverty. Many youth are dissatisfied and hopeless. In the beginning of the year these were the youth that were stirred up by the politicians, and much death and destruction occurred.
The Project: In partnership with The Outreach Foundation and the P.C.E.A. Emmanuel church in Kibera, African Leadership plans to construct a
vocational/technical school in Kibera beginning this fall 2008. The vocational/technical school would be
unique to any other school in the Kibera area and would provide job skills to the many disenchanted youth in Kibera in the following training areas:
electrical, computer, carpentry, catering/cooking, car mechanics, welding, tailoring, and accounting/bookkeeping. The scope of this project encompasses construction of a two-story building containing these 8 classrooms and office, and providing the furniture and equipment required to train approximately 120 students.
This school will allow them to find jobs and support their families. They will be productive members of Kibera. In one year we will have the capacity to train up to 180 members of the Kibera community. This will have a great immediate impact and impact for generations to come. After the project is completed and equipped, the church will run and sustain the project.
Our partner Kevin in Sudan took this photo as he and his wife were flying over the orphanage in July. The boys’ dormitories are the two long buildings laid out in “L” shape near the bottom of the photo. As you can see, the first one already has the roof on. At the time of the photo, the second one only had the foundation built; but, as of now, the walls are nearly complete!
Thank you for your giving which makes this possible!
We received this story from one of our partners on the ground in Sudan, Kimberly Smith, in the village of Nyamlel.
I heard the trucks rolling through Nyamlel. Knowing they would be full of former slave women and children, I ran to the market to meet them. By the time I arrived, most of the women had climbed down the sides of the tall trucks and were sitting on the desert floor – watching the beating take place.
My eyes zeroed in on the angry Muslim truck driver who had sold passage to the women escaping slavery. These women had ridden high on open-air trucks sitting on top of large bags of cargo from which they would sometimes topple to their death on the desert floor.
The angry Muslim man was washing the sweat from his face with not some small sense of indignation. During the time it took me to get to the market, he had beaten one of the women he transported. An infant laid on the ground near her. Apparently, her older son, near starvation from the journey and whom she had birthed through the rapes of her “Muslim Master,” had torn into and eaten from one of the many 50-kilo sugar bags on top of which they sat.
I received no answer when I asked, “Where is the boy now?”
My memory latched onto the face of a small boy. I imagined it to be the hungry boy who stole some of the sugar he had sat upon. The boy in my mind had no hands. I never found the literal boy.
I learned the woman’s name was Sarah. She seemed to be in shock and would not talk to me. Sarah’s future did not offer much hope because her husband (who still lived in Nyamlel) had already been informed that her “illegitimate” son had “stolen” some sugar, and she was marked as a sex-slave by the Muslims. Her husband sent word that if he found her in town, he would immediately sell her to the next slave traders who came through. He said that Sarah brought him great shame.
Thanks to your generous donations, our partners in Sudan have an active fund for slave repatriation. For $1,000 we can build a home for women like Sarah and help to re-establish them in a supportive community. In Sarah’s case, we built her home in a separate village so that she is protected from slavery. She is in a small community of other survivors – learning to thrive.
We’re excited to welcome our first project in Ethiopia! Check out this video created by MC Member, Jacob Snodgrass, who was on our Mocha Club Ethiopia trip #4 in August. The video includes MC Director, Barrett Ward…
Ambo, Ethiopia is home to an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 orphans. 265 of those children are being educated and having their basic needs met by the Kale Heywet Church (“KHC”) in Ambo in conjunction with Compassion International. They are either single orphaned, double orphaned, or living with no/low income families that can not provide for their children’s education. With the growing number of children now at the KHC school, current classrooms do not provide enough room. It is not within the strategic plan of Compassion to fund the building of the school. There is also a demand by the government that the KHC provides appropriate educational facilities. Currently, a foundation for the new school building exists which had been built by the KHC, but they do not have enough funds to finish the project. This is where Mocha Club comes in!
>> Check out Jacob’s guest blog for his thoughts on the trip and how his life has been changed.
Editor’s Note: Jacob Snodgrass was on our Mocha Club Ethiopia trip #4 from July 29th-August 7th, 2008.
Jake with a child in Ambo, Ethiopia
Hi, my name is Jake Snodgrass and I am the Pastor at Ames Baptist Church in Oklahoma. It is hard for me to put into words clearly what the trip to Ethiopia did for me. There were many great things that I was able see. First, I was able to gain an appreciation for the work that Mocha Club has done and is doing in Africa. I also met great people that were fellow team members, ministry partners and leaders of local orphanages and programs. Secondly, I was able to see guys that I brought on the trip excel in loving others. All of these things served to bring clarity about what Jesus wants me to do.
When it comes to trying to follow Christ, I often overcomplicate it and become burdened really quickly by my ‘change the world’ visions. I become overwhelmed by the question, “Who is my neighbor?” and in my exasperation, I fail to be a neighbor to the guy I pass on the street. Wanting to fix everything, I end up doing nothing.
In Ethiopia, I learned that I could start by just doing something and allow God to use me however he wishes. I trust God. I trust that my hour spent in silence sharing pictures with a ten year old boy with HIV at Big A Hope in Addis Ababa accomplished what God wanted to accomplish. I trust that playing soccer in the mud with street boys in Ambo accomplished what God wanted to accomplish. I trust that my simple $7 dollars a month and my begging others to join me will accomplish what God wants it to accomplish. In my desperation to make a difference sometimes I simply have to be available and trust God.
Being available and trusting God also opened my eyes to some truths about the people I encountered in Ethiopia. Upon arriving home most people have said to me that a trip like this should make me grateful for all the things I have. I am certainly fortunate in many regards, but what I want most is Christ. More than anything else I want more and more of him. What I saw in many Ethiopians was that their lack of “stuff” allowed them to see Christ and encounter Him more deeply. I saw in many of the children, leaders and pastors that Christ had so deeply affected their lives that their joy was overwhelming despite impossible circumstances. If the things I have keep me from finding all my joy in Christ, then I don’t appreciate it, I hate it, or at least I hate what I have made it. I want what they have. I want more of Christ. In Ethiopia I was able to serve, love and learn. What a difference two weeks makes!
Are you a leader on your college campus…in your church…at your high school? Mocha Club is about to launch out a new initiative called Make Change that will equip YOU to activate your community by running a campaign to provide aid to millions suffering in Africa.
What is a campaign, you ask? It’s you using your VOICE and your LEADERSHIP to call others to come together and make change. You have the ability to engage your community to be a part of something bigger than themselves and make a huge difference! An initiative of African Leadership and the Mocha Club, a Make Change campaign is based on the premise that a little help goes a long way…and YOU have the power to influence your community to learn…to act…to give…to make change.
Just like in Mocha Club, you can decide on a specific project that gets you excited…like building clean water wells in Darfur, Sudan, or sending kids to school in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya, or supporting Child Mothers at the Village of Hope in Gulu, Uganda. As you continue to read and learn about the different areas of injustice all over Africa, try and notice what gets you the most fired up—that’s where your voice and your influence will be the most effective! Once you decide on the project area you think others would get excited about helping with, we can get you materials and resources to run a campaign – which can be one night, one week, one semester, or one year!
Mocha Club is all about creating community, connection, and a long-term commitment to give, while Make Change offers a short-term way for others to get involved by giving their time and their money through a campaign.
If this sounds like something you would want to be a part of, email us at makechange@mochaclub.org. And look for the launch of our site in the coming month.
It’s time to Make Change for our friends in Africa.
Editor’s Note: Dana McIntosh was on our Mocha Club Ethiopia trip #3 from July 17th-26th, 2008.
Dana with some children in Ethiopia
When I decided take this trip to Ethiopia, I had no idea God would use the Ethiopian people to help me see things about myself and about Him.
There are many scenes from my two weeks there that will be forever etched in my mind. I will never forget the huge smiles of those children who gathered around the buses upon our arrival. I will be reminded of the huge circle we made in the middle of the field, where we held hands, skipped around, with children singing in their native tongue. I will remember the church filled with so much rejoicing that my Bible vibrated. But, most importantly, I will remember the laughter of the children who seemed unaware that they had life-threatening diseases, were covered in mud, or had little to go home to.
To be honest, I wasn’t especially compassionate about the children at first. Everything I was seeing was exactly like the pictures I had seen on TV, but now it was in my face. The difficult images were confronting me, telling me that this impassioned, complacent person was not the person I wanted to be. I prayed that God would lift me out of my complacent state. It wasn’t until the next day, when our group was praying for the adoption process in Ethiopia that God spoke to me saying, “You should care about these orphans, because you used to be one.” It was then that being a child of God made sense to me. I began to see these kids through His eyes, and I wanted to give love and time to them, because I realized that is what I had been given by my Heavenly Father. He has fathered me, redeemed me, and restored my once-broken relationship with Him.
One of the obstacles was that my tendency to want to “do” things and talk to these kids through the language barrier kept me feeling like my time spent with them was wasteful. I prayed that I would learn how to be still and just be with them. I wanted to be able to show them a love that didn’t require words. At one of the orphanages, a little girl sat by my feet and dropped a ball through my hands for what was probably an hour. Her face lit up with joy with every drop of the ball, as if every time she did it was the first time. I realized God was telling me, “This is what I desire with you. I want you to just be still, sit at my feet, and forget all the distractions around you.” I was welcomed by these kids, not because of what I have, but because of who I am. And God thinks of me in the same way.
For me, this trip was more than just 10 days in Africa. This trip made me happy, made me sad, and made me see my God. I believe great outward change will come from the inward transformation I experienced when I was there. As I come back into American life, I have the great responsibility to act on what I experienced in Africa.
Our Mocha Club Events Coordinator, Marisa Van Houten, traveled to Uganda, Kenya, and Ethiopia in July to see Mocha Club projects.
Marisa at an IDP camp in Gulu, Uganda
It’s so easy to take a trip to Africa and leave feeling guilty and helpless. We compare our lives the only way we know how – by a material measure of stuff and stature.
So how do I come back to America and not be plagued with guilt?
The answer? By turning that guilt into gratitude. I can be grateful for the life I have been given – for the opportunities, for the provision, and most of all – for the position of influence. Because we live in America, with numerous outlets of communication and technology at our fingertips, we have the ability to share. We have been given the chance to influence our communities to join us – to flesh out the Africa our friends just hear about on the news. We can share pictures, because we have seen their faces and held their hands. We can share stories, because we have sat, listened, and spent time with them. We can encourage people to give of their time, their talents, and their money, because we have seen how far those things go, and we have seen the lives that are changed because we choose to consider others better than ourselves.
There is a song lyric I love that says, “Now that I have seen, I am responsible.” I have seen…and I am responsible. I’m responsible for doing my part to make change…to offer hope…to bring healing. I am so grateful to work with Mocha Club, and offer a tangible way for others to feel connected to the wave of hope that is spreading across Africa…wiping away injustice and replacing it with peace.
So don’t feel guilty – feel grateful. And let that gratitude lead you to give…of your $7, of your heart.
Editor’s Note: Sarah Connelly was on our Mocha Club Ethiopia trip #2 from July 5th-14th, 2008.
Sarah with some children in Ethiopia
Even though we were only in Ethiopia for 10 days, I experienced so much that it’s hard to put into words. Saying the trip was “amazing” doesn’t even begin to describe it. It was life-changing, and how do you put something life-changing into words? I went into this trip expecting to see God work through me to help the people of Ethiopia, but what I didn’t expect was to be on the receiving end of anything.
The people of Ethiopia helped me more than I think I could have ever helped them, and my life is better for having been with them. When I saw the children laughing and playing or the people just smiling, I thought to myself, “Why are you so happy?” I thought of all they don’t have, but they are so incredibly joyful. Then I realized they aren’t lacking anything. Sure, they may not have many material things, but they have so much more than that. They have life! When was the last time you saw someone who was truly happy just to be alive? I know I can get so caught up in what material things will do for me that I forget to stop and be grateful for what I already have.
The people of Ethiopia taught me to just take in every moment I have and not to worry about the next thing I am going to buy or the latest gadget hitting the stores. They taught me to love those around me and to love myself, to be happy with the life God gave me and to spread that happiness around.
The joy pouring out of these people is just contagious. Even if I was having a hard time facing the challenges of the day, just being around them lifted my spirits. They didn’t care what I looked like or what brand of clothes I was wearing – they just wanted to be with me.
I think one thing I would say to others going on a trip like this is to go with your eyes open to see how God might use the people of Africa to change you. Through their love and joy, I felt like they did more for me than I could ever do for them.
Editor’s Note: Missy Wood was on our Mocha Club Ethiopia trip #2 from July 5th-14th, 2008.
Missy (front center in black shirt) with some of her team members & street kids in Ambo
The most vivid chapter of my trip to Ethiopia was the time we spent in Ambo with street kids. Street kids are teenagers who have no family, money, food, or shelter: their home is the streets. We bought them lunch one day and just hung out with them for several hours. I asked our translator, “What would these kids like most for us to do with them?” He said, “Embrace them. That is all they want.” So, we did. We hugged them, talked with them, sang with them, laughed with them, and just loved them. This was my favorite day in Ethiopia, and possibly one of my favorite days ever.
Their joy is amazing, especially in the face of having so little. That day, around 5:00 pm, we had to let them go so that they could find a way to make money for dinner. One way they make money is by cleaning people’s shoes on the street. Since we had been playing soccer with them in the mud, our shoes were filthy. So we hired some of them to clean our shoes. While they were cleaning our shoes, we talked to other street kids that were standing around. They were asking us about America, and finally one of the guys on our team asked one of the boys, “Do you like it here in Ethiopia?” He replied with the biggest smile, “Ah, yes. It is the life!” See the pictures of these kids. See how happy they are? It’s not just because we were feeding them…they are genuinely joyful kids. They have hope.
We all have hope and long to be loved, but our currencies for hope and love vary. In America, our hopes and ambition can be centered around worldly gain: money, fame, and beauty. With all this at our fingertips, why would we put our hope in God or need His love? Perhaps if I step back from my worldly pursuits I will see that they are merely misguided attempts at finding a hope and love that only the Lord can deliver.
The people of Ethiopia are blessed with so little. All they know is how to love what little they have, and for most of them, what they have is just each other. Their hope is simply that they will continue to live each day. There seem to be so many opportunities for me to show Christ to these people, simply by showing them love. Of course, the irony is that they end up showing me more about who Christ is by the way that they love me.
