Kapcheswes

Kapcheswes (cap chess wes) is a children’s home about 2 miles away from the hospital. There are 35 boys and girls living there. They are essentially orphans, but not adoptable for various reasons. There is a board of directors that oversees the home. There have been various adults there that provide some sort of supervision and mentoring for the kids. However, the children are essentially self-sustaining. They harvest their own food, milk their own goats, wash their own clothes, etc. They attend school through the 8th grade. If their score is high enough on the national exam they are given the opportunity to attend secondary school and even a university because of funds provided from outside sources.

I made my first trek up there last night. The rest of our group has been there several times. They have been painting a “study” at the home. The ultimate goal was to paint a picture of the world on one of the walls. That is a major undertaking without brushes suitable for that purpose. We had to purchase paint from Eldoret because adequate quality water based paint is not available in Kapsowar. There are no paint rollers available nor masking tape nor drapes for the floor. All of the equipment has to be transported up there by foot, including the paint and the water to clean the brushes.

Life there is hard for the kids. I don’t even know if they have kerosene lanterns for light at night. There is no running water, nor electricity. There is minimal security. However, the community and local church looks out for the kids. Despite the circumstances, it is basically a safe place to live.

The plan was for the kids to spend the night last night and finish the job today. Everything was being prepared when Laura Rhodes came with terrible news. She did not feel it was safe for the kids to spend the night there. She had just heard that the male adult who was providing some of the supervision for the kids had alledgedly raped one of the girls at the home. Additionally, the female supervisor of the girls had been released because it was believed that she was stealing food from the children.

We found the kids there in remarkably good spirits. They enjoyed having us come and spend the time with them. They watched us fill in the map, one country at a time. We had purchased the primary colors (blue, red, and yellow) and mixed them together to provide contrasting colors for each country. We made small paint brushes by cutting bristles off of the larger brushes we had purchased and used rubber bands to secure the bristles to sticks. We cut a water bottle in half, the long way, and made two paint containers for the paint. We nearly finished the map, but it was getting dark and we had to leave. The job will be finished next week by Amber (a physical therapist visiting here from Minnesota) and Ariella (a pre-med student from Harvard).

Before leaving we handed out shoes and clothes for each of the kids. These were either brought to Kenya by the kids, or purchased here. Anjaela sent a dress and we gave it to a little girl. She was very pleased to receive it. All of the kids were excited with their gifts. They did not hoard the clothes. They looked out for each other, making sure that each child got their fair share.

We then left for home to share a meal with friends in our modest home with running water, electricity, refrigerator, etc. They likely went to bed not long after we left. The sad thing is that they went to bed alone. There are no adults there now to look after them. The board of directors needs to find trustworthy adults willing to live in that situation, essentially functioning as a volunteer. A miracle is needed.

Please pray for the children of Kapcheswes. Pray for wisdom for the board of directors. Pray for the emotional and physical protection of the girl affected by the tragedy. Pray for the perpetrator as well.

We leave tomorrow for home with the people of Kapsowar and the children of Kapcheswes in our hearts. We long to be home as well. Thanks again for your interest in this adventure of ours.