Covenant Children Lakeside, Kenya, Africa
In the past, Covenant Children has worked with Paul and Jennifer Okello to modernize and enlarge the school they founded and ran. When Covenant Children met the Okellos, the school had one classroom of 6 and 7 year olds who were sent there primarily because the children would receive a meal. The school grew to such a success that Paul was named teacher of the year in Kenya when its first class graduated high school!
The Okellos retired to Jennifer’s hometown of Kisumu, Kenya, on the shore of Lake Victoria and that should have been the end of the story. And it was, until Lake Victoria flooded and destroyed most homes, including the Okellos’, and most livelihoods (which was fishing, until the flood sank all the fishing boats).
When we learned of this catastrophe from Paul, including the fact that they were now sleeping on a neighbor’s dirt floor with only the clothes they had on when fleeing the flood, Covenant Children, through generous donations, bought them land on which they constructed a two room house and then sent them donated clothes and blankets.
Below is Paul’s reaction to the clothing and blankets, in his own words:
Oh much excited oh the package. The items all in their numbers nothing missing has brought with it much much change.this blanket like the medic socks has made Jennifer so delighted shouting bye to cold evenings in this hilly residence.summarily we do not have words to fully express our thanks.THANK YOU. Paul and Jennifer
Now safe and warm, the Okellos did what they always do: look to help others. To that end, and with Covenant Children’s blessing, Paul formed in Kenya “Covenant Children Lakeside,” a charity based there and intended to help the local people, displaced and empoverished by the flood. Last week, Paul began the work by arranging a program to feed 55 people, eleven of the needest families, initially for two months. The cost? $.55 (that’s fifty-five cents) per person per day.
In consultation with Paul, its Covenant Children’s intention to help those families return to the fishing industry that supported them for decades. We are in consultation with Paul concerning micro loans to the fishermen (mostly fisherwomen, actually) or outright grants to allow them to recover their much wanted self sufficiency.