A Huge Boon for the Girls of Samburu

Today we received the best news we'd had in a long time: Lynn and Cecily Woodbury, the generous donors who had given $25,000 in matching funds for our beautiful Taru Secondary School Library, agreed to join us again for the building of the girl's dormitory we have dreamed of building for years. The Woodbury's matching funds of another $25,000 put the realization of this dream within reach for 2011. We couldn't be more pleased.At the conclusion of our last trip to Kenya in June, it was the consensus of all, Kenyans and Americans alike, that the most important of all needs right now was the building of a dormitory for 160 girls at Samburu Secondary School. We had spent a month exploring this need, listening to the girls describe their struggles, visiting their horrifying "apartments" near the school, following the ones home that had to walk long distances. We gained appreciation for what they went through to try to get water, secure food, wash their clothes, try to stay clean - all the basics of life. On top of this we saw how they tried to study under the dim, sooty light provided by a tiny kerosene flame, and we heard about what it was like to try to sleep when men were pounding on your door demanding sexual favors. The fear and hardship that was part of their everyday life was both humbling and astounding. From attacks by elephants, to rapes on the way home from school, the challenges of their lives went beyond anything we could have imagined.And so it was that we concluded that the building of a dorm would be our top priority. World Vision had already built a foundation for the first half. We determined that we would commit to finishing that first half, plus the matron's quarters. We wanted to know that by the time we returned in May 2011, we'd know that 80 girls were living in a place where they were safe and secure; a place that would help them in their efforts to become the educated girls in their families.It looks like this dream is well on its way to becoming a reality. Thank you to the Woodbury family for helping get this project off the ground! Now we just need to raise the money they will match.