First work day at Gituamba

If you've read this blog prior years, you might remember the name "Gituamba". It was originally a settlement camp for displaced persons after the tribal violence following the Kenya presidential election in 2007.  Many people were uprooted from their homes and villages and were temporarily sheltered in tents in squalid conditions various places around Kenya. These were called IDP Camps, for "internally displaced persons". Gituamba was one of these camps. When we first came to Kenya in 2013, there were still many families living at this camp and others we visited. Ultimately, the government purchased the land and gave each family unit sticks and corrugated metal roofing to make a more permanent shelter on 2.25 acres. 

We worked on several of these IDP camps the first year, but Gituamba found a special place in our collective hearts. We have worked here each of the last six years, and it has become a special second "home" where we are very comfortable working and seeing old friends. We have witnessed an amazing transformation in this locale in many regards. It has made the change from a "camp" to a community. Families originally from different tribes live together in peace. What once was an old stone barn with squatters seeking shelter in it is now a thriving school. It now has a playground, an almost unknown luxury. The students are thriving as well, thanks to expanded facilities, new classrooms, a kitchen and dining hall with a hot lunch every day, and dedicated teachers and administrators. Academically, it's now the second school in the district and headed for first! All the residents of the community have clean water, thanks to one of the earliest efforts of SWOK, and they also have a beautiful church in which to worship. And we have had the blessing of being able to share in the construction of all these projects. 

And SWOK continues to drive improvement and excellence in this community. One of the projects we are working on this week is completion of an additional classroom building, with another one still planned. The steel is up, the concrete floors already poured by a previous team, and we are putting up classroom walls. Another part of our team is painting panels to be installed to prevent the transmission of sound across classrooms. And tomorrow, we begin installation of piping for a pressurized water distribution system for the kitchen and dining hall. 

Although today was a construction day, it was also a day for sharing lives and rekindling relationships. It was humbling to be able to share with friends of six years. They have so little but truly feel that they are blessed, and they thank God that he has sent us to them.  And we thank God that he has allowed our paths to cross in this far-away place. If we ever wonder why we come back to Kenya each year, we have to look no further than this.