A homecoming in Maseno

A homecoming in Maseno

Last Monday we returned to Maseno, the place where Jim and I had spent three months last year.  I have been anticipating this homecoming, and I was not disappointed.  We were heartily welcomed by all—the students and staff of St. Phillips and especially Nancy Hardison for whom we had worked during our previous stay.

The teacher training seminar in a nearby school went much like the first one with the teachers being receptive and enthusiastic about the instructional methods that we shared.  It was another good week for us.

With the emphasis on the teacher seminars, I was not sure if there would be time and opportunity to see some of the friends I had made in the Maseno community, but it turned out that I was able to re-connect with many.  The person whom I wished to see the most was Gladys of Phoebe House, and it is that visit which I would like to share with you.

Phoebe House

Last March I wrote a lot about Phoebe House.  To refresh your memories, it is a half way house to restore women and their children back to health after a hospital stay for HIV-Aids related medical incidents.  These women, most often widows who contracted HIV-Aids through their husbands, are shunned by their families and villages.  When we were here last year, Phoebe House was in its first few months of operation with its first two clients, Phoebe and Violet.

To return to Phoebe House and witness how it has evolved in a year was wonderful.  As Gladys, the director, explained, “We have four mamas and eighteen children.”  Each women and child has a story, and the stories are sad ones.  Here are two of them…

Jessica’s story:   Jessica is a widow, and she and her mentally challenged teen age son were destitute.  The dirt floor of her hut harbored jiggers, and both she and her son were afflicted by them.  A bad case of jggers (a small burrowing insect) can leave one severely sick and lame.  There were those in her community who stole from her, and she was often a victim of rape.  Gladys and the Board of Directors of Phoebe House rescued her and in a year’s time, Jessica’s son has been placed in a special school and is doing well.  During our visit, Jessica stood before us looking healthy and assured.  Nourishing food, positive socialization and personal safety has restored Jessica to wellness, and she is a participating member of Phoebe House.

The story of four orphans: Gladys introduced us to four orphan siblings living at Phoebe House.  The oldest child is a girl about eleven and she has three younger brothers.  The girl found Gladys and begged for food, and after seeing the appalling situation in which the children lived, Phoebe House took them in.  The mother of the children died and the father ran away.  There was no grandmother to take over which is often what happens.  The grandfather was a drunkard and abused the children.  The eleven year old girl was trying to find food and take care of her brothers.  Things have been very different for them since coming to Phoebe House.  The day we visited, the girl and two of her brothers had just returned from primary school.  They looked cared for in their school uniforms, and it was unimaginable to think about the precarious life from which they had been rescued.

A new role model: On the wall of the office of Phoebe House there are hand lettered posters which tell of the mission of Phoebe House—to help the marginalized of the community.  Gladys was eager to share the accounting book with us which shows how the monies were spent that Faith Episcopal Church of Cameron Park sent last year.  She is proud of the Kenyan Government certificate that makes Phoebe House officially an NGO.  Jim and I are impressed by the careful record keeping and transparency in which Phoebe House is being run.  In a country where the poor and marginalized are disregarded and shunned, Phoebe House stands as a role model in their vision to make a difference for people who have no place to turn.

The future goals: The next phase of Phoebe House is to develop training for the women who stay there, so that when ready, they can be trained for a job or starting a small business and become independent and on their own.

Jim and I were inspired by the compassionate work of Gladys and the Board.  Mother Theresa is credited with saying “We can do no great things, only small things with great love.”  How accurately that quote describes what is evolving at Phoebe House.

One more teacher training to go.  We leave this afternoon for another part of the Anglican Diocese.  All is well with us and we pray for you, also.

Mary

 

 

 

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