Heading Back for More!

I'll try to be more consistent with my postings this year... though the pull of the internet isn't very strong when there are other distractions available like art projects and daisy chains and village walks and bike rides with all of the incredible children in Cura!

Greg and I will arrive back in Kenya on 21 June, and we'll have only about two weeks there this year -- it's not long enough, but it's something, and it will help us assess the incredible work that's gone on there over the past year.

Even from a distance, we already know that:

--the rabbit hutch is constructed and populated;
--Norman, the cow, had her calf, Anita, and all is well in cow-land;
--a shipment of new computers for the lab is on its way from Afretech in Canada;
--the children have a handful of new bicycles, thanks to Norman, the human;
--mattresses, school uniforms, and new shoes, among other items have all been graciously donated by concerned well-wishers;
--many engaging visitors and volunteers have made their way to Cura this year, inspiring and being inspired by the children;
--volunteer accommodations have been improved, making it possible for us to stay in Cura more often;
--enormous progress has been made toward breaking ground on the new secondary school;
--the village has a new vicar;
--the primary school has a new headmistress;
--29 children have been actively participating in the Pen Pal Program throughout the year;
--many field trips and enrichment activities have been organized by our incredible Yassi;
--27 of our 49 elementary-school aged children are earning marks in the top 10 of their respective class level exams!

There have been other exciting developments this year, of course, but even this short list demonstrates that the focus, energy and compassion so many people have directed Cura's way is really paying off.

Of course, none of our enrichment activities or projects are possible without funding, and we've had some incredible developments in that arena, as well. I've blogged here about most of the fund-raising events throughout the year, and we're looking now to create a budget cycle that allows us to project fund-raising targets and plan for growth.

The most incredible and recent news on the funding front is that, since April, 35 children either have been newly sponsored or have had their sponsorships renewed! This is in no small part to the credit of Norman Golightly, his KenyaSpareACamera project, and his breathtaking energy: his campaign resulted in 21 of those recent sponsorships. Of course, sponsorships are in a constant cycle of renewal, and we have 6 on the horizon... Please tell your friends to contact me at hayden@curaorphanage.org if they're interested!

Of course, I'll be less available to monitor paperwork and details while I'm in Cura... but I'll get to them when I return. The communications work and detail management I do throughout the year is driven by the inspiration and energy I derive from being with the children, talking with the incredible Evelyn Mungai and Mike Eldon, and hearing from Moses and the other community leaders who provide the daily foundation for the work we all do.

I hope you'll check in here when you can...
Hayden