Balls

The Seattle-based Olsen Family made a recent donation that came with a special request that I buy soccer balls and other athletic equipment for the Cura kids to enjoy this trip. I picked up some of those items today, and I concentrated on balls made by Alive and Kicking, another Kenya-based non-profit that's doing admirable work. Also, their tagline is pretty awesome.

Thanks, Olsens!

Birthday Goodness

Monday is ending here in Nairobi, but it's still Cura-sponsor Beth's birthday on  the west coast of the US... and she's been encouraging her friends to give! 

In lieu of gifts to her, her friends have already donated about $4500 through our Network for Good link. As I put my jet-lagged head on my pillow here, I'm sending a big 

Happy Birthday!

to Beth and a heart-felt 

Thank You! 

to the generous people who have included Cura in their celebration of her.

Louisiana Garage Sale for Cura Clinic!

Leah decided to raise funds to support a Community Health Day through Cura Clinic, and her weekend garage sale got the job done! We're looking forward to having her in Cura in May!

High Tech Plea

Last June, we did a major overhaul of the computer lab equipment... and it's time to do it again! Our Nairobi-based IT folks say we need about US$800 worth of work done... please message me if you're willing to contribute to this cause!

Pipe Cleaners for Cura

James made a pipe cleaner man that he wanted to show the new calf...

Sundays are fun in Cura because the schedule is loose after church is out... so we brought art supplies and jump ropes and candy and socks, all donated by well-wishers from the other side of the planet. 

(You know who you are!)

Sharon couldn't decide whether she wanted to start with the pipe cleaners or the construction paper...

Maxwell started a colorful glasses trend! 

Fruitful!

Gilbert and I brought apples and bananas to Cura yesterday, thanks to generous children and their parents in Alki (Seattle) -- many thanks to Simone for organizing their efforts!

This morning, I met with Nairobi's Roots and Shoots program director, Linus, to dream up exciting programs for Cura Secondary School.

This week has primarily been about meetings like this one: to connect with organizations whose missions align with ours and to explore ways to partner for mutual benefit. This kind of work is inspiring for me, though I confess that it's not particularly photogenic!

Balloons in the Shape of our Heads

Yesterday, Cura volunteer and supporter, Jenn, came with me for a quick visit. This was her return after a year away, so we celebrated her return with what were supposed to be balloon animals...

There was excited talk about making giraffes and crocodiles and buffalo... but we really mostly ended up with snakes. And balloons in the shape of Henry's head.