Dear All,
Liz has written this week.
It has been really hot days for the last month, and dusty, we now seem to be wearing masks more for the dust than corona!
We are almost at the end of the first term of school and we have had a quiet term in terms of COVID-19. All schools seemed to have managed okay despite our many fears of inability to social distance in a majority of the schools. They, however, were not spared from student unrest due to different factors, that had many schools close early. I shared with you one of our boys was affected, but they didn't close for too long. He reported back this Monday.
We are now preparing to receive all children back home towards the end of March for approximately 7 weeks, they reopen schools in May. We have 5 children doing their final primary level exams and 3 doing their final exams secondary level.
We have started preparing the shamba for planting starting 18th March so we are ready for the April rains. Our last crop of Maize did not do too well (rains disappeared early) and so we will be planting another crop of maize as we are low on maize at the moment. This week, we have had a very close sighting of locusts, as you have seen in the video I have sent on WhatsApp. They were sighted at the village centre and near the public secondary and primary school. That is not too far from us (About 2 km). So, we have started saving (freezing) the little vegetables we had in the shamba just in case.
Keep us in your prayers for protection of our crop particularly the maize we are planting this month.
We would like to thank you, for money for a new TV, - this is really appreciated It is valuable for social and educational purposes including accessing national news.
Also for the irrigation piping. The dam is proving to be very valuable. Being able to water our crops has really helped us to have enough food during these very dry seasons that seem to be getting longer and longer; with the new piping we look forward to having more efficiency, and so more variety and more food, Asante Sana.
For a school project Francis Chuman (one of our younger boys) made a toy car out of a plastic cleaning liquid bottle with wheels from soda bottle tops.
As you are aware this year, we will have three boys finish high school and move on to college after the results come out. This says we can bring in 3 more children. Actually, the total number of children we can have by the end of 2021 is 9 because we now have a girls’ hostel where older girls (16 and above) can move into and leave room for any young girls (4-10) in need of care and protection. We are very excited to have new faces at Riziki and one might be as soon as May. I will keep you posted on the process.
As we get more children, I remain very confident of the care and dedication our current staff. We went through a tough year together and they continue to bring energy and lots of commitment. We started the year with Elizabeth admitted in hospital and everyone pulled together and made sure meals were available and on time, for a month. It was truly remarkable as they had their own duties and responsibilities. When she got back she also received a lot of help, she is now doing well and fully back to her work.
I look at this and I feel they deserve to be rewarded somehow, and funds available it would be nice to award them a reasonable increase in salary so they can also see their lives improve.
We thank God for all our blessings at Riziki, dedicated staff, you Ian and Diana and everyone who partners with us in any way that has helped us grow and provided the children a safe place to grow. We thank God for all of you! Asante Sana.
I have to go now. We will talk soon.
Regards
Liz
Our comments and prayer concerns.
We have heard recently from elsewhere in Kenya that the country expects to be short of water this year. This ties in with what Liz tells us. We are constantly trying to keep up with the results of climate change and plan to install gutterings on the new cow shed as soon as possible. This should provide much of the water needed for keeping the cows!
Covid in Kenya is rising again and Liz says “The third wave is hitting us hard. No political meetings are allowed; funerals to be held within 72 hours of death; only 100 allowed at weddings and funerals (this is very small for Kenya!); curfew extended for sixty days. Doctors are worried by new and rare symptoms.”
We pray for:-
- more reliable rain and for a successful maize crop
- new children coming into Riziki
- the older children facing examinations
- the young adults about to be de-registered as they become independent
- regarding Covid, we pray for the safety of our Riziki family and the country as a whole.
Ian & Diana.
PS. Covid in Kenya today:113 000 cases, 88 405 recovered, 1 913 deaths.