I know we have been posting a lot about Christmas in Kenya (CIK). Just as we thought we had posted our last CIK post, we received a message we just could not ignore. The following message was sent to us by Andrew Guuru, the Kenya Country Director for The 410 Bridge. This is actually Andrew’s first blog post. (woohoo!)
Greetings in the name of our Lord,
Christmas is just around the corner for all of us. While most of us are planning on how we will celebrate Christmas, there are many families in Kenya that know of Christmas just by name. In Kenya, Christmas comes and goes and to most families, it is just another day. This is because most families live below the poverty index and to afford a different lifestyle for Christmas day does not make sense to them. It’s not that they do not value the day, it is simply because they have nothing to make it different. I have lived in Kenya for most of my life and have traveled so much in and out of Kenya and have seen a lot to testify to this fact.
There are families who just see this day as a day to just be at home relaxing, eating their usual simple meal and sometimes without anything to eat at all. I grew up in a neighbourhood that was not doing as well, and I remember seeing kids that would just spend their Christmas playing with others and would not even go home for lunch or dinner. They knew they would not have anything for lunch because one meal a day is all they were able to eat. Nothing much has changed, even today most families live with that reality. Those of you who have been to Kenya can attest to this. What you see in communities does not change just because it’s Christmas day. Life goes on as usual, and some just know its Christmas day when someone else mentions it to them.
Imagine what your $15 would do for a family and especially kids? It would be a day of celebration and a day to remember for the rest of their lives. To them, it’s not about how much is received, but about how Christmas day brings with it a special blessing that is unique from what they have known every other day.
Based on how much we spend for Christmas, one may ask,”What would $15 do for Christmas?”.
To answer this, I can just tell you to donate the $15 and then ask this question “What did the $15 donation do for Christmas in Kenya?”.
I tell you this… you will not believe the impact.
A hand that gives receives the most. It’s better to give what we consider to be small than ignore it thinking the $15 is too small to make any difference. What is small to one may be huge to someone else.
God bless you all this Christmas.
Andrew Guuru
410 Bridge Kenya Country Director
To make your donation to Christmas in Kenya click here.
