Through Time in Kenya

This past year we added a third partner in Kenya. Ten plus years ago was the start of our first partnership in Kenya (Lances Deaf Orphans or LDO). LDO is unique in it’s partnership with us because Deaf Child Hope is solely responsible for the day-to-day operations of this orphanage for Deaf children, including funding for food, clothing, staff salaries and any improvements that happen on campus. Since we have been doing this for a number of years, we have been blessed to see a lot of development and progress in that time. Below are photos of LDO from 2015 to one of the most recent photos of the children in new sports clothing.

The other two partner locations in Kenya are more typical partnerships. A school, orphanage, or Christian mission (often a combination of these three) reaches out to us for partnership because they need financial support, encouragement, expertise, and spiritual support in order to best serve the children. All too often they are in survival mode at this stage, struggling to meet the demanding needs with very-little-to-no resources. The children are all Deaf and often have had years of language deprivation. Food and security are often scarce.

If you’ve learned about Maslow’s 5 levels of human need you might understand a little of this impact. Nothing else can happen unless the foundational needs are being met, Maslow refers to these as the ‘Physiological needs’. They are air, food, water, shelter, clothing and sleep. From there a body is capable of moving into ‘Safety and Security’, then ‘Love and Belonging’, next is ‘Esteem’ and finally ‘Self-Actualization’ where people can experience purpose and know their life has meaning and strive to meet their best inner potential.

Our most recent partner in Kenya is a partner we started with about six months ago. When they reached out they were honest in their struggles to just feed the children. This is very typical with new partners. The photos above show LDO’s campus and students, and below are photos from our newest partner. Sometimes it is helpful to see the progression of things to understand the immensity of the impact. Our goal is to take this partner, and any new partner, from surviving to thriving. No Deaf child should have to worry about isolation, abandonment, hunger or abuse. That, at the very LEAST, should be our universal conviction as Christians. We pray for a day where the focus has shifted all the way up to Self Actualization for all 25 million of the Deaf children living in poverty worldwide. For now though we acknowledge your help and ask for continued support to help the many more deaf children in poverty find a place where they are safe, fed, educated and part of a community. God Bless