Mission
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Bradninch Baptist Church belives in the importance of mission. This can be at home here in the United Kingdom and in the streets of our own town but we are pleased to share with you our missionary connections from further afield. Fiona and Les Allen, who we supported through BMS, have returned to the UK from Bangledesh after six years and are now settling down again on these shores. Their son was born last week and we send our loving congratulations.
Darren and Rita Painter are off to Sierra Leone at Easter 2012 for 2 weeks on what will be their first Mission journey. They are currently busy fund raising and, for more information or to make a donation, please visit online at : www.virginmoneygiving.com/team/RitaPainter
Geoff and Heather Williams have signed up with VSO and are planning to go to Papua New Guinea also in February. We are hoping they will be able to keep in contact by email so we can share their time there.
A project has been started by Sally Livsey and her family and Caroline Newton in Kianja, north of Nariobi< Kenya. This is an area which has suffered sever drought in 2011 and the aim is to feed 120 families until their crops have been harvested early this year. James and Dawn are going to meet up with Caroline in February to visit some of these families who are under the umbrella of the local Methodist Church. From Bradninch, England to Kianjai, Kenya - a village on the edge of the Famine zone
Dear Friends
Joanna, David and I are just back from a visit to Kenya, along with my old friend Caroline from Nottingham and her children Harry and Thomas. We went to support Kianjai Girl’s Secondary school; taking laptops, books, sports and games equipment in our luggage. The headmistress Mary is the sister-in-law of Jonathan who Caroline and I met in Sheffield in February this year. It was our friendship with him that made the whole trip possible. We went as friends visiting friends really; however we quickly discovered that we were staying in an area of Kianjai that is entering a time of great need. Kianjai is 150 km north of Nairobi and has a population density of about 2 acres per family. The area usually receives rains that fall in two major seasons, with long rains occurring between March and April, while the short rains fall between October and December. The main economy of the area is agro farming, small businesses and kiosks. Agricultural activities in the area are mainly subsistence farming of maize, beans, sweet potatoes, and English potatoes. Napier grass is grown to support cattle for milk production. Most of the natural vegetation has been cleared to create room for human settlement and agricultural activities. Schooling is free for primary school children, though typically their families or friends must provide 4kgs of maize per term for a shared porridge lunch. Secondary education must be paid for by parents or others. Kianjai Girls (boarding) is typically £150 a year, which covers fees, uniform and accommodation. The school currently has 26 orphans at the school for which they are receiving no fees. This community has had no rains for 3 years. As we got to know the people who were our hosts we discovered them to be part of a community with a strong support network. This network has traditionally supported their poor and uneducated but the current drought conditions are pushing it to breaking point. Currently they are struggling to feed over 450 families whose food supplies have dwindled to nothing. To address these famine conditions a family of 4 needs
Currently the area is receiving no government support. It is all targeted further north where the drought and famine are even more severe. Revd Nancy Ndoho of the Methodist Church of Kenya is the current Superintendent Minister of Kianjai with responsibility for 14 churches. They have 7 churches that currently are affected and they have “twinned” them with those churches that are currently unaffected. We have found that a little goes an extremely long way in Kianjai. After discussions with the Methodist church leaders we discovered that the network would be attempting to support those in need for the 26 weeks until next harvest in February 2012. We calculated that to feed a family of 4 for the entire hungry gap would cost £130. We decided to spend the rest of our time in Kianjai assisting in this effort. We came to believe that we could help to bridge this gap, and prevent all the further catastrophes that a spiral downwards can produce. At the moment the communities are relatively healthy and optimistic but they are hungry too. If we are not able to respond now this could mean malnutrition, illness and death. While we were over there we organised a money transfer that would fund 2 weeks of the distributions .On the 9th August we helped distribute 26 bags of Maize and 15 bags of Beans (each bag weighing 90kg) from 7 distribution points. 444 families collected enough food for a week that day. Since we have returned to the UK we have been establishing and registering a charity which we are calling “Friends of Kianjai Kenya “ and we aim to raise funds to cover food costs for the remaining 24 weeks before the next rains come. So far we are on target! We have confidence in the integrity of the network which will ensure that all monies sent will get directly to where it is needed most. We have personally overseen the first distribution of food. We have documented the distribution with photographs and film footage. The people overseeing the process are trustworthy, accountable and friends of ours. We know that any money given to this project will make a huge difference. If this story has given you hope for those in Kenya affected by the drought then you can get involved and support us too!
Any donation can be sent directly to Friends of Kianjai Kenya account at Lloyds bank, in the UK. Sort code 30-90-49, account number 33171360. If you would like to give me your donation to bank then please place in an envelope and drop through the door at 31 Fore Street, Bradninch, EX5 4NN. If you would like to contact me about a talk or anything else to do with the project then you can call me on 01392 881417. (I have Gift aid forms for tax payers which add 20% to your donation!) Money is being transferred to Kianjai weekly to enable them to buy food. Thank you for any support you can give. Sally Livsey Bradninch September 2011
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