I would like to write in this blog post about the story of how the Kimilili community came to be the home of 250 OVC (orphans and vulnerable children) and the Benando Breakthrough Support Mission (BBSM), and how they have welcomed us into their arms.

The BBSM came to Kimilili this past January, when we fled for our safety from Kayole Soweto, in Nairobi. Our facilities burnt down during the violence surrounding the national elections and we feared for our lives.
Skirmishes, due to political unrest, inter-tribal strife, and exorbitant inflation, made it impossible for us to continue living in Nairobi any longer. The army and police came to our rescue and escorted us, amongst others fleeing as well, the 600 km from Nairobi to our new home in Kimilili. It was a very arduous journey that brought us to the safety of our new home.

You can imagine how difficult it must have been for the people of Kimilili to cope with the sudden arrival of 250 children and 7 adults (guardians and teachers) in their midst! They not only welcomed the children into their homes, but they also helped us by offering us their labour and assisting us in finding a home to rent. Other renters occupied the eight-door house we received, but they agreed to move to another place to facilitate our acute need.

Their kindness and generosity over the last months has helped the children recover from the trails of those times in Nairobi. Now they are living in safety again.

We are currently all working on improving these accommodations. We need to cover the mud floors with cement, install proper lighting, and adequate lavatories. We are very grateful for all that has been accomplished to date.

We are optimistic that we can continue making progress to improve our living conditions. Already, some of our kind neighbours have made good suggestions about how we can do this. With the Lord’s guidance and our neighbour’s goodwill, we will find our way.