Shuting Injustice’s Mouth

David Frost: So what in a sense you’re saying is that there are certain situations…where the president can decide that it’s in the best interests of the nation or something, and do something illegal?

Richard Nixon: Well, when the president does it, that means it is not illegal.

-Excerpt from interview, aired 19 May 1977

I’m reading the book It’s Our Turn to Eat: the Story of a Kenyan Whistleblower, by Michela Wrong, which ‘explores the factors that continue to blight Africa-ethnic favoritism, government corruption, and the smug complacency of Western donor nations.’

The author gets her inside information from the man appointed anticorruption czar under the current president, Mwai Kibaki. This man, John Githongo, set out with high ambitions to fight against what Kenya has long become accustomed to: corrupt government.

What Githongo saw and realized he could not change compelled him to compile evidence, put himself at great risk, and bring to light what was really going on.  This action has made him one of the most hated and admired men in Kenya.

(P.s. I just plagiarized a majority of that from the book sleeve)

Carrying on…

This book continues to blow my mind, bring tears to my eyes and enlighten my tiny little brain about the many complexities of Kenya.

It starts out by giving a history of the tragic progression of the Kenyan government from British rule till present day. The basic overview of this progression is summed up in the title; It’s Our Turn to Eat. When the British ruled, their people ate, held the best jobs, inhabited the most verdantly lush land and enjoyed the finest amenities. When the first Kenyan president ruled he followed suit and his tribe then got the food, water, land and jobs. When the next president came to power…well, you get the point. So therefore, the starvation, brutality, social injustice, and so much more came hand in hand for all other tribes.

When Kibaki came to rule he promised a new government devoid of corruption and greed. One that cared for it’s people, looked after every tribe and ended the sick cycle of the past. This was to be proven by the implementation of the anticorruption czar.

I haven’t finished the book yet so I can’t speak in whole about the situation, but from what I’ve read so far I have a better understanding of why Kenyans act the way they do, think what they think and so forth.

Mmm, that was a bold statement…let me qualify that a bit.

I’m not saying that every Kenyan is affected in the same way nor acts a certain way as a result of these happenings, but its interesting to see the connection with what I remember from Kenya and its people (when I was there over 5 yrs ago) and how that ties in with some of the examples the book gives in regards to the corruption of the government affecting it’s people.

I’m no sociologist; it’s just very interesting to me how things are connected. I shutter to think of the same situation here in America and how we act as a result of those in our government…whether we are aware of it or not. YIKES!

Anyway, I want to give you a brief overview of one tragedy in particular that is talked about in most detail so far in the book.

A ‘company’ called Anglo Leasing was found to be taking in ridiculous amounts of funds for some dodgy contracts. Githongo spent much of his time working on this one area of corruption that was plaguing the government and therefore resulted in ill effects on the Kenyan people.

The auditor general calculated that a mere 18 ‘contracts’ of Anglo Leasing were worth 65.3 billion shillings ($751 million) in total.

(I forgot to say that a majority of this money was disappearing and unaccounted for. This was due to the fact that significant amounts of it were going into the pockets of government officials. Shock.)

This amount sum was calculated to be 5% of Kenya’s GDP and over 16% of the government’s gross expenditure in 2003-4. Now this definitely made me sit back and shake my head, but the next statistic I’m going to give you brought tears to my eyes and continues to rip my heart out of my chest.

‘An American ambassador came up with an even more depressing figure: the money would have been enough to supply every HIV-positive Kenyan with anti-retrovirals for the next ten years.’

(According to UNAIDS 2008 Country HIV/AIDS Epidemiological Profile, Kenya’s adult and child population with HIV as of 2007 ranges anywhere from 1,500,000 to 2,000,000)

I finished the painting you see in this blog a while before I even knew about this book, but I think it gives a pretty good overview of the whole situation.

It’s easy to see the corruption and injustice on the other side of the world, but I think it’s just as important to open our eyes and see the corruption that sits at our doorstep as well. The book also speaks of the complacency of Western donors (aka, America…aka, you and I) and how that affects this whole cycle as well. Not to mention the injustices faced by millions of Americans on a daily basis.

There is injustice and tragedy at all levels worldwide that pain my heart and the hearts of many others. So let’s take a stand against it, shall we? Let’s make some change and impact lives, even if it’s only one. One changed life is worth all the sacrifice we can give.

Although I battle the truth of the statement below in my heart and head on a daily basis (and probably will more once I’m face to face with injustice in Kenya), I do find hope in a God who,

‘saves the needy from the sword of their mouth

and from the hand of the mighty. So the poor

have hope, and injustice shuts her mouth.’

–Job 5:15

Dear God, please shut her mouth!

I'm sorry it's so hard to see!

The captions (found in newspaper articles and online news sources) are as follows from top to bottom of painting:

The genocide raging in Sudan’s Darfur region since 2003 has claimed over 200,000 lives. -In Darfur, where the continued spectacle of men, women and children driven from their homes by murder, rape, and burning of their villages makes a mockery of our claims as an international community to shield people from the worst abuses.

Ex-Militia leader denies forcing children to fight in the Congo war. -Lubanga’s armed group recruited, trained, and used hundreds of young children to kill, pillage and rape.

There are 30 million victims of modern slavery in the world today. -Each year 600,000-800,000 people are trafficked across international borders. The US is the number one destination for trafficked victims.

Zimbabwe president, Robert Mugabe, stated, “There is no cholera in the country.” -The number of cholera cases now stands at 60,401 and shows no signs of abating.

The eyes are ravished with the beauties of naked nature. -Robert Beverly

I know there is an interesting paradox in the reality of people holding the power to bless and kill all in the same breath, but lately I’ve seen more of the face of God in the blessings of individuals. It’s a rather easy task when one is surrounded by beautiful souls, but it still takes my breath away at every moment. The past seven days of my life have reiterated this and, at the same time, taken me back to memories of Kenya through a tornado of stunning deja vu.

I had the pleasure of spending a week hiking the Smokey Mountains with two of the beautiful souls I am blessed to know and I am not only taken back by their zeal for life and love, but also by the beauty of nature. I have always felt more at home in the company of the beauties of naked nature, which could be credited to my parents for taking me to the woods at a young age or maybe (which I hope is also significantly true) God has created my soul to breath free as I connect with Him there.

I was never more aware of the spiritual connection between God, His creation and me until I was walking under the darkest of skies to a little village in the Kenyan bush. I happened to look up to see stars so close, bright and majestic I could almost reach up and touch them. It wasn’t until after a moment of scanning the stars that my eyes reached the Southern Cross.

I stopped dead in my tracks and a wave of something came over me that I could only describe as what seemed to be a filling of my whole being with the presence of God. I’ve tried to describe this moment to each person who has asked me to tell one of my favorite experiences in Kenya and continually fall short of what truly happened that night in the beauties of naked nature.

This story came to mind again this week as I hiked through more of the breathtaking landscape this world has to offer. As the birds chirped, the trees danced in the wind and the streams bubbled joyfully over the rocks I thought of the verse in Isaiah that says, ‘the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.’

I always loved that word picture and thought of how glorious that would one day be.

I love that my eyes can see ‘that one day’ is now.

Praise God who gives water to those who thirst, the finest of wines and richest of foods without price, and who abundantly pardons.

Florida’s own Eden

Let me tell you about a little place called Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization, or more casually known as ECHO.   This is one of those ‘best kept secret’ type of places that we are blessed to stumble upon, and once found, end up changing our lives for the better. I was introduced to this organization during my COAT training with NMSI and was blessed with the opportunity to sit in on a couple of their seminars regarding herbal medicine, healthcare and nutrition in impoverished countries.

I was later introduced to some other educational opportunities that would benefit me in preparation for my time in Kenya. ECHO holds two different medical conferences throughout the year, one entitled Agriculture and Nutrition for People Living with HIV/AIDS and the other Health, Agriculture, Culture, and Community.  From May 4th-8th, Katie (the beautiful nurse practitioner I will be working with in Kenya) and I participated in the first conference I mentioned and it was not only informative, but also encouraging to my soul. It ignited a deeper passion and intrigue into using natural resources for bringing healing to our bodies.

Me and Katie at ECHO

There were so many new ideas and options that were brought to my attention that it would take days to write about, so I am choosing a couple to give you an idea of the options we have for natural medicine.

The first delightful gem I will educate you with is a little something scientists like to call Artemisia annua. This plant has been used for 2000 years to reduce fever and has now been found to CURE MALARIA. Artemisinin, a compound found in the artemisia plant, rapidly lowers blood-parasite levels. You can take it in pill form (which is not always available) or use the leaves steeped in hot water and drink as tea, which actually has more anti-malarial compounds than the pill form.

This is significant for every individual in a high risk area for malaria, but it is even more significant in the fight against HIV/AIDS. How? Malaria greatly boosts the viral load (the amount of virus in the blood) for six to eight weeks in HIV/AIDS infected people. This makes it more likely to infect a sex partner with HIV.  At the same time, HIV fuels malaria’s spread because HIV-infected people are more susceptible to malaria as a result of a weakened immune system.

Drinking the tea decreases the parasites in the blood to a level that is considered CURED and it has been found to have no significant side effects.

AMAZING!

Baby Artemisia Plants

Treasure #2:  Amaranth (hypochondriacus, cruentus)…also known as pigweed.

Amaranth is a highly nutritious plant that yields edible leaves and tiny seeds that can be used as a grain to make flour, porridge and other foods. The grain contains 16% protein, compared to around 10% in most cereals. When amaranth is combined with another grain it forms a complete protein diet (all 9 essential amino acids). It is also high in lysine, which is particularly helpful to HIV/AIDS patients because it inhibits the growth and multiplication of the herpes virus (herpes weakens the immune system and is an opportunistic infection that is an issue for many HIV-infected individuals).

Hope for individuals with HIV/AIDS is growing through plants like amaranth because of their high levels of nutrients. When taking a diet of amaranth in combination with Moringa leaf powder (that will be treasure #3) the signs and symptoms of HIV will essentially disappear. Individuals living symptom free with HIV!!!! This happens through the nutrients strengthening the immune system and fighting disease.

AMAZING!!

Treasure #3: (Last but the farthest from least) Moringa, aka, The Miracle Tree.

Gram for gram, dried Moringa leaf powder contains:

• 10 times the vitamin A of carrots
• 1/2 the vitamin C of oranges
• 17 times the calcium of milk
• 9 times the protein of milk (also contains all 9 essential amino acids: complete protein)
• 15 times the potassium of bananas
• 25 times the iron of spinach (eat that Popeye!)

In southern Senegal a doctor noticed a high percentage of malnourished children and began treating them with 1-2 tablespoons of moringa powder a day, and at 38 days the children were found to have complete recovery of malnourishment.

If this doesn’t quite blow your mind, listen to what else this tree can do. Hold on to your pants….

It purifies water (seeds act as a coagulant and an antimicrobial agent removing 90-99.9% of impurities),

is used for biogas, dyes, live fencing, decreases blood sugar in diabetics, prevents polio, epilepsy, stomachaches, etc., is used for livestock feed (increases milk production and weight gain/body mass), and so much more!!!

AMAZING!!!

Freshly Ground Moringa Powder

This just gets me all giddy inside! I could keep going, but I know this doesn’t trip everyones trigger.

There is so much hope and opportunity for healing in things as simple and attainable as plants. (Ha, I’ve always had a secret desire to be a hippy)God has blessed us with His creation and given us resources that can be used in the harshest of climates, the poorest of communities and the areas of deepest devastation.

Please check out the link on the right to ECHO’s website. They are in the process of putting all the information they have on the web for everyones use. They long to bring healing around the world and are making glorious strides in research that are benefiting people worldwide.

Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!

I’m going to Narok, Kenya!

Dear Friends and Loved Ones (or is that all the same?…yes, yes it is),

I have been blessed with the opportunity to move to Kenya for three years and invest in the lives of the Maasai people. I have joined in partnership with AfricaHope, a ministry of New Mission Systems International the believes Christ’s truth speaks to poverty, social justice, HIV/AIDS and other vital issues.

What is AfricaHope?

AfricaHope is an integrated program working with church, government and civic institutions. It incorporates community development, discipleship programs, HIV/AIDS and health education, school adoption programs, children’s camps and a community center to minister to the spiritual, emotional and physical needs of HIV/AIDS orphans. It also works to provide relief aid during times of emergency and devastation,  water through implementation of wells within villages, and food security through gardens and agroforestry.

I will be working in the health development program within AfricaHope, as a nurse, to develop programs that integrate community health education, clinic work, and village work through mobile clinics.  I will also be incorporating medicinal herb gardening to naturally treat illness and disease in order to further minister to the needs of the Maasai people.

How did I get to this place in my life?

I was blessed with the opportunity to travel to Haiti and Kenya during my time in college and saw first hand, how illness can affect every aspect of a person’s life. This spurred me on to become a nurse and fight for individuals in a holistic way that not only takes care of their physical needs, but also digs deeper to the emotional and spiritual components of our lives. Complete healing is done not only by curing immediate physical needs, but also through educating and working with families and communities to decrease the spread of disease. Education is key in promoting health and healing.

What are my next steps?

I have completed one of the two training programs I need in order to head overseas. The first was the COAT (Community, Orientation, Assessment, and Training) program given by New Mission Systems International (NMSI). The second training will be done through Missionary Training International (MTI) a few months before I leave.

I have also taken a continued education conference called Agriculture and Nutrition for Individuals Living with HIV/AIDS through an organization called ECHO (Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization), along with a study on herbal medicine to prepare me for my time in Kenya.

I am now working to raise both financial and prayer support. I am in need of $4250 a month for three years and am partnering with churches, individuals and organizations to reach my goal….ok, now take a breath, lift your chin off the floor, and rest assured that I know its a lot of money, but I also know God is bigger than the dollar sign. I am on board with what AfricaHope is doing and I know that we are joining God in His love and care of these people.

I encourage you to take a peak at the video attached (the Hope of a Well) and see, first hand, the lives that are being blessed, the justice that is being brought and the hope that is encompassing this community. It is more than beautiful and a true testament to love.

How can you help?

I would love for you to join with me in bringing hope, love and healing.  This can be done through one time donations, monthly, quarterly, or annually giving and if you click on the NMSI link to the right there is a section designated for donating to programs and individuals.

Thank you for all your support!