The Kilgoris Project

If you are on Facebook, or read adoption blogs very much, you are probably aware that this Sunday is Orphan Sunday.  I am so excited about Orphan Sunday.  Being able to get the word out about ways to serve the orphan and the widow is awesome!  Today, it is estimated that there are about 143 million orphans in the world...give or take a couple thousand.  However, due to all kinds of various issues, many of those orphans are not able to be adopted.  I wish they all could be adopted but, that isn't reality.  I love adoption...I am adopted, and if you read this blog regularly you know that we are currently in the process of adopting.  I wish everyone would do it!  But since that isn't going to happen I think we, as the church, need to look for ways to "curb/slow down" the orphan crisis.  We have been on the defensive as the church for a long time.  Instead of looking for ways to solve the orphan problem we are playing catch up.  We are not on the offensive.  Obviously, we are not going to solve the orphan crisis only through adoption.  So what do we do?  We can begin by developing programs that keep families together and supporting ones that already exist.  Programs that help mothers and fathers get AIDS meds so that they don't die, programs that help create sustainable jobs for a single mom so she can support her family, programs that help communities grow food so parents aren't faced with the choice of watching their child die or giving them up for adoption. I wanted to take a few days and focus on different ministries that are making a difference in the orphan crisis either through job creation, medications, or hunger relief.

I want to introduce The Kilgoris Project

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I first learned about this ministry a year ago from friends here in Charlotte.  The story of Kilgoris started in 1999 when a couple from California was on safari in Kenya.  This couple  ( the McCormacks) struck up a friendship with one of the waiters (Willie) at the game reserve and they bonded over their mutual Christian faith. Over the next couple of years the McCormacks and Willie corresponded.  They learned of the desire of Willie's church to build a church building and start a preschool and The Kilgoris Project was born.

Fast forward 12 years later and there are now four schools, a church, a tea farm, women's co-op and basic care (nutrition, clean water, and medical care) that is making a huge difference in the lives of those living in the Kilgoris village and the surrounding villages.   The schools are educating the children, providing them with an opportunity to find employment when they grow up. The tea farm is producing a sustainable way to pay the teachers at the school.  The basics such as food, clean water and medical attention are there to keep the children healthy so they are able to learn. The women's co-op is a way for the moms to learn to make crafts, which are then sold in the U.S., enabling them to provide for their families. 

So how can you support The Kilgoris Project?  Well, if you live in California or North Carolina you could come to one of the Marketplaces and buy things made by the moms in Kilgoris or things made by other artisans and everyday craftsmen and women.  All proceeds benefit the children and families in Kilgoris! I have included pics of the postcards advertising the locations! The postcards are the same but there are three different locations.  If you don't live near a marketplace event, would you consider donating to The Kilgoris Project?

Love

Tracy