In Lodwar, Kenya

If I don’t answer your email, interact on facebook or you don’t see me tweeting too much over the next seven days, it is because I will be in a remote part of Kenya. Lodwar is a small town in the Turkana Region and is located in the Northwest region of Kenya. Ethiopia is to the north. Sudan and Uganda are to the West.

I co-founded the Solis Foundation after meeting Bishop Kaaleng and hearing about the famine caused the the long drought (that continues to this day). Some of the people “in the bush” were only eating one meal every three days. As I was sharing this with your Kairos Hollywood congregation, they contributed $10,000 so that we could buy and distribute food to those who were hungry. The first time we visited, we took a band aid approach (which is helpful when people are starving). But our desire was to do something more meaningful in the long run.

So, with the help and guidance of the Village Enterprise Fund, we started a program where we mentor and give micro-grants to new entrepreneurs to start small businesses. In this way, they are able to be agents in overcoming their own poverty. It only cost $300 to start a new business in this area. So if you would like to help start a new business in Lodwar this year, please feel free to become a partner with us. We helped to start 10 new businesses this past year and hope to help start many more in the future. I’ll be visited each of the businesses we helped to start last year, as well as meeting up with the Kenya Solis Board, director and mentors.

I also founded the Unembraced, which ministers to orphans in the same region. Currently the Unembraced is lead by a number of people in the Kairos Santa Monica church. You can learn more about the Unembraced at our website.

While I am gone, I have scheduled some blog posts to go up most every day, so I hope you enjoy them.  If I get to a computer while I’m there, I will try to post an update from Kenya, or from Istanbul, Turkey, since we will be there for three days after Kenya.   Be sure to tweet and share what you like on facebook.  I look forward to more interaction on my return.

2 Responses to In Lodwar, Kenya

1. Arlene says:

   April 18, 2012 at 7:38 am

   Thanks for the update….7 hours ahead of Michigan, says my Lodwar widget and it even gave the predicted weather which prayerfully is just like our weather men here in the states…it said high 80′s and thunderstorms until Saturday….enjoy the time!!!…very excited to hear this update!!:)

   Reply
2. Arlene says:

   April 18, 2012 at 8:18 am

   “But as for me, by Your abundant lovingkindness I will enter Your house, at Your holy temple I will bow in reverence for You….For IT IS YOU WHO BLESSES THE RIGHTEOUS MAN , O LORD,
   You SURROUND him with FAVOR as with a shield. ” Psalm 5:7, 12

   Reply