So, as you may or may not know, Uhuru Child, has some social businesses in the form of farms or mashamba that grow lettuce (mboga), tomatoes (Nyanya), and chicks (vifaranga). So, we raise the chicks for KenChic (the equivalent of Tyson in the states) and we have been working on sealing contracts with some hotels and restaurants in Nairobi so they will buy our lettuce and tomatoes. And God has been providing!!!!! We sell to so many places now that our whole team must wake up soooo early on the days of delivery to harvest the lettuce from the farm, chop it, clean it, bleach it, dry it, and package it just the way the restaurant would prefer it. And they all are different! But we are so excited about how God is making this dream of allowing the social businesses pay for the school that we will continue to pray for more and more contracts! (and so we can hire people to do this earlybird work for me because I am NOT a morning person.... We are all called to some sort of suffering right? Haha)
Also, as many of you know I am an aspiring veterinarian! I took two years off from that path to go where I felt the Lord was calling me and am so glad I did but I miss animals! So one day, I was talking to our schools handyman/garden worker dude and telling him how much I loved animals and wanted to be an animal doctor (foreign concept here). He tells me there is a British woman down the road who is a veterinarian and does a lot of charity work in certain villages with donkeys and what not. So he took me to meet her last week and she is like what I dreamed to be! She has 8 dogs, all strays who were starving or hurt and she nursed them back to health, 3 cats, I think 12 cows, 3 donkeys, and many chickens! She loves animals too! So I introduced myself to her and got her number as she showed me around her compound and told me about the main work the she does. I think she mainly zones in on donkeys because they are so poorly treated here. Donkeys are one of the most common forms of livestock here but they get treated the worst because they are used for manual labor and hauling things. She goes around and does work, sometimes for free, to help these donkeys and educate the people on how to properly care for them otherwise, they won't be having a donkey for long! I mean some of these poor donkeys work right up until they give birth! I will tell you one thing, if someone made me pull a cart 9 months pregnant I would have to give them a piece of my mind! But anyway, she said I could go with her on her village calls she does on Monday mornings! I was overjoyed to enter in to her world and be reunited with animals who needed me!
So, yesterday was the day. I was so excited all morning (even though I had to wake up at 6 to do lettuce hahaha) and went with her to the few villages she does most of her work at. We mainly came across some donkeys who needed to be deformed or vaccinated but some needed some serious hoof trimming. People are so used to seeing flat-footed donkeys that they think it's normal!! So she educates people (who all flock when white people are around anyway) while she is doing the service. We came across this one area she does not normally go to and found a donkey whose hoof was shaped like a "u" it needed to be clipped so badly!! Also, whenever she sees anyone using what is a "kiboko" on their donkey, or whip (bc they aren't allowed) she will stop them and take it from them. Donkeys are very smart animals so it has been proven that if you just use your voice to guide them they will listen and do what you say! Or used leading stick that isn't used to hit them with but to wave on the opposite side of their vision you want them to go so they steer away from it. But, Kenyans are stuck in their ways sometimes and do not believe these ways are effective. So some you can't win to animal welfare. But the saddest thing we came across (and that I had never seen done before) was when she had to euthanize this one donkey via captive bolt. The donkeys front legs were bowed out and it's hooves wedged with no tread on the outside from malnutrition it could barely walk. It was by far, the saddest donkey I have seen since being here. The owner left her to fend for herself and not being able to find adequate nutrition this is what happened. She was painfully bow-legged, starving, and frightened and there was no hope for her because she wouldn't be able to be used for work or breeding and could barely stand. So we did the humane thing and euthanized her. So, captive bolt is not for the faint of heart. I knew what it was but had never seen it done in person before. It's basically this gun that. Has a metal prong that punctures the skull and lodges a piece of bone in the brain, instantly killing the animal. It's not gruesome just loud and the animal falls to the ground immediately and starts having muscle contractions post mortem. To stop them, you must stick a metal rod in the hole and stop the brain from causing those contractions. The animal is already dead, no worries. But it was just sad it had to come to that for that poor girl. I was thankful to be part of it regardless because the more experience the better for me, and it educated everyone who was watching in that village what happens when you don't properly care for your donkey. Another plus to spending time with this vet is she is not a Christian I don't think and I could see God using this as an evangelism opportunity!! And I am excited about spending more time with her.
Also, we finally got our kitchen table! It's unfinished wood like the rest of our furniture because we think it's cool looking and had our first dinner with it last night!
Basically, I have loved my time here thus far! I have learned so many things about myself being out of my element and seeing how this is becoming my element!! I mean it's starting to feel like my home which is should because I will be living here for the next 2 years. I am thankful for everyone who has supported me throughout this whole process and could not feel more blessed! I do ask that you continue to tell everyone you know about our car fund and contribute whatever you can so we can expand our ministry into other schools in this area!! Praise God for this work He is doing in Kenya!
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