Masai community drought relief

While the drought in East Africa is international news , we have a very practical and targeted way to help a community that we are personally, intimately connected with. Many of you know our story, that we lived in Kenya for 7 years as missionaries and had a particularly close relationship with a small, very very rural Maasai community in southern Kenya. About a 6 hour drive from our home, half of that without real roads. Over the years we've brought many students, family members, and friends from the US as we sought to build relationships with the church elders in this community. Through the course of those relationships we were blessed to come alongside the elders as they strove to meet practical needs in their community, including a small dispensary for emergency medical needs, a vehicle for emergency transport, Maasai bibles, nutrition and health training, and a water catchment and filtration system.

While it has been 8 years since we've returned to the US, we've kept in touch with this community through the pastor. We've watched as his small church has planted other churches throughout the community, turned witchcraft into faith in Christ, and sought to meet the very real needs of the community through the church. It has been difficult for us to watch from afar and not be involved much anymore, but God has opened the door again.

Here's the message from Patrick, our friend, pastor, and bishop to an indigenous Masai denomination:

Meisisi yesu.

I Greet you in the the name of our lord Jesus Christ our beloved savior Jesus Christ. Our country is highly affected by the drought which the former president Uhuru Kenyatta declared as a National disaster. Our community is thurally affected by the drought. We are currently experiencing a lot school drop out of our children's Because parents do not have anything to provide for them.. We have elderly people vulnerable families and people with disabilities and Widows.

Recently someone provide us some small food specifically to those people I've mentioned above. But the drought is still continuing and even becoming worst. Kindly pray for us and consider to those needy and vulnerable people and family from olepishet.

This is the budget for them.

In our community we have 70 household families.

This the budget for one household.

ugali 1 bundle @ 2400/

Rice 5kgs @ 180×5=900/

Cooking oil 2litres @4 00×2=800/

Sugar 5kgs @ 140×5=700/

Beans 5kgs @120×5=600/

Tea leaves @ 100/

Panga soap @ 200/

And therefore each family budget is ksh 5700/

5700×70= 399.000 ksh

May our Good Lord bless you and your family as you prepare to pray for this community. I know that Alone you may not be able to do that. But I know that you may have have your beloved church and friends.

Ashe oleng.

Patrick sayialel from olepishet.

We love you and we are also praying for you.

399,000 Kenya Shillings is $3,300. So, that would sustain 70 families, through the local church, which Patrick pastors and has also planted throughout the area.

Would you please join us in providing some immediate, target relief to this community? 100% of funds donated here will be used for the purposes stated above, and Patrick is great about providing documentation and receipts for accountability. You can read about a previous fundraising effort we did here on GoFundMe for relief during the early days of the covid pandemic.

Ashe oleng,

Olodupa (Andy) and Naromat (Lesa)