Putting on the Ritz

Used clothing is a huge business in Africa, you find sellers of previously owned items on almost every street. Recently when walking into Kibera I was surprised to see a golf shirt that bore the logo for the Ritz-Carlton in Laguna Niguel, CA. This chain of hotels is known worldwide for its luxury and this particular property is a bastion of wealth and privilege on the opulent Southern California coast.

While looking at this shirt against the backdrop of the Kibera slum I was drawn to consider the contrast between the first owner and the next owner of this garment. The first owner likely lived a life of wealth, privilege, and power. They enjoyed the luxuries of life and seldom experienced want or need. The new owner of this shirt will live in one of the worlds largest slums, will be impoverished, ignored, and powerless even in his own community. The new owner of this shirt will feel want as a daily companion. Luxury will never enter his mind, only the constant struggle to survive. What a dramatic contrast between the 2 owners of this shirt.

I walked away that day with two pervasive thoughts. The first involved responsibility. You may or may not be a regular guest at the Ritz-Carlton's of this world, however, as a resident of a western culture you are in a position of extreme privilege in contrast to the rest of the world. This privileged position should demand a generous heart on our part. In the words of Jesus, "to whom much is given much is required." My second thought was about perspective. I can imagine how much the original owner of that shirt enjoyed his foray into the world of luxury. Perhaps how much he wanted to buy that logo shirt and enjoyed wearing it to impress other. However, today that shirt no longer carries an aura of luxury or privilege. It reminds me that every possession we have will one day rust, tarnish, or decay. We must be diligent to remind ourselves that the only eternal investments are those made, in people, for the sake of God.

I think the phase "putting on the Ritz" will forever have a new connotation for me.

You Have To Earn It!

We had an interesting and somewhat troubling experience this summer in Kibera. We had two NHI teams at our Kibera Academy campus who were participating in a variety of special projects and our students were also involved in important mid term testing, so it was a very busy day in the midst of a busy week. About midday on Wednesday I noticed a few unfamiliar faces who were obviously visitors on campus. So I asked them who they were and why they were on our compound. Their response surprised me a good deal.  They were on a mission trip to Uganda and their flight had been delayed so they wanted to see a poor neighborhood in Nairobi. With that limited response the visitor grabbed a child's hand and marched into one of our classrooms. At first glance this may seem pretty innocent to you, however it is a situation that is wrong on so many levels. This is the type of behavior that gives short term missions trips a bad reputation and even causes people to question the validity of such an experience. Let's examine the different levels on which this encounter was so wrong. 1. The visitors did not speak with the administration before entering the school. Can you imagine taking a group of people into an American school and wandering the hallways and entering the classrooms without permission? Do African schools deserve any less security and respect than American schools.

2. Poverty is not a tourist attraction to be visited like a monument or national park. The residents of Kibera are a wonderful community of individuals who will lovingly welcome you to their neighborhood IF you have come as a friend. However, it is an affront to their dignity to treat this community like just another stop on your mission to "save Africa."

3. It shows a great amount of arrogance and a significant lack of respect. To interrupt a busy school schedule, to the point of entering classrooms uninvited, because some how you think your mere presence there should warrant every one else altering their routine for you.

4. YOU MUST EARN THE RIGHT TO BE INVOLVED. Even the best intentioned short term mission trip is severely lacking if it is only another stop on your or your church's tour of the world. It is subtly demeaning and overtly discouraging to residents of communities like Kibera when visitors come and have activities, evangelistic events, or even charitable activity but have no commitment to any long term involvement in a neighborhood. Poorly done mission trips have conditioned the local residents to welcome people into their hearts and lives and yet often they know they will never see them again and that is a bittersweet hurt. It is so important that mission trips are done right. We earn the right everyday for our involvement in Kibera and the other places NHI works. We earn it through prayer. We earn it through investment. We earn it through love. We earn it through longevity. It is personally offensive for me to have people with no commitment whatsoever to run in for an hour and take pictures with our kids and leave with a false sense of accomplishment. Good short term missions involves training, preparation, sensitivity, humility, and commitment. At New Hope Initiative we may not always do it perfectly, but we constantly strive to bring our teams into a mutually rewarding partnership with local ministries where each party learns, grows, and is affirmed through the experience. May God please spare us any more "mission trip tourists."

Clinic Growth in Tanzania

Our medical clinic in Arusha, Tanzania continues to grow both in its effectiveness and its quality. Every year under Dr. Byemba's leadership we have been able to improve both our facilities and our equipment. This year our focus is on the clinic laboratory. We currently take a sample from all of our patients and are able to give an in-house diagnosis for most illnesses. However, we have some serious gaps in the type of tests we can run and the speed at which we can read these tests. Also, there is a shortage of labs where specific specialty tests can be run in the country of Tanzania as a whole. In this gap we see an opportunity for our New Hope Initiative clinic. We have an opportunity to not only meet people's needs, but also earn some income that will begin to provide a measure of self-sustainability in our charitable mission. Our goal is to expand the lab with the needed equipment and personnel so that we can not only meet the needs of our patients, but also become the commercial provider of much of the laboratory needs in the Arusha region. Since we already have some equipment, staff, and facilities, our cost to greatly expand our lab will be very reasonable. We estimate this cost at $38,000. If you know of anyone in the diagnostic industry who might donate equipment or if you would like to financially participate in this special project, we would greatly appreciate it.

Servant Leadership

One of the things that makes New Hope Initiative so successful is the amazing local leadership that we have managing our many projects. This is the point where so many other mission efforts break down with a lack of leadership, integrity, and accountability from the local staff. However we are so pleased to tell you that it is not the case with New Hope Initiative. Our local staff is comprised of committed, skilled, caring men and women of strong Christian character and integrity. One sterling example of this is Pastor Francis Rogers who is the Director of our orphanage in Sierra Leone West Africa. Pastor Francis consistently makes large personal sacrifices in his own life so that the orphans can receive better care. He regularly eschews personal comfort so the children he loves will have the things they need. Our local staff around the world are also extremely hard working individuals and again Pastor Francis is a perfect example of this. He is never afraid to get his work clothes on and do the things necessary to help the ministry progress. In this picture he has taken off the "pastor" outfit and is making bricks that can be sold to supplement the children's care.

We are so thankful for our local leaders and their staff who sacrifice daily to show the love of Christ to those they have responsibility over. We love our local leaders like Pastor Francis Rogers!

Meet Madam Francisco

This lady has become a very bright spot in my life and work here in Kenya. Everyday that I walk into the New Hope Kibera compound, she lights up with a big smile and greets me. She always compliments me and makes me feel like a celebrity just walked up, and I am the celebrity. I have come to adore her, trust her and laugh with her often. Madame Francisco Mutunga is the Deputy Head Teacher at New Hope Academy in Kibera. I like to tell everyone, she runs the place. And, while many people come together to accomplish our work, Madame Mutunga is the solid cornerstone that holds it all together. She is loyal, hard working, bright, and has a deep integrity. She loves her family and has made the New Hope family part of her own.

I sat down with her to talk about her work and views on leadership. I love her concise yet thoughtful responses to my questions.

Q: How long have you worked at New Hope Academy and what position did you start in?

I have worked here at the school since 2006. I started as a teacher, teaching math, Kiswahili, science and CRE to Class 4, 5, & 6.

Q: What was the school like then?

Terrible. Unexplainable.

Q: Why did you become a teacher?

First of all, I wanted to work with children and mentor them. Secondly, in the teaching profession, as you do the work you can learn more. That was appealing to me - to continue learning while working.

Q: Now, that you are in administration at the school, do you miss teaching?

Yes, I miss it, so now I try to find time to be in the classroom as much as possible. I teach science, to Class 4 and math to Class 5.

Q: Who has been the most influential leader in your life and why?

When I was young, my father died, so my uncle took care of me. My aunt (his wife) became very influential in my life. She taught me the realities of life and many things that have helped me in my life.

Also, Head Teacher, Festus, has influenced me and taught me many things in leadership and real life situations.

Q: How do you define leadership?

Leadership is the ability to direct and involve yourself and others in planning and doing certain things.

Q: What are your hopes and dreams for the students of NHA?

Many of our students come from poor families who stay within the slum all their lives. My hope is that God would help them learn and get a good future and help their families leave the slum and get a better life than they have

By Lauren Allgood - NHI Kenya Leadership Director