Tensions in Isiolo

There have been tensions, including violence and a number of fatalities, in the area around Isiolo.  Isiolo is the town nearest to our village of Gambella.  The drought that is so severely affecting the horn of Africa is hitting Isiolo and surrounding villages as well.  These are tough times, leading to desperate acts.

We’re praying for more rain, and that crops can grow and livestock can graze—and that people would have hope, so that cooler heads would prevail.  I’m so thankful for our partnership with Gambella.  They have hope now that they wouldn’t have had if facing this drought several years earlier.  I will provide more updates as I learn more.

Saving Lives in Gambella

This picture is of Kaltuma.  She is a villager in one of the four villages in the Isiolo area of Kenya that GHNI works with.  She, and a handful of other villagers, have been trained to be CHWs (Community Health Workers).

Learn more about their work at Jeff Power’s blog.

Justice and Life in Gambella

The following is a post that I (Matt) wrote for my personal blog, justiceandlife.org.  I’m re-posting it here, because it gives an overview of our trip to Gambella last week.

Justice and Life.  There’s a reason this blog has that name.  My life’s mission, or goal, or purpose, however you prefer to say it, is to lead and challenge others to create a just world, and come fully alive.

I’ve spent this week in Kenya, with a team of volunteers.  We’re here to help the poorest of the poor villages.  Working through an organization called Global Hope Network International (GHNI), we are working with what we call the Isiolo cluster of villages.  Those are four villages near the town of Isiolo.  Our beloved village of Gambella is one of those villages, and that is where we’ve spent the most time this week.  Gambella is the village that five families (including mine) in Algonquin, Illinois, has partnered with, to come along side them in their journey out of extreme poverty.

This week lands squarely in the sweet spot of my mission, and it has been delightful.  Our group has been split across the different villages in our cluster, but our team from Algonquin has been focused primarily on Gambella, working on a few projects that you can read more about at our Algonquin4Gambella blog.

My mission comes from my belief that one person—with very minimal effort—can change the world, and make it a more just place, leaving it better for everyone.  But, it doesn’t end there, because in the process of creating a just world, people come fully alive—the people who are doing the “helping”, and those who are being “helped.”  It’s the greatest win-win in the history of win-wins!

Read the rest of the post at Matt’s blog, justiceandlife.org…