Close Quarters

Close Quarters

While people all over the world shelter in place, we are becoming increasingly aware of our spaces and how we use them. As the reach and scope of Friends of Kenyan Orphans has grown, we have seen space becoming a premium at more and more schools. It seems the girls of St. Clare are always shoulder to shoulder with one another.

From the bunk beds which fill the dormitories to the shared pews at church, or the neat rows in the classroom, the girls are a picture of grace in communal living. Other sites have four children to a bench designed for two in the elementary classrooms, and Our Lady of Grace has beds arranged head to toe in the largest rooms at their facility. Another school has taken to lining up some students to sleep on the floor of the church, as they don’t currently have any other space during quarantine.

As we look around our own living spaces and feel closed in or frustrated, we can take a note from the grace, patience and community that the children of Kenya show every day in tiny spaces they share with hundreds of others. We can be proud of the number of kids our mission has impacted, and also realize the work continues.

We should also realize that the Covid-19 Pandemic has highlighted the needs of the most vulnerable. When you eat, sleep, study, pray, play, clean and live with so many other children, the concept of “social distancing” is just about ludicrous.

We are so thankful for your generosity which has made it possible to assist so many young Kenyans, and why, as #GIVINGTUESDAYNOW approaches, we ask you to continue your support and help the orphaned and abandoned children of Kenya as their very way of life makes them so vulnerable right now.