This trip to Marsabit helped me see clearly a formula for success. By success I mean more children educated, improved healthcare, improved food security and less children dying from diseases that we know how to prevent.
It begins and ends with passion and passion is what fuels the work. There is more though. It means not interfering with the indigenous people’s desire to help their own people and not imposing our solutions to their problems. They don’t need to be “fixed”, enabled or taught. And, it means not being their heroes or heroes to their children.
It does mean bringing together partners who all work from the same guiding principles. In Marsabit, Partners for Care is privileged to be a part of a dramatic change. Everything is improving in Marsabit – food security, education and health care. While there is a long way to go as Marsabit has been a marginalized area for many years, the partners are in place and they have begun the journey.
For our part we have Pastor Hirbo and his staff working in Marsabit. Partners for Care is a Kenyan NGO and the staff are local people so they understand the culture, the people and the challenges in this area. Pastor Hirbo and his team are treating and preventing jiggers, teaching computers, helping people learn to read and write, rescuing the children most in need and spreading the gospel, organizing hundreds of youth in sports.
And, Pastor Hirbo has partnered with all the churches to organize a 4-day Peace Conference last week where thousands came together committed to live in peace. This is just the first of many peace conferences they are planning.
Another key partner is Dr. Kochi – the Marsabit County Director. I love meeting with Dr. Kochi and hearing his plans for healthcare in Marsabit County. He is passionate about reaching all the people of Marsabit County with health education and accessible quality healthcare. He told me this time when I met with him that he will reach every far corner of Marsabit County.
Another part of this success formula is our US partners. They help us bring much needed equipment and supplies to help with the transformation of Marsabit County. We have brought 12 computers from ITT-Tech. MedShare, funded by Africa Coca Cola Foundation, has sent a full container of equipment and supplies and two more containers are on their way to the hospital.
The PFC donors who support the vision of transformation, our PFC US board led by Gary Willis, our Kenyan PFC board led by Dr. Linus and Sammy our Kenyan director are all part of this success formula.
For me, I love seeing how much people in Marsabit look to Pastor Hirbo and Dr. Kochi as heroes of Marsabit County. Ryan Morris, PFC board member, once said we have a front-row seat to watch God work. I feel I have the best seat in the house.
From Marsabit,
Connie