New Director at Pilgrim’s Presence, Kenya
The Pilgrims Presence Kiwawa Mission is located in the western Pokot district of Kenya.  The district has no major towns, industries, or large scale farming mainly due to inaccessibility.  Among the various tribes of Kenya are the Pokot with a total population of 300,000. The Pokots form one of the most marginalized communities in Kenya.  They have retained significant elements of their traditional culture despite some exposure to other ways of life.

The following is an excerpt from a letter received from Geoffrey Lipale, the new director of the Pilgrim’s Presence Mission located in Kapenguria, Kenya:

Dear Friends,
Greetings from the Pilgrims Presence team and the entire Kiwawa Pokot community who are the beneficiaries of your sacrificial contributions.  For the past three months I have been in the Pokot Area Development Program where Pilgrims Presence is situated as the team leader.

I thank God through Jesus Christ for all of you.  It is unique that friends from so far away and separated by geographical barriers sacrifice their money and send it to people they have never seen - but heard of them.  Who else would have touched you brethrens apart from our Lord, Jesus Christ?  We have appreciated your wonderful and consistent gifts to us as the marginalized and stricken Pokot community.

Pilgrims Presence Guest House (the mission headquarters) is not just a house but a living and transforming house.  It has hosted hundreds of visitors who have brought sustainable chances to the Kiwawa community.  Several hopeless and poor students have received their hope in it.  I have witnessed people healed and lives restored not by anything but your contribution.

I am actually the beneficiary of your contributions.  I managed to complete my university education because of your donations.  It is miraculous that I grew up in Kiwawa and went for my primary education in Kiwawa and finally after my college, I have come back home to assist my people.  I will transform them where possible in Jesus name.  Your contributions have had great impact through me and many others who benefited from your donations.  The community will be transformed and a multitude of lives will be changed.  I will give you consistent and regular updates on what is happening at Pilgrims Presence.

We are now restructuring and renovating the house (headquarters) so that we can attract more money locally through – seminars, workshops, retreats and accommodate services.  During the past two months we have:

• Painted the internal and external walls – which have never been done since its construction.

• Repaired 29 broken windows.

• Purchased curtains for the windows.

• Renovated toilet facilities damaged in a wind storm one year ago.

• Put new steel locks on all doors.

• Purchased new bedding.

• Carpeted all the rooms.

• Purchased 8 more beds for the maximum use of space.

• Purchased tables and chairs for rooms.

• Purchased sets of simple sofas because former ones were completely worn out.

• Subsidized fees for 5 students (one Bible student, two polytechnic students, and two college students).

• Hosted two Healing and Reconciliation Retreats. The first during the month of January 2002 was conducted by Arthur Rouner and was attended by 23 pastors.  The second was conducted in March 2002 by Ward Brehm and Telke Selassie and was attended by over 89 people.

My vision for Pilgrims Presence is to enhance its capacity to generate money (60 percent locally and 40 percent internationally) which will be used to promote the education of Pokot girls.  Pokot girl children are highly oppressed:

• Girls are seen as a source of wealth for entry into marriage. 

• Families see no need to educate girls.  In a community of about 1,100 people only 3 girls are in high school.  In elementary classrooms the number of girls to boys ratio is 8 girls for every 25 boys.  During high school, the ratio is 1 girl for every 22 boys.

• Girls are denied basic rights.

• Girls are subjected to early marriage, forced marriage, and female genital mutilation.

There is a great need for support and advocacy including the following proposals:

• Campaign against girl child mistreatment.

• Sponsorship – Provide scholarship for at least 100 girls per year.  This will increase educational opportunities for girls by 80 percent in the area.

• Serve as a rescue point for girls being forced into early marriage and female genital mutilation.  This is because the moment we talk to a girl child in the Pokot community – the family will give you the girl and tell you to meet all of her educational needs.  The mission would like to pay for the girls who manage high school and are left by parents.

• Support disabled and orphans in terms of equipping them with skills.  We want them to lead productive lives like others.  We want them to be independent.  We are targeting help for 10 disabled and orphans this year.

• We want to initiate a newsletter to help us educate the public and community on the mistreatment of girls and to urge the community to do away with discrimination.

• Begin reading clubs to purchase success oriented and Christian books where students will share presentations with others.

After a thorough assessment we have the following needs to realize our vision:

Deck – dangerous and destroyed by ants.  Youth volunteers will bring down the old deck and assist the technicians with construction - $2,000.

Communication-Because of the remoteness of the whole region, we are separated by 130 km from the main town, Pilgrims Presence is the only center where people can receive information.  There is no telephone, roads are poor.  We would like to purchase a satellite dish for communication and education - $1,800.

Solar Panels – Our generator now in operation is too expensive to maintain. We require one investment for solar panels that are inexpensive to maintain.  Quotes have been received to receive the cheapest seller of the panels.  We have negotiated an installation free of charge - $2,000. 

Construction – Toilet is 16 years old and in disrepair.  The center cannot hold a big seminar. Currently training is done in a place which is used as a dining and sitting room.  We would like to build a hostel to attract more people and donations to the center.  The community will provide sand, water, and concrete to make the foundation -$7,000.

We are persistently praying and asking God for guidance and provision.  You may assist us with prayer and material support, present our needs to all fellow missioners, and stand for us.                    

The Missionary Society of the NACCC - (800) 262-1620 Ext: 17
 rmahnke@naccc.org