Update: Rays of Hope Clinic: Githongo, Kenya

The staff of Rays of Hope with Murithi on the far left.

It has been a year and a half since I was in Kenya with Maureen Valentine. If you've read the earliest blog postings on my site, you will know the story of her wish to visit once more the Africa she loved so much. She knew she was dying, even as she kept hopeful and positive about the future. I accompanied her on this trip and it was an extraordinary journey, on many levels. Do read the story which you will find in the Archives.
Perhaps the highlight of the trip was our visit to the small clinic, Rays of Hope, that provides health care to a village and surrounding area that had never had any care at all before the clinic was founded in 2009.  Born in this village and determined to help its people, Murithi Marangu, with Maureen's financial backing, was able to found the clinic after she helped him to go to college where he gained the knowledge in business he needed to found the clinic.  Our visit there was an amazing experience, and Maureen was treated like visiting royalty. Again, I encourage you to read the story and see the pictures on this blog site.

Today the Clinic is growing stronger and reaching more and more children and adults. I am sending out a link with a recent Newsletter, where you can read the latest news. I also am asking you to consider making a donation to help us keep the work going. We are working on getting grant money, but with none of us who are volunteering to help Murithi having any great skills in this, it is a big challenge. Until we are successful in that, the clinic must survive on donations. With your help and careful management to ensure that Maureen's bequest lasts as long as possible, we will move forward.

Thank you from all of us who have been touched by the Rays of Hope Clinic who love so much and work so hard to help all who come for help. And now they are making more and more home visits to those who cannot leave their homes due to debilitating illness, often HIV/AIDS and handicaps. Local superstition may cause them to be ostracized from the community which makes reaching them even more difficult. The rainy season makes it impossible, as they have only a bicycle to make these calls and no emergency vehicle to get to the hospital, 5km away. I could go on and on....

 http://us7.campaign-archive2.com/?u=4375e4f5e18e69a7a191b6635&id=4b8e794975&e=ffb5e2a2ec

Thank you so much for making a donation here:

 http://www.childrenofstrength.org/raysofhope_clinic.php

Kristin Vawter of Children of Strength and local friend.
Kristin is our mainstay volunteer who did a site visit
to Rays of Hope last Spring, gaining much needed
information about their needs.



With a grateful heart, Dottie