Story and images contributed by Jim Naugle in Stories from the Field When I talk to people about child sponsorship, I usually include a mix of facts about World Vision and stories which demonstrate what World Vision accomplishes in the field. Not surprisingly, it’s the stories that really connect with people. After all, the World Vision facts are easily accessible on the website, but the stories are personal and they offer a point of connection between our American life and the lives of those we serve. As Child Ambassadors, we are the keepers of stories and the more we share our stories with each other, the better prepared we are when we find ourselves offering a folder to a potential sponsor. Whether it’s a story about something we've seen for ourselves or an experience we heard about from a fellow Child Ambassador, the impact of a story can be a powerful way to demonstrate the profound change that comes from sponsorship. With that in mind, I’d like to share a story members of the Child Ambassador team heard this past April in Kenya. The speaker is Daniel Selallie, the assistant chief of Kanaodon, a community in the Turkana region in northern Kenya. When we met Daniel, Kanaodon was approaching the end of their time with World Vision and Daniel was eager to share with us just how far his community had progressed with the help of World Vision sponsorship. Under the shade provided by Kanaodon’s solar panels, Daniel addressed us as we stood on the dry, barren ground that used to define Kanaodon. He chose to address us in Swahili, but our friend Moses provided the translation. There are two ways to experience Daniel’s words: either through a video and/or through a written transcript of the words he spoke. The video and the written transcript are below. The video stops rather suddenly, but the power of the message is intact due to Daniel’s passion and emphatic speaking style. Follow along with the written transcript as Daniel speaks, and listen for the following nuggets of wisdom: 1. How many people benefit from the water project that Daniel is sharing with us? 2. Listen for his description of the youth that maintain the equipment and how they know this is THEIR water project, not World Vision’s. He is thankful for World Vision’s help, but his community has pride and ownership of the project. 3. He does not ask for more. He is content with his community’s progress. He DOES, however, urge us to remember those communities that are still waiting and to provide them with the help that transformed Kanaodon. We often saw that the culture in Kenya is one of sharing and looking out for neighbors. We all can learn from this. In his remarks, Daniel refers to Kalapata, a nearby community that is a new World Vision Development Project and just began offering child sponsorship this year. 4. Don’t miss his final challenge when he tells us to “greet the Christians from America and tell them what the World Vision team from Kenya is doing.” It’s a powerful moment. I pray that this video will transport us all to Kanaodon and Daniel’s words will give us more stories that we can share with friends, families, and even strangers as we advocate for the children we serve. Daniel’s Message April, 2019 “He’s called Daniel Selalle. He is the assistant chief of the Kanaodon sublocation. He really thanks the team. He wants to give thanks to you for coming. He says thank you so much World Vision for the work they are doing in this community. Pertaining to water, previously we used to fetch water from the river. The community, the school, and the livestock used to depend on the river which is some distance from here. And in the river there are so many challenges that affect people there. Children used to break from learning and go to fetch water and in the process they meet wild animals like snakes and the distance from here up to the river bank is very far. And then the elderly mothers used to walk up to that water source. The livestock were also affected by crocodiles and it was a very big problem. And in the health facility, mothers were not giving birth in the health facility because there was no water. As a result of this water project by World Vision, this water has created a multiple impact. For example, children are no longer going to the river, the elderly are now getting their water within their homesteads , the families are getting their water within their households, and livestock are now getting their water within their homesteads. In the health facilities, so many mothers are coming to the health facilities. Previously they were shy to come, for example to give birth, to the health facility because there was no water. So every family member has water within their homestead now. So the population of Kanaodon is 14,225 and they are scattered in different villages and those who are now accessing water are 8,000. Those with individual connections within their households is 300 people and more people are now connecting their homesteads with water. They have created some kitchen gardens within their households. They are getting vegetables within their homes. The school has water within the school compound. The school has a population of 1,026. The ACD center has 346 children , within their learning area they access water within the school compound. So apart from the individual connections, they have water kiosks. This is where the villagers that are far from the individual connections get the water - from the water kiosks. World Vision also picked some youth from within this community, trained them how to operate this water system. So those skills are now utilized within this community, because they know this water is not for World Vision, it is for them. That is why they are still maintaining it and owning it as theirs. So he has seen a lot of advantages of having this water source here from World Vision. Cases of waterborne diseases are reduced drastically, and we are really thankful for that. So what he is praying for and requesting from World Vision friends from America, the same system that has been done here can be replicated in other villages, like Kalapata and many other places. Those communities can come and learn from here and use what they’ve learned from here to replicate it and do it in their own homesteads where they come from. What has been done here can be done in any place* within this area. So we really thank everyone. We really thank you and the World Vision team, and we are praying that you do the same in other villages within this area. When you go back to America, when you go back to the churches, when you go back to the American government, take our greetings* and greet the Christians from America and tell them what the World Vision team from Kenya is doing. They can be used to do the same in other areas within this community, not only in Kenya but across Africa. So thank you so much, and you are always welcome. We really thank World Vision because it’s not water only, they are doing a lot in education, they are doing a lot of interventions in nutrition, they are really helping the malnourished children, they are really helping to teach the people to understand the importance to use the health facilities.” Want to be part of this life-changing work? This is the work of World Vision through Child Sponsorship! Click here to order picture folders of children in need of sponsors!
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