At the turn of 2019 — 2020, we opened the first school on Mount Elgon. In the village of Nakhosi, a mud hut was converted into a school. Windows and doors were installed, walls were reinforced, due to absence of electricity the roof was redesigned to allow natural light. A blackboard was hung on the wall and desks were brought in. By the beginning of the 2020 school year, in the first week of January, everything was ready.
Currently, the school can accommodate 58 children. Experience has shown that the first academic year was successful. Thanks to our teachers, the first students learned how to read and write in just four months.
Parents are asking to expand the school and recruit more students. Everyone was impressed by the result of the past year.
Every year, for three years in a row, thanks to our sponsors, we can help a large number of children in the mountains and villages.
In this way, we were able to distribute over 2000 pairs of shoes and a large quantity of clothing for the smallest inhabitants of Mount Elgon. We mainly do this in our medical clinics. Many children are exposed to the sand flea that lives in the soil. The problem of lack of shoes is one of the big needs, as well as one of the reasons why children have problems with parasites under the skin. We met children aged 12-14 who did not know how to wear shoes. They never had it.
In 2020, we brought a large amount of warm clothes to the village of Ite on Mount Elgon. The rainy season is very cold. Temperatures can drop to 42F (4-5C) at night. Many children get sick, so warm clothes are definitely a blessing for them.
For two years now, thanks to our regular partners, we have been able to feed children on Mount Elgon. Every week in four villages we eat up to 1200 children. The way it all began was the result of the prayer of our son Samuel. He often prayed during his evening prayer that we could feed the children on Elgon. God answered. A young woman wrote to us and offered to start feeding the children. She expressed a desire to cover all feeding costs in three villages and then another sponsor was added to a fourth village. The diet here is rather poor, so we feed the kids a good portion of protein and vitamins.
“I went to Africa to teach children to draw, to introduce them to art. Why, you ask? My answer is: I think feeding and dressing is great, but it’s a one-time help. You came, fed him, and after a couple of days the child was hungry again. You bought him shoes, and after a while the shoes will have holes. But, if a child is taught to do something, it will stay with him forever. If he is educated, he can feed himself and buy himself clothes. In addition, he will have a meaning in life that he will definitely want to communicate to others. Gradually, this knowledge will spread and motivate more people to live. I went to teach children to draw and introduce them to art because I believe it will help them. It will enrich their soul, awaken their imagination, and help them live better. «
Dasha Chernousik
