You Say Ukunda – I say Faraga – Project 24 Centers and the Mary Okeyo Scholarship fund.

Stephanie, Annie and Cheryl playing with the children at Ukunda/Faraga

 I do not want to make any noise like I am criticizing.  These are ELCK Projects and they operate on their own timetables – we Americans get impatient and want everything done yesterday.  This is one of the first centers that we had worked on and it seems like it took a long time to get done even by “Africa Time” standards.  You can read about the trials and tribulations by going back over the blog site from the beginning.

Anyway we had heard that the hold up’s were caused by the Government and so we asked to see the official in charge.  After some discussion and a visit we realized that progress had been made since last February – a new security fence and gate, flush toilets inside and a good outhouse  and cook shack have all been completed.  There was no reason that the place should not be up and running except that David and other officials do not have the transportation to go down and do inspections and keep the ball moving forward.

We saw upon our return home the final list of stuff that needed to be purchased.  It included “puppy” (made me wonder until I realized it was puddy), food preparation items etc.  John Fale preached at a church in Illinois that wrote out a check for the remainder and as far as I know there should be thirty children there now.

The picture above is from the cook shack that they use as an interim church.  The redish building is the dorm that will house at least 30 children.  My understanding is that this will be a two pronged facility teaming up with Whema Station.  Whema will be where the girls are and Ukunda/Farga will be for boys.

It is hard to get pictures to show the full site so here is a picture facing the opposite way from the first photo.  Kyle Novak, Pastor Bakari and John Halake are in the cooking area and you can see an unfinished building in the back ground.  That was part of the problem – trying to do too much at one time.  Anyway the children should be there now and work can start on phase two some other time.

 Thanks to John Fale, interim Director of LCMS World Relief and Human Care, Pr Allan Buss, Immanuel, Belvidere, IL  and that congregation for getting this done for us.