A Habitat build in the Great Rift Valley...

On Saturday three of us (Brian, Cora and I) woke up bright and early to participate in a Habitat for Humanity build in the Rift Valley, about one hour from Nairobi. The build took place in one of nine IDP (internally displaced persons) camps in the valley. The residents of the camps all experienced violence during the 2007 elections and have been living in the camps since then; the people we met mostly came from the Eldoret region. All of the hundreds of people who moved to the Rift Valley originally lived in tents and many still do. Habitat has a master list and is continuing to build simple, small 3-room homes for families according to their place on the list. We met many people who are living in tiny tents (several of which appear either in the foreground or background of the photos) and we worked on two homes during the day. Our jobs consisted of shoveling sand and rocks to make cement, carrying water in large jugs on our backs, moving hundreds of large (and heavy!) stones for the foundations, and then beginning to build the foundations. It was a very successful day and we were so blessed by the people we met and the stories they told. Many people are faithful Christians and one 61-year old woman (her name is Monica) praised God for her small tent and living in safety. She left everything behind when she moved from Eldoret and has no worldly possessions; she is caring for a 10-year old niece and a 10-year old nephew (the children of her two sisters who have died); and she doesn't know when her stone house will be built. Yet she exuded the joy of God in such a beautiful way. She was radiant, actually. What a lesson and testimony. We hope to return soon to visit this community and one student council representative is already dreaming up a clothing and shoe drive for the children of the settlement. A smart and visionary young man we met, named Eric, is also talking about organizing tree planting, sports programs and a community library on site. There is much to reflect on at the end of such a rich day.