Kenya Today ...

Well … it’s hard to believe but this mission to Kenya begins in a few short weeks (I leave in just 50 days!). It has been wonderful to learn about and prepare for this adventure. I have been truly humbled and blessed by all of the kind words and notes many of you have sent me as well as the financial support so many have provided.


In the last info-letter, I gave you a little background about Kenya’s history. In this issue, I’d like to share some of what I have learned about what Kenya is like today.

Truly, one of the major challenges facing the people of Kenya is poverty. Between 25% and 50% of all Kenyans earn around $1 (US) a day. About 52% of their population lives below the poverty level. A 2005 world economic report ranked Kenya 154th (out of 177 nations rated) on the poverty scale—basically near the bottom. Just three earlier … it ranked 134th indicating that conditions are getting worse. Limited economic diversity, lack of opportunity, and recent political unrest have all contributed to the current state of the nation. Because of these economic conditions, Kenya also faces many major health issues.

Like elsewhere on the African continent, HIV is a major health issue in Kenya. Over 150,000 people die each year of HIV/AIDS related causes. The nation’s health report boasts of good news in that the numbers of citizens infected with HIV has declined in recent years. Yet, if pressed, they’ll admit that this is primarily due to the fact that many of those infected have died. About 75% of all Kenyans directly know someone infected with HIV or who have died of an HIV/AIDS related illness. In addition, partly due to insufficient funds to sustain or improve medication conditions, other health issues faced include malaria, yellow fever, Hepatitis A and B, and cholera.

As with any nation, the ones that are usually most impacted by these types of conditions is the children. The infant mortality rate in Kenya is 81 out of 1,000 births don’t survive to age 1 (compare to 8 in the United States). The current life expectancy in Kenya is 54 (compared to 80 in the US). Kenya’s orphan population increases by the hundreds of thousands each year, helped in part by the HIV/AIDS related conditions.

Added to these health and economic challenges, many Kenyans face challenged living conditions. Clean drinking water and proper sanitation remain out of reach for large segments of the population. While the government has made strides to improve the sanitation issue, currently less than 20% of the nation have access to it.

It’s in this environment that the Kenyan church works, proclaiming the Lord’s message of hope and love. In my next issue, I will focus primarily on the work of the church in Kenya (in general) and specifically on what I will be doing while there. Thank you for your ongoing support as I continue to prepare for this mission!