Hi everyone,

I don’t know where to begin with thank yous for all the lovely letters and offers of support, so I think it best save them for when I start showing images of contributions.

Much has transpired since my last posting and I’m uncertain as to where to begin. I think I see the direction of the blog as being an amalgamation of an online journal and my desire to effect change. I think one of the things I would like to do is frequently highlight someone I’ve met that could be helped.

Today I have two women I’d like to feature.

The first is Florence. I met her in Malaba during my recent trip to Uganda. I will admit to having a few preconceptions as to what would drive a woman into the sex industry. And after this trip I really came to see how in the region, for the vast majority, there is absolutely nothing else.

Florence lost her husband within the first few years of marriage, he had AIDS as does she. She tried to return to her family, but was abused and rejected by her siblings, so ended up in the Kenya/Uganda border town. She refused to become involved in the sex industry initially, and worked as a maid for about $4/month for a couple months. What do you do in a country where 55% of the population lives below the poverty line and you have several children to support?

Two of her siblings have since passed away and Florence has adopted their kids, who have no one else. During one of her last jobs the condom broke and she is now pregnant again and due any day. Because she can’t work, she is now 5 months behind on rent, which is about $3/month and she has 6 children relying solely on her.

We spent a few days with 3 women in this small town and my heart really goes out to all of them. All have adopted kids they’ve either found on the street or from family members that are dead from disease.

There are so many children…

The other person I just met yesterday as I was on my way to the orphanage for a visit. Her name is Phoebe and she is involved in projects to empower women in the community. She has been teaching knitting and silk screening but has run out of materials. Her project is closely linked with the orphanage in that the guardians of some of the kids are looking for ways to earn a living.

I meet somewhere between 5 and 10 people a day that are in a critical level of poverty. And I will try and focus on those that are more forward thinking.

As I mentioned previously, help extends beyond financial and I would love assistance and volunteers in a few areas.

With respect to the Lenana orphanage, we are looking at getting a website together. Is there anyone out there that would like to help with editing copy? We’ll also be looking at a volunteer web designer and then a web host somewhere…