27 Nov 2020 by Numbers: Our Year
It’s been both an exciting and challenging year here at our Kitalale and Kikuyu homes. Because of COVID-19, which has had a huge impact on our world, we’ve had to adjust our activities and routines this year.
Despite these challenging times, our children have grown, learning new things and discovering new hobbies, all thanks to you: our generous donors and prayer partners. This past year has truly demonstrated the importance of our family, so here is a chance to celebrate what you have helped make happen.
Let’s look at our year by numbers:
1 University Student graduate
1 baby goat born
1 new greenhouse built with 500 kg tomatoes harvested
3 new children joined our family
3 delayed high school graduates
4 goats purchased
6 children started school (Grade 1)
6 children who learned how to walk
10 delayed grade 8 graduates
14 fashion shows
19 high school students
30 rugs created by children
50 staff members
52 exploration walks
60 chickens
66 primary school students
100 birthdays celebrated
208 doctor visits
210 days quarantined
216 board games played
300 movies watched
365 hours of family devotion time
544 table tennis games
600 bracelets created
760 farm chores completed by the children
300 donors
1000+ soccer games
1,000 basketball games with 8 basketballs worn out
1,120 storybooks read
2,000 bars of soap
2,200 laundry (Kitalale laundry all over the compound)
3,600 homework assignments completed
164,250. meals eaten
As you can see, we’ve been busy!
2020 Highlights
Despite the virus, this year has been one of exciting achievements. The children have so many stories they want to share with you!
Miracles
We’ve been celebrating some miracles this month! Darrian came to us this year, at the age of five, with a malnutrition deficiency that meant he couldn’t walk or hold his bodyweight. Months of encouragement from staff and children, and many physical therapy sessions later, Darrian has shown the strength to stand on his own and even taken his first few steps unaided.
Take a look at his progress below and listen to our children’s excitement as they encourage him to keep going. He just keeps getting stronger!
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Outdoor Creativity
This year in particular, our children have been loving the outdoors! They’ve been busy tending to our tomato garden, caring for our animals and playing outside. We can’t even begin to count how many basketball and soccer games have been played. Daniel and George certainly made the most out of our basketball court, wearing out every ball possible.
Enjoying God’s given nature is something our children really treasure, and we look forward to continuing to enjoy it as we head into the new year.
Reunions
We had the pleasure of hosting a family reunion with the older children who have now grown up, live independently and are beginning to have families of their own. We were able to bless them with supplies to help them during this COVID-19 season. Many of them have work that has been impacted by COVID-19 restrictions. This was a hugely humbling experience and we loved hearing from everyone about their current and past experiences. This truly reinstated the importance of what we do day to day, and the importance of our donors.
We have many stories and successes to share from our older children. Keep an eye out for another blog featuring our talented older children!
Reflecting on our year highlights the importance of our family connection, our community and our extended family of donors. Our mission and purpose continues to be to create a safe place for our children where they can thrive, achieve and be and feel loved.
We appreciate and feel blessed to be surrounded by so much love and support.
Wanting to learn more about how you can support our children?
Discover our donation options to see how you can help make a difference in our children’s lives. Whether you are able to give a one-time or ongoing donation, know that your generosity will bring happiness and hope to our children.