Dedication Day

As you may know, our key Kizimani project over the last year has been to build a mortuary. Final care is a vital service that we in America take completely for granted. Imagine having to drive the body of your loved two hours or more to the nearest facility.

Because of the generosity of Kizimani donors, the building itself is now complete and we were able to participate in the dedication of the building today. What a joyous event!

Most of the women of the families we support in this impoverished community led us by song and dance to the building.

(Supposedly the video uploaded but it doesn't seem to be working in my preview mode.)

With several short speeches, prayers and songs, the ceremony was complete!

One of the projects the women of this community have started is a catering service. They've already served at a couple of funerals so they're ready to be one of several small businesses we anticipate will spring up in support of the mortuary.

We are still raising funds to complete the outfitting of the building with the crucial refrigeration units, office furniture, etc.  "Waiting in the wings" are a fully qualified mortician, an attendant and an office manager. And once it's up and running, the income from the mortuary will fund the staff of the clinic we built several years ago, which is serving the people in this community 5 days a week with a full-time clinical officer, a nurse and a receptionist.

After an tasty lunch prepared by these women...

...we visited two grandmas who weren't able to come to the ceremony.

There are 40 families we are providing some support for each month with food and school tuition for the children or grandchildren.

We're back in Nairobi for a day to buy and sort supplies as well as meet with some of our friends here.