May 6 -8

Wednesday was scheduled for sleeping, unpacking and settling in. However, a wonderful feeling came over me as I woke up at 8:15 am and realized that I had slept all night and not lay awake from 3 am to 6 am as expected. By mid afternoon I was ready to hit the office and start scheduling the rest of the week.

Thursday morning I met with with our MDP Administrator and scheduled appointments for the next three weeks. The rest of the day was back to bookwork in the office.

Friday morning I left for Kajiado to meet with Jacinta Loki, Director of the Rescue Center where MDP sponsors over 40 children. I also met Liz Stumpf, a volunteer who will be helping us at MDP while also volunteering at the Rescue Center to learn more about the Maasai culture and plight of the girl child. By the time our meeting was over, my head was swimming with information. MDP is preparing to build our first MDP Rescue Hostel, and Jacinta was sharing with me all that we would have to do to be compliant with the government. With compliance books in hand with the realization of the work ahead of me on this trip, I was ready for a change of pace.

We got in the vehicle and headed to Bissel. There is a young lady that MDP has been sponsoring for 9 years. She was in Form 1 (9th grade), when she found herself pregnant. Of course she was forced to drop out of school. She was 16 years old and the young man was 21. Jacinta who is a mighty force when it comes to protecting "her" girls wanted to see that the young man was arrested for being with a minor, but first she had to wait until the girl and baby was taken care of. The baby is now 3 months old and if we could find a safe home for the baby, Jacinta felt it was time to send the young girl back to school. We stopped briefly to pick up the chief, who to my great surprise was a former employee of MDP. We had a wonderful time catching up while proceeding to the home where the young girl was staying with her father and grandmother, both of them drunkards. I wanted to cry when I saw how she had been living. This area is known for making home brew and all but one or two people that came around while we were there were drunk or had been drinking. This was not a healthy environment for mother or baby.

We wanted to send the girl back to school, but looking around we wondered what we could do for the baby. We discussed several different options when we were introduced to the girls step grandmother, who does not drink and showed a genuine concern for the girl and baby. The others were encouraging us to just take the baby, but we know that the best thing for the baby if possible is to remain with family if possible. It came out that the son of the step grandmother had offered to supply the grandmother with formula and food for the baby, if the girl could go back to school.

I asked the young girl, "Do you want to go back to school"? "Yes, very much", she said. "How much"? I asked her. "Hundred percent", she replied. "And what about the boys that see what a beautiful young lady you are"? "I will tell them, NO". She said firmly.

The chief called the family together and gave a talk, then Jacinta talked very frankly with the family and with the girl that she is being given a second chance, but should she mess up again, that will be the end of her education. Plans were made to purchase some formula for the baby so within a week the baby can be weaned from his mother and she back to school. My heart broke as I witnessed the love of this young lady for her baby and yet the determination to go back to school and continue her education. Before leaving I prayed for the young girl, the baby and grandmother, that God's Spirit would be upon them. With hugs and good-bys, we left.

Jacinta let the chief know that as soon as the young girl is back to school she expects for the young man to be arrested. The chief has assured us that when the young man shows back up (he ran away when he heard we were there)he will pay the consequences for his actions. Jacinta wants to get a message out to young men forcing themselves on younger girls that they will be prosecuted.

Our dream is to someday set up an alternative school whereby unwed mothers can stay with their children while continuing their education. We have the property, we just need the support and backing to make that dream a reality. This is not an isolated case, but rather one of too many.

Jan Meharry
Founder/Executive Director
Maasai Development Project - www.4mdp.org
Help Give, Hope for Life - Hope in Life