New Home for Bryan’s Family

One of our recent secondary school graduates has had a particularly difficult spring. He lived in an earthen home with family members until recently when torrential rains washed away much of the family compound, leaving Bryan and his extended family without any shelter. Each summer GIP hosts interns from Duke Divinity School work with Umoja…

This is Esther

Written by Sarah Neff, Duke Divinity School student and 2016 Umoja Project Field Intern: When I first met Esther several weeks ago, her home was the seventh home that we visited in one day. My malaria pill had burnt my esophagus the night before, so I was tired, discouraged, wincing at the thought of another…

The Ministry of a Smile

I thought that this kid was just overly excited to meet “the Americans” but as I observed him throughout the three hours we spent together, I realized that Eric just loves to smile. His smile was infectious and I knew that by the end of the day, I would want to bottle it up, put it in my backpack, and carry it with me wherever I went.

Dust

If there is one thing I miss most about Kenya, it’s the dust…
the orange brown particles still embedded in my chacos that once coated my feet, turned my boogers orange, and made it appear like I’d spent all day in a tanning bed.

Walking Each Other Home

It has occurred to me that the Umoja Project is about friendship. If you had a friend in need, you would not march into his or her home with a list of objectives and start moving things, installing things, “improving” things. You would sit with your friend and say, “Tell me what’s going on.” and “I’m here for you.” Then you might ask, “How can I help?”