Even though things looked different at this time of year, Child Champions in Kenya were able to bring the joy of Christmas to children and their families because of the generosity of sponsors and donors who blessed so many this year.
It goes without saying that this Christmas has been the most unique our Hope Center has ever experienced — in so many ways.
At Syokimau, it is a time to celebrate and remind each other that Christ is the reason for the season.
Normally, we would hold a whole day’s worth of activities with all of the Child Champions, caregivers, Hope Center leaders, volunteers, and enrolled children. Our center has 189 children, and all are from poor neighborhoods located meters from the center.
On such a day, we share meals and snacks, and the kids perform dances, poem recitals, Christmas chorales, skits, and songs for their parents and other visitors who join in the celebrations.
What made this year’s festivities different was the fact that fewer than 70 out of the 189 children were able to attend in person. Because of restrictions around the pandemic, the children were prohibited from gathering. Some didn’t understand why their friends couldn’t come to the center and cut a cake and share snacks with them. Others wondered why they were split into smaller groups to comply with distancing measures. They questioned the reason many of the adults who would usually participate were missing. With voices filled with disappointment and muffled by masks, they asked why it was different this time.
But their questions turned to smiles when they, as well as their friends who could not attend, received presents from our Child Champions. Because of YOU, they were able to deliver snacks, a pair of blankets, and much-needed food items to the children’s homes.
Because of your generosity, these children will stay warm as nighttime temperatures drop. Their stomachs will be filled with delicious chapatis, an unleavened flatbread that is a staple in most Kenyan homes. And the struggles of this trying time can fall by the wayside, even for just a little while.
Your contribution made this special day possible for them. Thank you for bringing joy to children’s hearts and hope into their lives. Thank you for blessing them and giving them a reason to smile!
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