Crafting Hope: Locals Join Effort for Abandoned Babies in Kenya

Thirty-three years ago, our family moved to Mentone and established Little River Hardware. Our four oldest children enjoyed an excellent education at Moon Lake Elementary. We were active members of St. Joseph’s on-the-Mountain. After 12 happy years, we made some big decisions to sell the hardware store and adopt our two youngest children, Rob and Maya, from New Life Homes in Nairobi, Kenya. They are now 22 and 23 years old, and we are empty nesters, thrilled to be spending our retirement back in Mentone. Although we have retired from our full-time professions as educators, we continue to remain connected and fundraise for the amazing work of New Life Homes.

New Life Homes’ story began in Nairobi’s Kenyatta Hospital in 1993, where baby Clive was lying in a baby crib with three other abandoned infants: without sheets, without diapers, without any hope of survival. Mary, a nurse with three children of her own, noticed Clive and asked if she could take him home with her to care for him in his last hours. She wanted him to die in someone’s arms.

Clive made it through his first night in Mary’s arms… and the second. He refused to die.

And Mary refused to let him die.

Clive is now a 32-year-old graphic designer in love with life. Mary and her husband adopted Clive soon after he came to live with them, and their guest room has expanded to become New Life Homes Trust, a network of four beautiful baby homes across Kenya. Since 1993, more than 2,500 abandoned babies have been rescued from hospitals, police stations, and roadsides. Many of the babies are HIV+, many have special needs, and many weigh only 2 or 3 pounds. They arrive tiny and frail, and they leave as robust toddlers with their own Kenyan families!

We are thrilled to find companions here in Mentone to join us in our fundraising efforts for New Life Homes. This fall, volunteers are gathering to create one-of-a-kind jewelry and “gratitude beads” with beautiful Kazuri beads in preparation for a Holiday Sale at St. Joseph’s. The beads are made from the clay of Mt. Kenya at a fair trade organization outside of Nairobi. Every day, 300 women shape, fire, and paint each bead with tiny brushes, then fire them again in the Kazuri kilns. The women sing and laugh as they work together — at the end of each day, they have the deep satisfaction of a job well done and a salary that provides for their large extended families. Theirs is a labor of love in an atmosphere of great transformation.

Volunteers here in Mentone choose each bead with care and love, knowing that they are creating gifts that last a lifetime — and give a lifetime. They are excited to share the labor of their love with Mentone during the holiday season! Please join us for our first holiday sale at St. Joseph’s on Sunday, Nov. 16, from 12-5 p.m. Through the Amani Children’s Foundation, the proceeds will go back to Kenya to provide everyday care for the babies at New Life Homes.

You can learn more about New Life Homes and Kazuri Beads at newlifehometrust.org, and kazuribeads.com

If you or your organization is interested in hosting a sale, please contact jeantcorey@gmail.com.

BY JEAN COREY