Reports from New Life Home Trust

A recent article from IRIN describes the current situation in Kenya: "Kenya’s longest watercourse, the 1,000-kilometre-long Tana River, provides the country with 60 percent of its electricity and Nairobi with 80 percent of its drinking water. But the river’s water availability per capita is only a fifth what it was 50 years ago. The Tana is being drained by the nation’s fast demographic growth and the government’s ambitious development plans." As a senior staff at New Life Kilimani recently put it: "As more and more buildings go UP (like the new 18-storey one directly across the road from us), so the water table goes DOWN!"

With the many health issues that arise from unclean water, the necessity for a pure and constant water supply at our New Life homes, especially for treating recent recues babies, remains urgent. A clean, safe, and reliable water supply means life -- for drinking, cooking, warming bottles of milk, washing babies, cleaning diapers and clothes, keeping the homes clean and the floors mopped that the babies crawl on, keeping the rescue vehicles clean and hygienic for the vulnerable babies we bring home to New Life, in addition to water for playing and keeping cool near the equator ... the list of how clean water is used in the daily life of caring for 50+ rescued infants is LONG.

In response to the growing urgency in Kilimani, one New Life supporter devised a plan to walk the distance of Kenya across her home town of Aberdeenshire to help us continue to offer our rescued infants new life and access to quality medical care. The furthest distance across Kenya, from the northeast to the southwest, is 1,131km. As the water crisis grows, Libby plans to complete her walk across Aberdeenshire in chunks, specifically to raise money for our borehole in Nairobi.

Libby described New Life in this way:

"The amazing thing about the work of New Life Home is that the majority of the babies who are rescued are adopted into 'forever' families, and most are adopted by local Kenyan families. Right now New Life is fundraising to secure their water supplies. Each home has its own bore hole, but with much new construction happening round and about, the water tables are being disturbed and diminished."

We cannot continue to offer a lifeline to abandoned Kenyan infants if we are not adequately prepared to care for their needs. Your donations help keep our water supply clean and sustainable, and ensure a good, healthy new life for beautiful little babies. Please consider donating now or joining supporters like Libby who are creatively engaging others in a conversation about water, life, and the opportunity we hold to provide life on behalf of the most vulnerable.

Precious Newborn Rescue

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Dec 22, 2016

Daniel's Homecoming

By Pam Amundsen - Project Leader

Playing

Our beloved Baby Daniel together with his caregiver, Miss Yvonne, has returned to Kenya from the United States. After his surgery, Daniel spent 2 to 3 days per week at a hearing center in the States learning to listen and respond to audible stimuli. Thankfully, Daniel’s learning went smoothly and he progressed beyond what the audiologist and speech therapist had expected!

Bridgette, whose family hosted Daniel and Miss Yvonne and has been a huge help in the fundraising process, decided to make the return trip as an aid to Miss Yvonne. Bridgette, who has a niece with a Cochlear Implant, took time to sit with New Life staff and teach us how to take care of Daniel in this transition period. Words cannot express our gratitude toward Bridgette and her family – Daniel and the whole of New Life Home Trust will forever be grateful for their kindness.

Daniel has settled back into the New Life family and is still adjusting to the transition. He continues to visit an audiologist and speech therapist every week, and we’ve already seen great improvement in his speech and response patterns. He has settled in well and it is unbelievable just how well he gets along with the rest of the children. Things that used to frustrate him – like singing time or certain aspects of playtime – are now a delight for him to be a part of.

As Cochlear Implant surgery is not available in Kenya, we are still so delighted for the many people that have come together to help a young, orphaned boy from Kenya receive the gift of hearing. We can already see how it is changing his childhood and how it will shape his future. Thank you for being a part of that team of support.

Being Silly

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Dec 15, 2016

Because of You

By Pam Amundsen - Project Leader

Pool Play Time

Thanks to the generosity of all who have given, we are more than halfway to our fundraising goal! Over the last month, we received new donors who contributed on Bonus Day as well as a major contribution. Additionally, we had a UK volunteer that used her time preparing for her visit to raise funds via GlobalGiving. As a GG fundraiser, Amanda raised nearly $400 before arriving in Kenya!

We are so grateful for all of you who have contributed to our Clean Water Project and who are invested in our work. It’s currently winter in the Southern Hemisphere, which means we are getting plenty of warmth and sun. Our toddlers have loved time in the pool to cool off and our staff rests easy knowing that progress is being made on our new water tank thanks to you.

We use water everyday is so many ways. It serves not only as a tool for hydration and carrier of sustenance, but also as preventative medicine that keeps our babies clean, well-fed, and healthy. Babies like India (pictured below) who come in needing serious medical care are safe in our home – receiving the best care available, along with a clean water source, to prevent her vulnerable state from declining further.

We know that you are investing in this project because you care too – about the health and wellbeing of once abandoned Kenyan infants. We'd like to invite you to become a GlobalGiving fundraiser for New Life or consider becoming a monthly donor until we reach our goal – all new reoccurring donors in December that commit to giving for at least three months will be matched 2-to1! Invite family and friends to give to New Life this holiday season or ask your company to sponsor a portion of the remaining funds as part of their year-end giving.

However you plan to spend the holiday season, we wish you well and are incredibly grateful for the support and care you’ve shown New Life Home Trust this year. We could not complete the work of rescuing and offering new life to abandoned Kenyan infants if it weren’t for the big-hearted support of people like you worldwide. Thank you!

Baby India

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