Rehema Ministries/dba In Step Foundation, Kenya

Update 2012, Jessica turned six. She always has a smile and loves school.

Arrived July 2006, Jessica was 2 years old her and her brother James 6 months old, had been abandoned by their mother for four months. The old man whom the kids were left with would tied Jessica’s leg to the bed post every morning when he left the house and then returned in the evening with a few bites of bread which he would soak in water. Because she wasn’t getting enough to eat, she would pick at the mud/manure floor and eat that. This caused a very serious case of intestinal worms, which would have eventually taken her life. She is now healthy, but does seem slightly delayed developmentally. She loves to help take care of the babies.

Arrived November 2008, Jackson, brother to Rebecca, was barely alive when he was placed with us.  He was approximately 1 1/2 year old and he weighed only 11 pounds. He and his older sister were rescued when their father was arrested for neglecting them. He left them alone for days at a time. Rebecca would go to the neighbors when she was home alone, they would feed and care for her. Unfortunately, Jackson nearly starved to death before anyone realized there was another child in the house. He was in very poor health, but ate and drank milk and improved quickly.

Arrived April 2008, Joy was born April 1st at the District Hospital. Her mother immediately ran away. It is beginning to be a familiar story that several of our kids share. The hospital kept her for one week, hoping the mom would have a change of heart and come back for her. Joy is very healthy, bigger and stronger than most children when they arrive. She took to the bottle immediately, as if she had been taking it since day one.

Arrivied September 2008, Ruth was approximately a week old when we were called to pick her up in. When we got home, one of the workers asked if she had a name and announced that her name would be Ruth (Carla calls her Baby Ruth, which no one but Jeff and her knows is funny). “My little chocolate Baby Ruth!” She was a beautiful baby! She looked to be healthy and full term. She was abandoned in one of the IDP (internally displaced people) camps during the post-election violence.