edinah apima
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HOPE AFRICA MINISTRIES INC.
Providing help and hope through missions and ministry
I heard about Edinah Apima before I ever met her. Soon after I arrived at Hope Educational Centre this past July, 2010, I heard from the teachers about a little girl in the school who had never spoken. That intrigued me, as I work with young children, some whom have special needs. Soon after that, she was pointed out to me in her classroom. I saw a beautiful little five-year-old girl sitting amongst her classmates in a mud plastered, mud floored, tin roofed, pane-less windowed, door-less classroom in rural, remote Sakwa, Kenya. She was sharing a desk with two other children, just like the other students in the room shared. While observing Edinah, there was nothing that physically distinguished her from the other students until the teacher gave directions. Then I noticed the teacher would tap Edinah to get her attention and point or gesture to direct her.
During my stay at Hope Educational Centre, I was able to see Edinah many times and learn more about her. Edinah lives with her grandparents in a small mud-plastered home off the main road in Sakwa where they sell vegetables and fruits from a small, roadside stand. Edinah’s parents abandoned her to them because they believed it was a curse that she did not speak. On the last day of the school term, I was able to meet Edinah’s grandmother who invited me, a local pastor, and the head of the Hope Educational Centre school board to their home later that day. During that visit, we discovered that Edinah had never been to a doctor to determine why she does not speak. Edinah had always been a healthy child, so there was no need for a visit to the clinic, nor was there extra money for the expense of a diagnosis. Edinah and her grandmother had developed a few rudimentary signs they used to communicate and now Edinah was in school to learn whatever she might be able to learn. She was happy, healthy, obviously well-cared for, and loved by her grandparents.
During that visit, I was able to ask Edinah’s grandmother if she would be interested in getting help with an evaluation and, if needed, appropriate education for Edinah. She was overwhelmed with the thought that someone would offer to help her granddaughter. She thankfully and gratefully accepted the offer, and plans to have Edinah evaluated were initiated.
After determining that Edinah needed an educational--not a medical--evaluation, it was arranged for her to go to the nearest center for testing. There it was finally determined that she was deaf and needed special schooling. The nearest school for her was a boarding school in a nearby town that required two or three public transportation vehicles and most likely two hours’ travel. She also needed all the many supplies for her to stay at the school: clothing, shoes, uniforms, sheets, blankets, mattress, towels, toiletries, etc. And, she needed money for tuition, which by US standards was very reasonable and inexpensive.
Because Edinah and her situation captured my heart while in Sakwa, I was determined to follow through with providing for her education. I believed that others would also be captured by her story and her need. I brought this need to my Sunday school class at my church, Jarvis Memorial UMC, and in just a few days Edinah had received all the funds she needed to complete the current school term at the boarding school, including all her supplies and tuition for another school year.
This story is just one example of the kinds of needs that we become aware of while serving in Kenya. Through helping all the students at Hope Educational Centre receive a quality education, we are also helping Edinah receive the special education she needs to learn and develop to her potential. It is also our desire that she will be a testimony to the love of God shown through his followers for a little girl in need.
Blessed to be a part of His work,
Roberta Peterson
President Hope Africa Ministries, Inc.
After determining that Edinah needed an educational--not a medical--evaluation, it was arranged for her to go to the nearest center for testing. There it was finally determined that she was deaf and needed special schooling. The nearest school for her was a boarding school in a nearby town that required two or three public transportation vehicles and most likely two hours’ travel. She also needed all the many supplies for her to stay at the school: clothing, shoes, uniforms, sheets, blankets, mattress, towels, toiletries, etc. And, she needed money for tuition, which by US standards was very reasonable and inexpensive.
Because Edinah and her situation captured my heart while in Sakwa, I was determined to follow through with providing for her education. I believed that others would also be captured by her story and her need. I brought this need to my Sunday school class at my church, Jarvis Memorial UMC, and in just a few days Edinah had received all the funds she needed to complete the current school term at the boarding school, including all her supplies and tuition for another school year.
This story is just one example of the kinds of needs that we become aware of while serving in Kenya. Through helping all the students at Hope Educational Centre receive a quality education, we are also helping Edinah receive the special education she needs to learn and develop to her potential. It is also our desire that she will be a testimony to the love of God shown through his followers for a little girl in need.
Blessed to be a part of His work,
Roberta Peterson
President Hope Africa Ministries, Inc.