Hello family and friends of OWI (Ordinary Women Inc.),
Thanksgiving, what a wonderful season. As a culture, this is a time that we stop and reflect about what we are thankful for. And we have so much to be thankful for.
I want to share a story of one of our orphans and the gratefulness she and her mother have for our program. Her name is Rael. Rael is number four out of seven siblings. Rael has Marfan's Syndrome, which is a connective tissue disorder. The connective tissue is weakened, which affects the tendons, the cartilage, and the major arteries in the body. A person with Marfan's Syndrome is usually tall, has long legs and arms, long fingers, and poor vision. Rael's father was a police officer and died of heart disease in 2004 because of complications from his Marfan's Syndrome. Marfan's Syndrome is passed down generationally.
The passing of Rael's father left Rael's mother in a very difficult situation. She was struggling to provide for the basic needs of her children with her job of going to the marketplace and buying and selling vegetables. She had to make some very difficult decisions like not sending her children to school and finding other places for her children to stay. Two of Rael's older siblings had to drop out of school. And with Rael's condition of Marfan's syndrome, Rael had difficulty with her eyesight. Rael needed eye surgery, but her mother was unaware of this as she was struggling to provide the basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter for her children. Ignorant of the symptoms of Marfan's syndrome, Rael's mother thought Rael was rude, lazy, and slow, and she blamed Rael for being a difficult child. Rael had dropped out of school and was staying with her grandmother. Rael's future looked very bleak until she was placed in the Kenya OWI OP (Orphan Program).
Since Rael was placed in the OP two years ago, she and her siblings have returned to the safety and security of their mother's home. Rael's mother is provided with food every month for Rael which is part of the support offered by Rael's sponsor, so Rael and her mother don't have to worry about how Rael is going to eat every day. Through extra financial gifts, Rael has gotten the eye surgery needed so now she can read her textbooks. Also, Rael's social worker in the OP has educated her mother on Marfan's syndrome, so she understands Rael's symptoms and behaviors better now. Because of Rael's low self-esteem from Marfan's syndrome, her social worker has provided encouragement by reminding her that Abraham Lincoln and Mary, Queen of Scots (1542) both had Marfan's syndrome and yet did powerful things in their lives.
Rael has returned to school. She is now seventeen years old and is in the eighth grade. She is studying for her exams which she needs to pass to go on to high school. It looks hopeful that she will enter high school next year. Her goal in life is to become an Optometrist because she wants to help people with their eyes as she has been helped.
Each month at the guardian day in the OP, Rael's mother is one of the first guardians there to show her gratitude to this program. She is so thankful and grateful she has her children living with her again, that she can provide for their basic needs, and that Rael has gotten the eye surgery she needed.
I thank God for you, our sponsors, encouragers, supporters. Without you, the OWI Orphan Program in Kenya would be non-existent. You are making a life changing difference in these childrens' lives. Thank you! To you, we are very grateful! If you would like to give an extra gift during this holiday season that will help us pay the orphan food bill or for school uniforms for the orphans, please send your tax-deductible donation to the address listed below or go to our website and make a donation using paypal.
If you are interested in supporting one of the orphans in our Orphan Program for just $35 a month, please go to our website at www.ordinarywomen.org and you can choose your orphan from the profiles. Or you can write to us at:
Ordinary Women, Inc
26861 Trabuco Road, Suite E#146
Mission Viejo, Ca. 92691
Joining Hands for Global Change,
Darla Morfin
Ordinary Women, Inc.
Executive Director- OWI Orphan Program
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