Students write letters to support Kenyan children

from Your Hub

Contributed by: Sarah Redmond

It has been said that millions of children are at risk from poverty, but millions more are at risk from prosperity. Many young people have everything to live with, but nothing to live for.

Castle Rock's School of the Rock is working to change that. Children ranging from kindergarten through eighth grade sat motionless as Barrack Okal from Kenya, recounted the stark realities of life in his homeland for kids in poverty.

Okal, employed with Compassion International, spoke to the small private school as part of the school's campaign to raise awareness about children living in poverty. The children also spent days learning about the recent violence in Kenya and wrote letters of encouragement and support. The letters will be sent to Compassion International's Kenya office for distribution to the children dealing specifically with the trauma associated with recent violence and rioting.

The brutal events stemming from the December 2007 presidential election in Kenya affected Okal personally when he received word that his cousin was shot and killed by local police. "My cousin had returned home from work and was eating dinner with his family. The police kicked down the door, dragged him outside and shot him in the street," recounted Okal.

Stories of life in Kenya during this turbulent period were replete with vivid images of fear and terror. Okal explained that some children ran away from the violence and lost their parents, while others saw their small homes with corrugated iron roofs destroyed. Children in parts of Kenya could not go to the Compassion projects because some of them were destroyed. If the projects survived, parents kept their children at home due to the fear of violence.

Children at the School of the Rock were told that the letters written to the children of Kenya will have utmost importance, especially at this time. "Imagine not knowing where your parents are. Many kids who live in poverty, even if they have parents, aren't ever told, 'I love you.' These letters show them that someone cares about them and thinks they are worthy of love."

For some children in Kenya, he explained, a simple mosquito bite can infect children with a deadly disease called malaria. It was difficult, if not impossible, for the young audience to imagine the reality of children in poverty and the adult issues they face in childhood.

"In my country, growing up, I did not wear shoes. In fact, I wore my first pair when I was 11 years old and I was so excited to have them," stated Okal.

School of the Rock parent, Kelli Wojtkewicz, hopes her child now understands how blessed he is. "I want my child to have compassion for other children in other parts of the world, starting at a very young age. It's never too early for them to learn how children in poverty live and to teach them selflessness, charity and servitude."

Okal was presented with letters and homemade cards by eighth grade students while a few students lead prayers specifically for the needs of the children in Kenya, who number 11 million:

"Dear God, please provide food for the children in Kenya and please bless them."

"God, we know you hear the cries of the children. Please keep them safe and protect them from the violence."

"Dear God, help the kids in Kenya find their parents and if they don't find them or if their parents have died, please give them strength."

A peace agreement was reached between the rival factions in Kenya the day after Okal's presentation - and a day after the children prayed for peace in the troubled land together.