As he has pointed out, it’s unlikely his parents would have ever imagined that Barack Hussein Obama would ever become president of the United States.

But that’s what makes today’s inauguration of the 44th president of our country so special. It proves—without a shadow of a doubt—that anything is possible in America.

A young man from humble beginnings rises to one of the most powerful positions in the world. A combination of intelligence, talent, hard work and charisma propel him to this spot rather than connections, past allegiances or politics as usual.

I can’t help but compare today’s peaceful transition of power to the extreme violence and upheaval that Kenya faced last year at this time due to a contested political election which left thousands dead and millions homeless. The country is still struggling to recover. As many of you know, Obama’s father was from Kenya, and while he is no longer living, Obama’s grandmother still lives in a small village outside Nyang-oma Kogelo, which is close to the provincial capital of Kisumu.

CBM has many projects in Kenya and a strong presence within the entire African continent. Our donors and supporters recognize that need and have supported efforts to fund eye hospitals, rehabilitation centers and schools for Kenyan children who are blind and deaf.

Ravaged by HIV/AIDS, poverty, lack of clean drinking water and sanitation, being born on the African continent means you are at an extremely high risk of developing a debilitating disability.

And yet from these humble beginnings come the DNA of ½ of our nation’s newest President—a shining example of how anything here in America is possible, and why the rest of the world looks to us for hope.

Links to past blogs on Kenyan Civil Unrest:

• Peace!
• Rough Progress
• Quieter
• Roller Coaster of Extremes
• Brief Update
• Taking one day at a time
• CBM and the Kenyan Red Cross
• CBM helps Maina Kimani

The following is an update from Sally Gradin, wife of a CBM coworker living in Kenya. She has emailed CBM-US with updates on how the civil unrest is affecting people in Kenya.

Sent: Sunday, February 28th, 2008

Dear All,

Today the two guys at the top sucked it up and shook hands.  Pres. Kibaki and Raila Odinga today agreed (and within a few hours signed) to share power as president and prime minister.  This was quite a surprise since only two days ago Kofi Annan looked pretty tired and disheartened.  He had been negotiating with committees representing both men, and some on the committees were taking such hard lines that the talks had made a sharp reversal.  Annan ditched the committees a couple days ago and said he would deal directly with Kibaki and Odinga.  It apparently was the right decision.  It will be interesting to see the details of the deal, especially because Kenya has not had a president-prime minister form of government before.  Reaction seems to be overwhelmingly favorable.  People have had enough.  I cannot say enough good about Annan.  He committed to seeing a seemingly impossible situation through and was ever the gentlemen all the way through, even when we pictured visions of knocking their heads together dancing in his head.  He is a true diplomat.

We thank God and all of you who have continued in prayer through this.  God is faithful.  The problems will take a while to work through, both the practical problems (displaced people) and the deeper needs (ethnic reconciliation).  We ask that you not take this agreement as the end of the story but rather as a major milestone along the way as you continue to pray.

Sally

Dan & Sally Gradin
Christian Blind Mission, International
Nairobi, Kenya, East Africa

The following is an update from Sally Gradin, wife of a CBM coworker living in Kenya. She has emailed CBM-US with updates on how the civil unrest is affecting people in Kenya.

Sent: Sunday, February 17th, 2008

Hi,

This past week was relatively quiet.  People are guardedly hopeful that the current negotiations will bear fruit.  Both sides have at least acquiesced to the point of agreeing they might be able to put together a coalition government.  Now they are having to hash out the thorny issues of who gets what.  That may not be smooth, but it was difficult to see how they would get this far. One thing that was different about this past week was how much foreign governments began putting pressure on the participants. 

The U.S. continues to lean on both parties to talk and has made a list of people who will not be granted visas because they are thought to have fueled the violence.  The U.K. said it doesn’t recognize the Kibaki government, and there are murmurings of sanctions from some EU members.  Of course government officials have reacted with outrage that others could dare to “meddle” in Kenya’s affairs, but whether they agree with it or not, the pressure is being felt and may be helping.  Bush will not be coming here on his current Africa trip but is sending Condi Rice tomorrow.  It will be interesting to see what comes out of this week.  With my current schedule, if things start going better, I may not be writing as often, so please take no news as good news!  Thanks for your prayers and encouragement.

Sally

Dan & Sally Gradin
Christian Blind Mission, International
Nairobi, Kenya, East Africa

The following is an update from Sally Gradin, wife of a CBM coworker living in Kenya. She has emailed CBM-US with updates on how the civil unrest is affecting people in Kenya.

Sent: Sunday, February 10, 2008

This past week was much different than the previous month.  Things seem to have mellowed out a lot during this time that the two sides are negotiating.  The tension is way down, and we’re not hearing about many dying every day.  Both the government and ODM seem to finally be willing to ease up on the hard lines they were taking.  People are aware that we’re not out of the woods by any means, but considering how disagreeable they were being with each other only a week ago, people are hopeful there’s a chance this will be resolved.  I’m thankful to be able to send out a much shorter update.

It seems that tribe-on-tribe violence has turned into other things in certain areas.  Out west around Kisumu, the whole fabric of civilization has broken up to a large extent, with gangs now just going house to house to rob, and people within the same tribe attacking each other.  In a couple towns in the valley, as well as just 15 miles up the road in Limuru, criminal activity is taking advantage of the situation in a whole different way.  The Mungiki, a group that started out by wanting the Kikuyu to get back to traditional beliefs but degenerated into a criminal organization, are now busy in those towns harassing women into wearing skirts.  Seems if you get caught out in public in pants, you are fair game for being attacked and stripped.  In Naivasha alone there’s been close to 30 men arrested.

This past week was my first full week of teaching.  I was worn out by yesterday because of needing to catch up on some things left to me, not having any lesson plans left for me to start, getting familiar with the curriculum, and planning toward the rest of the semester, but I am now in good stead to be able to come home without my work most nights.  I have been assessing my students not only for where they’re at academically but also how they’re handling current issues.  Little comments pop out here and there, and sometimes I have to nip things in the bud before someone volunteers a gory story to the rest of the class.  Some have expressed that they don’t feel safe.  Our school counselor is coming to talk to both 3rd grade classes together on Tuesday afternoon about how to recognize and handle stress.  In addition to your prayers for the country, please remember these kids as they learn to deal with their fears.

Sally

Dan & Sally Gradin
Christian Blind Mission, International
Nairobi, Kenya, East Africa

The following is an update from Sally Gradin, wife of a CBM coworker living in Kenya. She has emailed CBM-US with updates on how the civil unrest is affecting people in Kenya.

Sent: Sunday, February 3, 2008
Subject: This week

Hello,

Another week in Nairobi and I’m beginning to feel like I’m the bearer of doom and gloom every time I sit down to write.  Let me say something on the up side first to make sure I do – it’s sunny and hot, and I’m wearing shorts.  This morning we skipped our usual church to attend a once-per-month hymn sing that’s held at the Mennonite Guest House.  People just randomly pick hymns and we sing them acapella for an hour.  It may sound like old school to many, but our family enjoys these times of fellowshipping within our own culture and being nourished by the words.  It was a nice break.

This past week the constant underlying tension was replaced by a rollercoaster of extremes.  Just after midnight Tuesday, a new Opposition MP (member of parliament) was murdered outside his home on the other side of town.  The Opposition calls it assassination; the government calls it murder.  Many didn’t hear about it until after heading out for the day, so our school started as normal but with the administration meeting right away to decide what to do.  Riots had broken out in various parts of town and other towns, and it was uncertain whether it was going to be safe to send some of the buses back to their normal stops.  They ended up sending the students from the affected parts of town home at noon in case it would take a while to get there or find safer places, and many other parents showed up at school to take their kids home early.

The same day, Dan heard there were leaflets being distributed about demonstrations to take place the next day in Kikuyu Town.  Two non-Kikuyu clinical officers took emergency leave and left to safer places.  Dan was able to get to work Wednesday and keep busy till almost 4:00.  In the meantime, politician Uhuru Kenyatta visited the demonstrations and helped quiet people.  By the time Dan came along to go home, there were just people hanging around but nothing going on.  The road, however, was a half mile of obstacle course.  The government has been doing construction on the shoulders for many months, and the rioters were happy to scatter all those available rocks across the road.  Public transportation had given up that route many hours before, so Dan gave a lift to two nurses several miles.  They would have been walking for hours to get home.

That same morning I started my teaching job with two days of observation in the class room.  Grace’s kindergarten teacher said at lunch that that morning all the house staff on their compound had shown up scared, saying they’d been told they had until 6 p.m. to get out of their houses.  There was a bunch of unused staff rooms on their compound, and so Kim’s husband spent all day going back and forth with a truck to help people get their things out.  The next day she related that when their gardener had gone for his things, there was a gang waiting outside his door, sharpening their pangas (machetes) and taunting him the whole time he packed up.  He was very traumatized.

Thursday seemed like a much more normal day, but then in the afternoon we found out that - surprise surprise! - another Opposition MP had been murdered in Eldoret.  The police were quick to write it off as a “crime of passion” – there was also a woman murdered in the same car.  The Opposition maintains it is another assassination.  Many of us expected it to set everyone off like the Tuesday incident, but fortunately the government’s excuse must have worked.  Now there are doubts about the circumstances.  It was close enough to the end of the school day that we finished the day with smiles but sent everyone home in lieu of after-school activities.

Friday was our elementary/middle school sports day.  It may seem like a sports day would be low priority in a time like this, but it was a morale booster.  It’s important to keep the kids going in as normal of a schedule as possible.  With them already missing 8.5 days, the high school cultural trips, and many games, it would have been a shame for the younger ones to miss an annual day that they really look forward to.

The weekend has been quiet, on a relative scale.  The two sparring parties have agreed on a four-point plan to end the violence within two weeks and work toward a political solution within a year.  I know all those passages about praying with faith and about how having no faith in prayer works against the answer.  But I’ve also seen too much over five weeks to be honest in saying I believe this will smooth out quickly.  It’s developed into way more than a political issue.  Leaflets and threats against certain communities are still being distributed.  We have friends at church who any of you would enjoy knowing, but they were born to “the wrong kind.”  Kinyua and Mary will be moving out tomorrow, and then that room will be on standby in case we need to receive Benjamin and Everlyne and their three children, or Elisha and Ann and their three children, or who knows.

The diplomats have been in the news this week calling this “ethnic cleansing.”  I despise that term.  It is diplomat-speak to prevent people from becoming inflamed as they would for “genocide.”  It is insensitively sanitary.  I guess it is technically correct since actual genocide involves methodically trying to kill off a whole group.  I can tell you, though, from having seen the worry in Benjamin’s face on Monday and continually watching the methods being employed by both sides, that from the perspective of someone like Benjamin, or Mary, or Kim’s gardener, there’s very little difference.  As horrifying as some of what you have seen on the news looks like, I can tell you more.

I am beginning to see and hear of students having trouble processing through some of this, and so at school we are trying to be observant and show grace.  For the most part, the theme seems to be that many feel safe, but they feel guilty when they’re disappointed about their own plans being ruined.  There are also some who live in the more-affected parts of town who have seen more than their share and are under too much stress.  Early this week about 6,000 displaced descended on a police station about eight miles from here.  A few friends living near there have been very involved with trying to meet their needs.  Our church’s little camp of 270 has been quite a stretcher.  To deal with 6,000 and not take that home with you is beyond most.

In the end, I haven’t given up as much as I sound.  Despite the circumstances, it really could get a whole lot worse.  We have our somewhat peaceful days, and there are many areas of the country that are not at war.  The ambassador will host another town meeting at the embassy on Tuesday.  We continue to read between the lines on the periodic emails they send us.  Overall it seems they are still hopeful but encouraging people to not bring in extra people.  It’s not a slim chance that God will decide to deliver this country.  It will never be the same, and I’ve buried the old one.  South Africa worked through its problems.  Maybe this had to happen to shake Kenya into looking at its own.

We heard from many of you this week, some with notes and some with just soothing photos from back home.  Thank you for all of the above. We continue to place our trust in a God that is bigger than any politician.  Thank you for your continued prayer.

Sally

Dan & Sally Gradin
Christian Blind Mission, International
Nairobi, Kenya, East Africa

The following is an update from Daniel Ward, Regional Director for CBM East Africa, on CBM's work in Kenya and the civil unrest in Kenya.

Sent: January 28

Thanks for your support and prayers. The violence is escalating again today and we may have to close the office  early again so that our staff can get home safely. The schools have all shut early today.

Rudy and I are in discussions about a possible 'what if' scenario. We do not want to cause any undue alarm, however its time we started to map out some possible options. These will try to address keeping coworkers safe but also trying to provide a platform for program support and continuity.

Warm regards,
Dan

The following is an update from Sally Gradin, wife of a CBM coworker living in Kenya. She has emailed CBM-US with updates on how the civil unrest is affecting people in Kenya.

Sent: Saturday, January 19
Subject: Quieting Down

Hello,

This week has been somewhat eventful again with the demonstrations from Wednesday to Friday.  It was a more disruptive strategy to call for demos all over the country than to just try to get all their Nairobi supporters to one park downtown. The police had their hands full and came down somewhat heavy handed. The local channels are feeling fairly brave in what they’re showing, and some of it looks uncalled for. The police seemed to hold back a little more on Friday after being shown shooting people who were not physical threats. I was able to go across town Monday and then again this morning.  It was peaceful during those times, but you do run across clusters of GSU (General Services Unit – top-trained military soldiers) at strategic corners.  In their super-padded green uniforms and shielded maroon helmets, they look like Ninja turtles at first glance, but you know they’d pack a wallop. At least knowing when the demonstrations are to be you can plan to get things done in the off times and then stay close to home during. ODM (Odinga’s party) has called off the demonstrations and is turning the strategy toward boycotts next week against companies connected to top government figures. Kofi Annan was delayed in coming to Nairobi because of hospitalization for the flu, but he is now expected to arrive in the next couple days.

Yesterday I went to a town hall meeting at the embassy and was fairly impressed by Amb. Ranneberger’s remarks. He didn’t sound his usual political self that comes across on the news but really talked plain and made it feel like more of a one-on-one.  I think he was able to allay people’s fears some. Despite this week’s demonstrations, he does not feel at all that this is headed toward, or anywhere close to, a meltdown, and the embassy isn’t even gearing up for anything related yet. He said from his interaction with both parties, he foresees it going one of two ways: 1) Either Kibaki and Odinga will get together and come up with a solution, or 2) They won’t work out anything, but rather than a serious, continual decline, it would be a series of ups and downs. Odinga can keep up pressure, but he doesn’t seem to have foreign support to escalate this much more than what it’s been. Ranneberger also said he’s seen both the police and military indicate and act as if they don’t want to be pulled into taking sides beyond just generally keeping the peace or keeping the country together.

I kind of expect it to continue like #2. That makes it more difficult at times, knowing how to plan, having to deal with the shortages and other disruptions that will come, and continuing to deal with a continual level of tension and stress of one degree or another. “Disruptive” is the key word right now. The Kenyan schools, and ours, finally opened up on Monday, but the cameras showed Kenyan classes that are normally crowded with dozens having maybe all of four students show up, if any. We had two normal days, but then because our school sends buses all over the city, the teachers sent three days of work home with the students on Tuesday afternoon with instructions that the local kids who could safely make it there were welcome to come between 9 and 12 to do their work with their teachers if their parents so desired. I allowed our older three to decide where they would work and made the younger two go to school to try and keep some semblance of a normal schedule in place.

The situation at our church has quieted down some. They started schooling the kids up to third grade and are helping the families of older ones figure out their schooling situations.  Kinyua and Mary enrolled their two school-aged children at a school a few miles away. Mary has a single-mom sister who lives near that school, so Wambui and Mugendi will stay with her during the week and come here to be with their parents on the weekends. Last night Dan went to an elders meeting, at which our pastor said he would like to see them be able to move people on away from the church by the end of March. I doubt that is a hard-and-fast decision since the situation is still unfolding, but trying to make it work at church for an extended time is certainly not preferable, for sanitation and other reasons.  They need to work through their trauma and onto decisions about their permanent lives. We’re not continuing to hear about mass exoduses from upcountry, but there are still people needing to leave. I got a call just a little while ago from a friend at church with family out west in Narok, near the Masai Mara national park, who have been staying in a church there and feel they need to come to Limuru, near here, to stay with family.

All in all, people are settling into a pattern of keeping tuned into the news and avoiding becoming part of it as they try to continue on with life. With the exception of games that have been postponed or cancelled, Monday our kids will be back to a normal school week, as far as we know. Dan continues to work, although with many days that have been shorter than normal, and I continue to address things needing to be done around here before I start teaching next month.  We all continue to value your emails and prayers as we take one day at a time.

Sally

Dan & Sally Gradin
Christian Blind Mission, International
Nairobi, Kenya, East Africa

The following is an update on CBM's work in Kenya, following post-election civil unrest.

Alongside the Kenyan Red Cross, CBM provided food for an estimated 2,000 people of Korogocho in Nairobi.  Within these numbers were elderly women as well as young children who unfortunately had not eaten for days. During our food distribution, the children were even seen picking up old kernels of maize off the dirt ground. It seems that we arrived at a time of great need.

   

And while there was plenty of food in our trucks for everyone, unfortunately due to some thuggish elements in the crowd working on commandeering all the food, which then lead to rioting, only a quarter of what we had was distributed.  

When armed police arrived, they fired shots and released tear gas, forcing us to leave immediately.  Fortunately, distribution has been re-scheduled once order has been re-established.

The following is an update on CBM's work in Kenya, following post-election civil unrest.

Unable to make it to the food distribution venue himself, 85 year old Maina Kimani was carried in a wheelbarrow by neighbors. Once there, Maina Kimani met Nathaneal Bascom and David McAllister from CBM, who were able to provide him enough food and supplies to last him a week. 

In order to provide continuing help to Maina, CBM partnered with a local rehabilitation center so that for the next several weeks, visits and assessments to his home will be made in order to determine his continuing needs.

The following is an update from Sally Gradin, wife of a CBM coworker living in Kenya. She has emailed CBM-US with updates on how the civil unrest is affecting people in Kenya.

Sent: Sun, Jan 6
Subject: Sunday

Hello All,

Today seemed a little more like a normal Sunday, other than our church service.  There was again a lot of prayer about the current situation, and then our pastor gave an excellent sermon that really hit hard on how a lot of what has happened has come from people labeling other groups, making generalizations, winking about the little jokes and comments that are made, etc.  Kenyans have thought of themselves as not being tribal like many other countries have experienced and maybe have even looked down on other countries, but it is now facing the fact that it is.  A lot of attention is being focused on Kibaki and Odinga, but this has been a huge wakeup call to everyone about issues under the surface that need to be addressed so this doesn’t happen again.  It’s still hard for people to believe.  During the prayer time, the man next to me looked shocked and said, “I can’t believe it could come to this.”

There are many homeless who need a place to be while they catch their breaths and make decisions.  A lot of people in our church have large houses, and our pastor challenged us to consider hosting some people for a while.  After church we went for a drive out into the country for a lunch at a nearby Baptist conference centre.  It was nice to get away a little and enjoy normal scenery and normal people doing normal activities.  We decided while we were gone that we can make a room available.  We’re a bit full inside now with our scads of kids, but all large houses here have staff quarters next to the house.  Benson works for us two days a week and lives in one of the rooms, but we have always used the other room for storage.  When we returned from our drive the seven of us got busy and carried everything out of there and set it up in our garage.  I was a little surprised that we didn’t hear any hesitancy from the kids.  They all seemed to recognize it as a small sacrifice to make their contribution and went at it enthusiastically.  We got reacquainted with some of our junk (and chucked some of it), and the room is now mopped and ready to become someone’s home.  I’m sure it won’t take long to find a family to go in there.

Some people have asked about making donations.  Although CBM has traditionally been a ministry to the disabled, they have gotten started with relief work over the past couple years and are doing so here through the network of CBM projects we already have around the country.  If you would like to make a donation, you can send a check to our office at 450 East Park Ave., Greenville, SC  29601.  Enclose a note that it is for Kenya Relief.

Now we head to our last week of Christmas break.  We thought this was going to be a shortened break this year, but it looks like it will end up being as long as normal.  I brought out a 1000-piece puzzle to help keep the kids busy, and I guess they will want me to take them to the pool a few times this week.  In the midst of everything, some things don’t change.

Have a safe and thankful week.

Love,
Sally

Dan & Sally Gradin
Christian Blind Mission, International
Nairobi, Kenya, East Africa