Smile Africa and the Karamojong

This figurine was purchased for me by my brother Tom. He found it at a shop located on the Nile river. Why did he buy it? It's called "the Suffering Karamojong".

Nineteen months ago Pastor Ruth introduced me to the Karamojong people. She said the are among the despised population and are considered to be filthy thieves—viewed much like the gypsies of Europe. They appeared to be a people without hope. If you scroll
through my blog you will read the full story of little Maria in her search for food in the
middle of the trash heaps and how she discovered a piece of meat in the mouth of a dead rat and died within hours of eating it. We knew we had to step in because no child should die for a piece of meat. We partnered with Pastor Ruth and began feeding the Karamojong one meal a day. Recently Feed my Starving Children partnered with us and donated enough food to feed 600 children for one year.

What a joy for us to step onto the Smile Africa property and take part in feeding the 420 children who come daily. Their skin has improved as well as their mood. They are finding the love of Christ at Smile Africa through the teachers and cooks. They arrive early in the morning—children as young as three years old walk alone from their homes to be fed breakfast and to learn reading, writing, and arithmetic. They sing and hear about Jesus and how He values each one. Now instead of being despised—other children in the community wish they were Karamojong.