Saturday, August 20, 2005

Ghosts (jochiende ) and Cleansing (puodhruok)

While this was written a few years back, the article and research focuses on Christianity in the African church, in particular, in Yala Division of Siaya District in Nyanza Province of Kenya in October and November 2000.

Some of the research was done in two churches in Sagam: Nomiya Luo Church in Sagam village, Siaya District and New Hope Church, cell group in Sagam village, Siaya District

Thursday, August 18, 2005

GR Dream blog update

Greetings All
An update at the GR Dream blog, including a map of Sagam (like the one below, and showing the Sagam Community Hospital) and more information on Gordon himself...including his photo!

Putting Sagam on the map!


This is a wonderful photograph of a portion of Western Kenya showing both Kisumu, as a point of reference, and Sagam Village. This is taken from Google Earth. If you look at a map of Kenya, you should be able to locate this area. (Click on the photo to enlarge it.) Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

The GR Dream Child To Child Project

Greetings All...
This new project is the brain child of my younger brother, Gordon Washington Rogo, a son of Sagam. Also, click here for more information...



My name is Gordon Rogo. I am eleven years old and attend Sixth Grade at Kent Garden Elementary School in McLean, Virginia.

This summer I thought of helping an orphan in Kenya by helping pay medical bills and school fees. I thought of this idea when I saw kids suffering in Sudan. I first thought of helping the families that didn’t have food or drinks, then my dad told me that I could help orphans in Kenya too. I am doing this because other people in the world are suffering and dying of hunger. I have learned that even one dollar can make a difference to people in need. And if you help an orphan it will be fun because you also write letters to them. And hopefully meet them one day. I am doing this project because people are suffering and I can make a difference.

From the beginning of this school year (2005/6) I will send ten dollars every month to support one orphan. It is not much but buys allot in the village. The money will be used to pay school fees, buy clothing, books and food. The money will come from my pocket money savings and what I earn when I help in the compound and neighbors. I hope to work distributing newspapers and running errands when I turn twelve. I will call this project The GR Child to Child Dream Project. I will try and make this popular and expand by asking my classmates, friends and teammates who are interested to do the same.

I come from Kenya. My village is called Sagam. It sits on the equator, on the shores of Lake Victoria. Is has been badly hit by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. We have many orphans. I have learnt allot from my father who is a doctor and has built a 60-bed hospital in the village, called The Gordon Rogo Memorial Sagam Community Hospital. It is named after my grandfather, not me! The hospital is providing much needed health care to the community, including AIDS patients and orphans. My Auntie, Jane, teaches at the local elementary school and also runs an orphanage with more than 40 children. They are my age or younger and few are older. They have nothing but are bright and deserve a chance like all of us. Last year, my mother sent a bag of used clothes that were given to the orphans during church on a Sunday. It was the best day of their lives!

I think it is wrong that many children go to bed hungry, feel unwanted, walk naked, have no proper shelter and cannot go to school, when we can do something. I want to play my part too, Child-to-Child, and pray that 50 years from now, I can look back, sitting with the children that I assisted and thank God for the opportunity.

Monday, August 15, 2005

An effective, but costly, cure

An effective, but costly, cure

(To access this story requires free registration at the Los Angeles Times website.) How would the proposal outlined here impact on Sagam? How could Sagam insert itself into the debate by coming up with concrete information about that impact? In other words, if this proposal were to implemented what would all the effects and implications be for Sagam and its people?