One of my all-time favorite novels is East of Eden by John Steinbeck. Near the end of the book—one that is filled with numerous thought-provoking lines worth underlining or highlighting—Lee, one of the central characters and a source of many of the novel’s most memorable quotes, says to Abra: “And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.”
Rich Tarro with students supported by the HOPE Project in Mombasa, Kenya.
Rich Tarro with students supported by the HOPE Project in Mombasa, Kenya.Even after more than seven years in mission and many years of life, I still struggle to live this out. I want things to make sense. I want things to work the way they are supposed to, which basically means the way I want them to. Life is messy and full of tradeoffs. Doing ministry work in a foreign country is even messier. Sometimes you try to help someone, and you end up making things worse. Some people just can’t be helped. Sometimes, you aren’t able to do all you want, but it turns out to be enough.
Fatuma is 27 years old and a mother of four children. She dropped out of school in fourth grade. Her parents could not afford to pay her school fees. Fatuma can barely read or write. As a means of escaping poverty, she married at a very young age.
Initially, Fatuma was happy in her marriage, but over time her husband began staying away from home at night. He pretended to be working night shifts, which didn’t make much sense as he is a motorbike driver (motorbikes are a popular, cheap means of transportation in Africa). Fatuma’s husband eventually abandoned the family four years ago when Duncan, the youngest child, was only two years old, and has provided no support since.
Students at work in their classroom supported by the HOPE Project in Mombasa, Kenya.
Fatuma washes clothes to earn money to provide for her children. Duncan is now 6 years old and in pre-primary school. Titus is seven years old and also in pre-primary school. Mohamedamin is 10 years old and in fourth grade. Rama is 13 years old and in fifth grade.
The HOPE Project started supporting the family earlier this year when we found out that Duncan and Titus were not in school because Fatuma could not afford their school fees. We are now supporting all four of Fatuma’s children and making sure they receive an education.
Rich Tarro and Florah visit Fatuma and her family in their home, now equipped with solar lighting provided by the HOPE Project.
In addition to supporting the children in school, we have also given the family two new beds and mattresses. We also installed a portable solar panel on the roof of the house, which provides three lights for the family, as they live without electricity.
Unfortunately, the house itself is in very bad condition and doesn’t even have a latrine. Sadly, with no latrine or running water, the family is forced to meet their basic needs outdoors. If we can confirm ownership of the land on which the current house resides, we hope to build the family a new home and latrine later this year.
Fatuma is so happy to see her kids in school. She makes sure the children come to every tutorial session–bringing them herself and waiting until tutorials are over to accompany them back home. When we delivered the beds to her house, Fatuma didn’t think it was real. The family had slept on the floor their entire lives.
With the help of the HOPE Project, Fatuma wants to ensure her children receive the education she always dreamed of but never had.
I wish we could do more to help Fatuma and her family. While what we have accomplished so far is not perfect, it is at least good.
God is good.
Rich Tarro is the director of HOPE (Helping Orphans Pursue Education) Project in Mombasa, Kenya.
