For instance, in sub-Saharan Africa if a girl is educated, more often than not, she will:

• Delay sexual activity & have fewer partners: (girls with at least 8 years of school are 87% less likely to engage in sexual activity before they are 18 than girls with no schooling.
• Delay marriage & childbirth
• Have fewer babies and healthier babies (Children with educated mothers are half as likely to suffer from malnutrition as those with uneducated mothers)
• Help to break the cycle of poverty by becoming a provider and a decision maker in her home. (Education provides families with more economic options)

Education gives her the one thing that her uneducated counterparts lack, options.There is also a significant increase in the likelihood of this educated woman ensuring that her children are also educated, thus passing the benefits to the next generation.

The life-saving power of education is not limited to girls. According to recent studies: “If every child (globally) received a complete primary education, at least 7 million new cases of HIV could be prevented in a decade.”

That is astounding! By providing education to the children of the world we can SAVE LIVES!

So in honor of World AIDS DAY, join us in providing a crucial part of the cure! DONATE to help Restore Humanity educate more children and save lives today!

When we arrived they were on the floor in a pile of dirty clothes and rags, sitting in their own waste. Both were suffering from malnutrition. Clinton, 18 months old, was the size of a 6 month old. He had thinning, frazzled hair, and was underdeveloped in every way possible: he was not crawling, walking, or talking, even crying at this point was a stretch. He was totally disinterested, he had refused any food of water for over 24 hours at that point. His brother Austin, 3 years old, couldn’t walk either due to a broken leg that hadn’t healed properly and had recently lost his vision because of malnutrition.

Clinton and Austin the day we found them

Patrick (JCO Director/Nurse) and I jumped on the back of dirt bikes, each with a baby in our arms and rode to the nearest hospital in Siaya (approx. 45 min ride). It is government hospital, so the facilities are limited to put it mildly and it was packed full of people waiting for some sort of treatment. While we waited, I kept trying to get Clinton to eat or drink something and it was not going well until I gave him a taste of strawberry yogurt. We didn’t have a spoon, so I fed him yogurt with the end of a straw for the next few hours.

We were there with them in the hospital for 6 hours that day. During that time I held Clinton, gave him yogurt and water, wiped his constant sweat from fever, and tried comfort him while they took his blood. He never left my arms. Every once in awhile he would just look up at me and I am sure he was trying to figure out who I was, but he never let go and neither did I.

Both boys had to stay in the hospital and be treated for malnutrition and severe cases of malaria. Thankfully we found them when we did, according to the doctors they only had a matter of days. They were in the hospital for almost 2 weeks and then we moved them into our home, the JCO Children’s Centre with their brother Elvis.

Ticklish Clinton giving us a big laugh

All of our children welcomed their new siblings with open arms. Especially our older girls, they couldn’t stop snuggling these little ones. Very soon after arriving Austin was right at home, he was laughing and singing. Although he couldn’t see, he began to acclimate to his new environment fairly quickly. Clinton on the other hand just sat back and observed, never laughing or crying, as if he was just waiting for the other shoe to drop. I just kept waiting for the day that he would laugh or smile… and then, it came! He actually started laughing at my dancing and since that day it takes no more than a little tickle to get him rolling.

We were told originally that Austin’s sight would not be restored, but we gave him supplements specific for eyesight anyway (omegas and Vitamin A).  After a few weeks of living with us we noticed some changes when he walked across the room to pick something up! The next day he was taken to a Rotary Eye Clinic in Kisumu and this doctor had a very different diagnosis. He said that Austin should gain most of his vision back! Although the malnutrition had caused the loss in vision — just a few weeks of consistent nutrition and supplements had begun to restore it! Pretty amazing!

Austin talking up a storm

Pamela was a woman that didn’t get past a primary education, married young, and gave birth to 11 children, 8 of which are living. The last pregnancy and stillbirth delivery and the complications from it was the cause of her death this past July.  The night of her death, she had no access to the medicine she needed… That night in the village I could hear her husband’s family screaming and praying for hours on end. Finally an ambulance came and took her, but at this point she was already convulsing. Upon reaching the government hospital there was no medicine to be had because the pharmacy was closed.

Her tragic death could have been prevented up until the end. What I mean by that is:  if she had been properly educated through at least secondary school, then she wouldn’t have gotten married so early and when she did get married she would at least have more job options and most likely ensure her children’s education. She would also have prolonged giving birth to her first child and if statistics mean anything, as an educated woman she wouldn’t have given birth to that many children. Even if she didn’t get to pursue further “dreams” she would most likely be alive right now taking care of her family. We also see that the lack of healthcare in her area and the lack of education about it played a big role as well.

The bad news is she died and has left 8 children without a mother. However, the GOOD news is we can care for those children and others like them. We are raising funds now to provide the immediate care needed (i.e. building a Clinic, supporting the schools, food, and workshops) and laying the necessary foundations to prevent tragic stories such as Pamela from even beginning.

Later that day Patrick (our Nurse at JCO Children’s Centre) and I took Elvis to the closest clinic. Patrick proceeded to treat Elvis’s jiggers by soaking his hands and feet in bleach and then using a needle to pick out each flea—one by one. Although he was in serious pain, I could see the relief on Elvis’s face—the itching had finally stopped!

Patrick continued to treat him in weeks following and now Elvis is as good as new. He joined our family shortly after and became a new resident at JCO Children’s Centre. He is playing soccer, running, coloring pictures, and learning to read and write in English through our tutor. His new “siblings” welcomed him with open arms! This young man who seemed so angry and miserable that first day I met him, now seems to be bursting with joy in his new home. Amazing what basic necessities and a little love will do…