One of the orphanages ran by Pastor Smittkamp.
The love for children
by Eric Bosire • 26 October 2023
Missionaries leave the comfort of their homeland to go to countries they don't know anyone. They travel to countries that interest them so as to fulfill a certain Christian mandate. Some of the missions undertaken by missionaries are short term, while others are long term.
I met Pastor David Smittkamp, a missionary from Minnesota USA, currently residing in Kisii, Kenya. He has been in Kenya since January 2022. Before moving to Kenya, Pastor Smittkamp had two other countries in mind, Pakistan and India but “at the flip of a coin” he landed in Kenya, a decision he doesn't regret, because he enjoys his stay in spite of a few challenges here and there.
He got interested in Kenya after learning through the Internet the horrible state of children affairs. "From what it looked like, I saw kids dying from lack of food, malaria and typhoid, which did not look okay," said Pastor Smittkamp. He set off on a long journey and landed in Kisii, Kenya.
After getting all the pre-requisites right that include getting an alien card, Pastor Smittkamp settled and started working to help the orphans in the community. He set up two orphanages in Kisii, one in a small town called Ogembo and another one in Sengera. Before settling in Kisii, he had set up one in Nakuru. He helps the kids with food, clothing and a place to call home. He does this mostly from the help of friends. "I do what I can with what I get from donations across the world, to help the orphanages that I run and many more," said Pastor Smittkamp.
He also has a food distribution programme that he has been running since December 2022. In the programme, he goes to local businesses and asks for contributions to help feed the kids. He also has well wishers from USA.
We are in the 21st century, yet we still have missionaries like Smittkamp coming to Kenya to help the children. On this, Pastor Smittkamp said that they are still here and will continue coming because the government of Kenya does absolutely nothing for the vulnerable kids. "On the contrary, the government charges orphanages some fee, failure to which they close them down," said Pastor Smittkamp. "Why should they charge us to run an orphanage if we are are helping the people they are supposed to help?" He wondered.
According to Pastor Smittkamp, foreigners come to Kenya because nobody cares for the kids. He feels that the children have been neglected and if he doesn't step in the situation might get worse. "Feeding the kids everyday is not easy, it's a struggle," lamented Pastor Smittkamp. With very few volunteers who help him run the orphanages, it can be challenging sometimes. For instance in the orphanage in Sengera with 15 kids, he has a Pastor called Cyprian who runs a dog business on the side and from the proceeds he helps the children. Mostly the families living near the orphanages he runs, help him to cook and do other chores for the kids.
Managing the kids in the orphanage is not easy due to them having different backgrounds. "Some children run away and go back to the streets because they don't want to follow the rules and regulations," said Pastor Smittkamp. There is nothing much they can do about it, just to try and rehabilitate these kids so as to maintain them in the orphanages. However, when things get tough out there they do come back but are allowed back in with conditions.
The government gives out a registration certificate that is supposed to be produced upon their visit, failure to which the orphanage leaders can be arrested. "Once a month the government officials can come to the orphanage and harass us, if everything is not done according to how they want it to be, they will arrest us," noted Pastor Smittkamp.
Pastor Smittkamp has done nothing about the intimidation by the government officers for fear of victimization. However, he hopes things might get better soon.
Away from orphanage life, Pastor Smittkamp loves being in Kenya. He fell in love with a Kisii lady whom he later married and together they have one child. They also run a restaurant together. Since coming to Kenya, he has studied the culture of the Kenyan people and more so of the Kisii community. He says the people here steal from another and cheat each another a lot, and claim to love God but their actions speak the opposite.
He said that the roads are terrible, the buildings are nice, but are not well maintained. There are no driving laws and if they are there, they are not being followed by the motorists. The medical industry is terrible, "The medical situation is pay as you go. There is insurance but 98% of the people cannot afford it. If you are involved in a motorcycle or motorvehicle accident and you cannot pay for the hospital bill, the hospital will hold you hostage until you pay that bill. My wife knows someone who was held in the hospital for one year for not paying the bill and so the hospital had to put him to work."
When Pastor Smittkamp walks around, he said that people see him as a bank. By virtue of him being white, people think that he has a lot of money. He has gotten used to the people of Kisii and the people have gotten used to him. He has adapted to the culture of the region, and he has also found a church where he is now a member.
Without a doubt Pastor Smittkamp is doing a marvelous job in helping the kids. His decision to stay longer in Kenya shows the love he has for children. It is prudent for foreigners to come and offer aid to Kenyans. The government should ease its stringent measures on orphanages, instead it should show support. It is also a wake up call to the rest of the Kenyans to look after their children and not wait for foreign aid always.
Next: Climate change education, by Bosibori Osusu.
Notes:
About the author:
Eric Bosire is a Kenyan Journalist. He is based in Kisii.
About the image:
Photo by Pastor Smittkamp. Used with permission. Some artificial blurring has been applied to
faces for privacy protection.
Suggested citation:
Eric Bosire: The love for children. MissionField News (ISSN 2813-2270)
https://missionfield.news/2023/20_Children
2023-10-26.