It was after a few trips abroad when Debra decided to get out of her “comfort zone” and venture to a new village in Kenya.
“The children in the village were running around without shoes,” states Debra.  “There was no running water, just a stream they bathed in and drank from, and the nearest clinic was hours away.  I just knew I had to help.”
After returning to the United States, Debra sent a memo to the village she had visited, asking the children what they wanted for Christmas because the holiday was quickly approaching.
“I want a desk and a chair,” stated the child.   
“A desk and a chair?” questioned Debra. She couldn’t believe it.  So she sent another memo requesting to ask another child.
“What do you want for Christmas?”
“I want a desk and a chair,” stated the second child.
Still in disbelief, Debra sent a third person to the village to ask yet another child what they wanted for Christmas.  The child’s response was the same, “a desk and a chair.”   
So desks and chairs it was.
Debra immediately enlisted in the help of the doctors and nurses at Providence Saint Joseph’s and adopted a school in Kenya, and collected $5,000 in donations. Debra and her team flew to Kenya to deliver the desks and chairs, personally.
While walking through the school, Debra noticed a young boy, about the age of 12, running around without shoes.  
“Excuse me child,” stated Debra.  “Where are your shoes?”  
The young boy replied that he did not have any.
Still baffled, Debra asked, “Why didn’t you ask for shoes for Christmas?”
The boy replied, “If you buy me shoes one time, they will get old.  If I get an education, I’ll buy myself my own shoes.”
It was this young boy’s determination that continued to motivate Debra, and thanks to the Helping Hands Foundation, each of the 150 students in the school now have their own desk and chair.  “We were so pleased,” stated Debra.
And Debra’s gracious heart continued to give.
As Debra and her team were driving out of the village, she noticed a woman walking with a child on her back.  “Excuse me, ma’am, where are you going?”
The mother replied, “To a clinic.  It’s about two hours away.”
Debra got out of the car and opted to walk with the mother and her child.  “I wanted to experience what she experienced,” stated Debra, “I wanted to walk in her shoes.”  
They walked for two hours in the heat until it became unbearable for Debra, and she could no longer walk.  She called the driver to come pick her and the mother and child up, and they drove 30 more minutes until they arrived at the clinic.
A little brick house served as the village’s only clinic.  With a line outside the door and only one nurse to serve the many people waiting, Debra began to help.  “I started taking care of patients in the afternoon.  I just kept going.  It wasn’t until late in the night when I stopped.”
Despite Debra’s return to the United States, her desire to build a village clinic in Kenya continued to grow.  “The villagers have already donated land for us to build a clinic,” states Debra.  “We want to build a water well, also.  We plan to ‘break ground’ by December of this year.”
To help support the efforts of improving the village in Kenya, the Helping Hands International Foundation will be hosting their annual Adopt a Village Black Tie Gala on Saturday, September 10, at the beautiful Hyatt Valencia.  Money raised at the event will go towards lifesaving and self-sustaining projects.  “Our goal is to raise $200,000 which will go towards building the clinic, school and water-well for the Kamreri Okumba village in Kenya,” states Debra.   “We are honored and privileged to have Ambassador Dr. Wenwa Akinyi Odinga Oranga, Consulate General of Republic of Kenya, as our guest speaker.”
Share the effort and be the difference.  Be the change and help eliminate hunger, homelessness and disease, one village at a time.
For more information, tickets or sponsorship opportunities, visit www.hhifinc.org or call 800-986-9640.