An Overview of ELI

Empowering Lives International (ELI) is an international organization that essentially works to elevate the standard of living for people around the world through education that focuses on how to best use readily available resources. It very much embodies the, “Teach a man to fish” motto, with a strong undercurrent of spiritual faith and hope. In Kenya, ELI has at least two locations, one at Ilula and one at Kipcarin. Last year, the EyeCare Kenya team visited both locations, but this year, the goal is to finish equipping the eyecare clinic that was recently built in Kipkaren.

Just as there are many immediate needs of this community, there are many services provided by ELI.

1. The school/orphanage started because so many people in the town were dying of HIV/AIDS. In Kenya, 700 people die of AIDS every day. This epidemic leaves a lot of orphans in its wake. ELI Kipkaren currently houses 96 orphans. 90% of these orphans have lost both parents to HIV/AIDS. One of the main goals of this orphanage is to make each of these 96 children feel loved. They accomplish this by dividing their 96 kids into four families. Each of these families consists of 12 girls and 12 boys, a husband and wife parental team, and an assistant parent. For each family, there is a parental hut, a girls hut, and a boys hut. The separate boys/girls huts are each filled with 6 bunk beds and a central table for discussion or homework. They accept children ages 3-10 and these children keep a bed at ELI until they are finished with school, which differs from most orphanages that kick kids out at 18. This ELI standard encourages the children to earn higher degrees.
2. The school not only teaches the orphans, but ELI has opened it up to the children in the surrounding community as well. They even host adult education courses in reading and math to help empower adults that think they are too old to learn.
3. ELI also hosts a development program that accepts near college age students from around Kenya and educates them is sustainable agriculture and community planning. Some of the ideas that they are sprouting—puns are fun—include vertical gardens, self-contained tilapia ponds, and tree replacement.
4. Tics are a big problem for Kenya’s cattle farmers, so ELI built a cattle dip. Every Tuesday, farmers are able to dip their cattle for 15 Kenyan schillings per cow. 15 schillings is a little less than 25 cents. Geranimo Bessie, Geranimo.
   
5. They have started a home-based day care clinic to instruct families around the area on how to care for their family members living with HIV/AIDS.
   
6. And they just completed an entirely new wing to complement their existing medical clinic. The new addition doubles the size of the Kipkarin clinic and offers an area specifically designed to provide eyecare.