REACH intern: ‘Every person is perfectly crafted by God!’

“I cannot believe I’m almost done with this REACH internship,” said Olivia Millar, who served this summer with Missions of Hope International (MOHI) in Nairobi, Kenya. “I’ve experienced so many wonderful and shaping things and built some incredible relationships.”

One of Olivia’s most impactful experiences was assisting in the special therapy room at the Baba Dogo Center. Here’s her story:

“The center that I work at, Baba Dogo, has a special therapy room that none of the other centers have. Each day, women can bring their children of all ages to spend time in the room created just for them. They receive a porridge breakfast, a lunch, and physical therapy from a trained professional, completely for free.

“It has been such a joy to help in this room and interact with the kids, who mainly deal with cerebral palsy and autism. This is such an incredible program and opportunity for these little ones to play with toys and be around other kids, because many of the children with disabilities won’t leave their tiny, dark houses in the slums due to the lack of understanding on the part of their communities about any kind of disabilities.

“While a short-term team was here for the week, they helped lead trainings for different types of disabilities each day. It was so encouraging to see all of the mothers so excited to learn more about how they can support their children in the best ways for their specific disabilities. While the trainings were going on, I was able to take care of and play with the kiddos. We also packed food bags to give to the mothers.

“It was such a fun week of empowering, supporting, and loving women who are often looked down upon by the community due to their child’s disability. Through building relationships with these kids and their mothers, I have been reminded over and over again of how each and every person is perfectly crafted by God, no matter what they look like or are capable of physically doing.”