Who we are
Diana Kalandros-Cline, Founder and Feet For Hope Walk organizer
Richard Cline, husband, supporter, and logistics coordinator
Angela Marie, daughter, navigational support, and social network manager
Sophie Kalandros, daughter and social network coordinator
Emily Cline, daughter, supporter, prayer coordinator
When asked, "who is this woman, Diana?" her reply; I am a wife, a mother, a sister, an aunt, a daughter, a friend, a beggar girl, and a servant of Christ. Simply stated, "I'm merely a person who wants to provoke positive social change and make the world a better place for children. The desire to help others comes naturally for me and for those with whom I surround myself. We are, in a sense 'modern day Samaritans' stopping to aid and comfort; instead of ignorning someone desperate for help. As human beings, it is our obligation to lift up our brothers and sisters."
Edmund Burke once said, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing".
Who they are
They, are the children living in
Mathare
Valley, a slum of 850,000 people in the capital city of Nairobi, Kenya, in
East Africa. Approximately 1/4th [or 212,000] are school aged children. The land area of
Mathare
Valley is about 480 acres which is roughly half the size of Central Park in
New York City. Do the math and you get 1,770 people per acre. The majority of children living here have almost nothing except the clothes on their backs and hope in their hearts. They’ve been exposed to the darkest poverty imaginable. Many do not have parents, some have lost their siblings, about a thousand have only American sponsors to call their family. Many children live in group houses. When I say houses I mean a ten feet, by ten feet, one room dirt floor shack constructed of mud walls and a tin roof – kind of like the sheds we use to store lawn equipment. The shacks often shelter more than a dozen people. There is no running water, toilet or electricity. Imagine ten thousand of these shacks propped up against the other and a foot deep hand dug muddy gutter outside which serves a variety of purposes, mostly sewage run off. The streets are hard packed dirt littered with all types of waste. Babies crawl along these dirt walk ways. Many of the children are left alone each day while the caring adult goes out in search of food or work. The children who are not sponsored are left to fend for themselves for meals. This is the harsh reality for 95% of the children of
Mathare
Valley. There are numerous missionary groups who live close to the valley. These dedicated people invest their time, energy and skills in teaching the people how to provide for themselves by establishing small businesses, growing food, and taking care of their families. I’m positive I am not adequately describing the daily functions of missionaries. I know this much; without our help there would be no missionaries, no healthcare, no new fruit trees planted, no new schools built, no hope for a better future.
Why we're walking & cycling to Los Angeles
Mom and daughter will embark on a cross country challenge to raise funds and create awareness for the desperately impoverished children living in the Mathare Valley slums of Nairobi, Kenya. Dollars donated will build two dormitory facilities, drill new water wells for the community of 850,000 people; and will also pay for the procurement of a solar panel energy system to power the new dorms. Please take a moment to view pictures of the children in our photo gallery. We’re praying the media becomes sufficiently intrigued to broadcast information about our journey on the evening news. We pray for editors and writers to include information in their newspapers and websites. We’re relying on our friends in talk radio to take interest and tell their listeners about the children living in
Mathare
Valley. We fully comprehend that we cannot force people to care, but we can at the very least, share information about a group of human beings who need our help. Hey Oprah...interested in talking?
We the people of the
United States of America are very blessed indeed. The people of
Mathare
Valley have only the kindness, generosity, and dedication from fellow human beings who are willing to help.
Our call to action follows: lend your voices, feet and hands to reach around the world and lift up a child. Won’t you please join us in this effort to raise dollars and make change for impoverished children?
