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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday May 23, 2008 - 37 Oakville couple volunteering for two years in Kenya By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF While some donate money to needy causes, two Oakville residents are donating their skills and their time for two years. Sue Faber, her husband Andrew and their two young children, Hannah and Beatrice, are preparing for the trip of a lifetime that will see them leave their lives in Oakville for the Rift Valley Academy in Kenya. Sue, a nurse with Trillium Hospital, and Andrew, who works in IT, will be filling desperately needed positions at the academy, which looks after the children of missionaries who operate in countries all over Africa. By assuming these positions the Fabers will be helping to ensure that the academy continues to function thereby allowing the missionaries, which include doctors, nurses, pastors, water experts, teachers and AIDS workers to continue their work in the knowledge that their children are being well cared for. The Fabers' decision to undertake this enormous lifestyle transformation has its roots in the selfless actions of fellow church-goer Michael Tut Pur, a Sudanese Canadian who recently returned to war-ravaged South Sudan where he is the only doctor at a hospital that serves the entire community of Akobo. "We had been part of the Clearview Church Community effort to raise funds for him," said Andrew. "Seeing the work that he was doing there and seeing the conditions we felt very much compelled to figure out what we could do." After speaking with Tut Pur on what the people of Akobo needed, the Fabers initiated a project to raise money for the purchase of 600 school uni- DEREK WOLLAM / OAKVILLE BEAVER ANSWERING A CALL: Sue and Andrew Faber and their children, Hannah, 5, and Beatrice, 3, will be leaving Oakville in July for the Rift Valley Academy in Kenya, which looks after children of missionairies working in Africa. The couple will be serving as volunteers at the academy for two years. forms for local children. To date they have raised $5,700 with only $300 needed to accomplish this goal. "We just felt that we had to start somewhere. It's a project that's fairly easy to do. Each uniform is just $10 and it's not too hard for someone to part with $10," said Sue. "Some people were like, `Why are you raising money for uniforms when there's no electricity,' but the cost of something like that is just astronomical." The students of Akobo also have no school to learn in and instead attend their classes under the shade of trees. Even so, Tut Pur noted the uniforms would be appreciated because they make the children feel like they are part of something and because the children in most cases have no nice clothing to wear to school. With a significant impact made to the lives of 600 children many people would have returned to their lives content, but the Fabers continued to search for some way they could make difference. Their search uncovered an evangelical organization called the African Inland Mission (AIM), a mission that has missionaries serving in 18 African nations. "We contacted them in November and asked if there was anything they could do with a nurse and an IT skilled person," said Andrew. "It was right after Christmas, right in the heart of all that stuff going on in Kenya, the newspaper reports of all kinds of people being killed, that we received an email from them saying, `The director of the Rift Valley Academy just saw your file and he's really excited because we're missing a whole bunch of nurses next year and we need an IT manager. Would you guys consider coming for our next school term?'" The Fabers were torn by the choice presented to them. After all, doing charity work in a foreign country is one thing, but doing charity work in a foreign country in the wake of political instability and violence is something entirely different. The Rift Valley was the scene of a terrible massacre during Kenya's recent political upheaval in which more than 100 people, mostly children, were burned to death when the church they fled into was set on fire. All of this was present in the minds of the Fabers as they made their decision. "I said, `There is no way we're going to Kenya. I'm not bringing my babies to Kenya in the middle of this,'" said Sue. "That night we prayed. I said, `God we're really nervous about this. Please show us what you want us to do.'" The next day the Fabers say they received their answer. "Being the good dad that I am I took the kids to McDonald's for breakfast and in the McDonald's play park I met an older couple, who had six kids running around them. They were the grandparents and I asked them where these kids were from and they said they were visiting from Africa," said Andrew. The couple noted that their son worked for AIM and that he was currently on furlough with his children in Oakville. See Couple page 39 CALL FOR NOMINATIONS The ATHENA Award is presented to an individual in the Oakville community who through sponsoring, mentoring and collaboration, empowers women to realize their full potential. By honoring exceptional leaders, the ATHENA Award Program seeks to inspire others to achieve excellence. ATHENAs O a k v i l l e Awa r d Celebrating Women, Recognizing Leaders Do you know someone worthy of the ATHENA Award? Today's leaders are not always found in a recognized position of traditional power or rank. nal They are at all levels of business and community; s our colleagues, our neighbours, our day to day , relationships. Think about the people in your life, hips. they may fit the criteria and what better way to ia a acknowledge their contribution than to nominate cknowledge ributio ution t them for the Oakville ATHENA award. T THENA awar ar A perfect day in the country! Enjoy shopping at Canada's #1 antique show, with 300 top antique dealers in a beautiful park setting. Great selection. All categories. Large food court, picnic sites, shade trees, ATMs and more. 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