Father Agapios supports boys and girls in schools spread far and wide. He also travels to the Kibera Slum near Nairobi and remote areas like Pokot to locate other children he can help. The car he has enables him to travel whenever and wherever his ministry requires. Without it, he would have to rely on piki pikis (motorbikes – a very precarious form of transportation for several reasons, not the least of which is the lack of a helmet and the death defying manner in which many drive them) and matakus (small vans stopping frequently to onboard more paying customers than can safely fit).
Many of the roads father travels on everyday are unpaved with deep ruts and high centers. Sharp rocks target his undercarriage, gas tank, oil well, tires, and rims. We broke down several times during my recent stay. The best car for Father will have a higher ground clearance, bigger wheels, and old enough to maintain cheaply.
Father explained to me that mechanics like to take two hours to complete a 30 minute job so they can charge more. The clutch cable went out in Father’s car while I was there. We spent hours waiting for the mechanic to fix it. He put on a good show of trouble shooting the issue. We were stuck on back roads and not willing to argue with the only one who could help us.
Sometimes mechanics will not put something back together perfectly so that you will bring the car back and get it fixed again. Yes, you still have to pay. Father recently had his gas tank repaired, but it was not properly reinstalled. Gas would spill out while filling the tank and the inside of the car filled with gas fumes. That’s how I knew Father’s car was low on gas. The fuel level gauge was broken, but if it didn’t smell like gas in the car you knew you had to stop at the nearest gas station.
I never heard Father Agapios complain, though. He took everything in stride, and we always managed to get through it all.
Remember the clutch cable? It gave out in second gear with seven kilometers left of a 4 hour trip back to Butali from Pokot because it wasn’t installed correctly. We had already lost the left rear brake hours before because it’s regulator had broken on the bad roads. We managed to drive those last kilometers in second gear without stalling. Thank God for all things. It became quickly apparent that father needs a more suitable car, one that can handle the rough roads and transport as many children as possible.
Please consider helping St. Tabitha Orphanage and School acquire a suitable vehicle, one that can handle the roads and transport the children. You can also help meet their monthly budget or donate towards a specific need.