McKayla Strickland joined a team of 16 people over spring break and traveled to remote villages in Uganda and Kenya to work on projects such as repairing wells, providing feminine hygiene kits for women, building chicken coops and providing Tevas for three leper colonies.
The team first traveled to a village called Bukati in Kenya where the people have very limited access to water, medicine and hygiene practices.
“Here, our team camped out at the church, which was a unique aspect of our ministry to show the people that we cared so much about the people there that we would live like them,” the sophomore strategic communications major said.
Next, they went to a remove village in Uganda called Mayuge where they provided feminine hygiene kits for the women there through a ministry called 84 Days. Along with other services, 84 Days works to provide women with feminine care so they they can go about their normal life without enduring the shame that comes with having their monthly period without proper protection.
“Girls miss 84 days of school a year because of their period, which is something we find absolutely appalling,” Strickland said. “One kit provides a girl with three years of protection.”
Strickland emphasized how much she saw God at work during her time there.
“The African people were so incredibly grateful and giving glory to God because of what we had done,” she said.
After their team fixed a water well in Maygue, the Muslim leader there was so grateful that he donated land for them to build a Christian church in the village.
Strickland said that there came a point in the trip, too, where they were short by 55 kits, and, through friends’ donations on GoFundme, God provided the exact amount of money they needed for those 55 kits, so they were able to provide those for the women.
Strickland’s father has been visiting Africa for over 20 years, and she felt blessed to have the opportunity to experience it for herself.
“Being able to experience the countries that my father has fallen in love with over two decades, and for him to see both his daughters teaching the Word was touching from both sides,” Strickland said.
The team plans to continue 84 Days ministry in Nicaragua in May and again in Africa in October. If you are interested in donating to this ministry, you can support them through their GoFundMe. You can also follow them on Instagram and Twitter: @84_days_.
Photos courtesy of McKayla Strickland