When handmade African art, jewelry and purses start appearing in large quantities at the Village Bookstore, it usually means Valerie Hays has just returned from Kenya with suitcases of new merchandise purchased from villagers.It also means Hays, owner of the bookstore located at 206 East Booneslick in Warrenton, is back from two weeks of work with the Hosanna Children’s Home in Githunguri, a settlement in Kenya’s Central Province.Proceeds from art and jewelry along with 10 percent of store book sales go to support the work that Hays and her organization do for children at the orphanage.This year, Mercy’s Hope — the nonprofit group Hays and her husband John started six years ago — raised more than $4,000 for the orphanage and its school. The money is used for food, medical help, shelter and education for about 70 children living at Hosanna.“In addition to painting and other work on the building, this year we were able to purchase 70 mosquito nets for each child’s bed,” reports Hays, who notes this is Kenya’s rainy season when malaria is especially rampant.With proceeds from the bookstore, they also were able to purchase school uniforms, pay school fees, as well as costs for dorm space for 10 older boys.A counselor at Parkway School District, Hays first visited Kenya in 2005 on a trip with George Hutchings, aka, The Shoeman, whose shoe donations are used for clean water projects for African communities.In 2007, she and husband John launched Mercy’s Hope as a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization. In 2010, they opened the bookstore and coffee shop in Warrenton with the vision of using the profits for works of mercy.Improving the Lives of The Poorest Children“We wanted to focus on the children,” explains Hays.On its website, Mercy’s Hope states that its mission is to “raise awareness of the level of poverty which the children of these homes face on a daily basis. We raise money to provide temporary relief from the discomfort of hunger, illness and cold. We are also working on plans to provide a more permanent solution to the problems of poverty and AIDS.”The Hosanna Children’s Home and school currently are housed in what Hays refers to as a “temporary building” with metal walls, but there are plans to eventually build a three-story permanent structure for dorms and other needs.Thousands of miles from Africa, at her store and coffee shop on Warrenton’s Main Street, Hays has a collection of photos of children in need of sponsors that she keeps front and center. Included with each photo is a brief biography of the child. One child in need of a sponsor is a young boy given the name Barack Obama when he was taken in off the streets in 2008.“These kids are so happy, and love having a sponsor,” says Hays. “They correspond by mail, and some sponsors actually make the trip to visit.”Hays says the children are in awe of Americans. Much of their understanding of this country comes from images they see portrayed in the media.“They don’t realize that much of America lives the way we do because we take on debt, which is nonexistent in places like Kenya,” says Hays. “There, people pay for everything as they go.”Hays noted she and her traveling team from the United States spoke to students at different schools about the need to stay in school and help build a better Kenya."They have dreams and ambitions to come to the United States based on these images, and we tell them ‘not everyone in the United States is rich,’ and how important it is to think about improving life there,” says Hays.The experience of being with and building relationships with the children, she says, is one of the greatest benefits of her trips to Kenya.“We all learn about how much we’re alike,” Hays says.Supporting WidowsHays and three other women brought back hand-crafted, colorful items that they purchase each year from two groups of widows, whose plight is particularly grim in Kenya. When a husband dies there, all property is transferred to the sons or a male relative, and the widow gets nothing.“What we buy from these widows goes to support them, as do shared proceeds from our sales here,” Hays says, noting that 100 percent of art and jewelry proceeds are divided between widow support and the children’s home.“The art, jewelry and other items we buy from women in Kenya are brought back here for people to purchase and enjoy, with the knowledge that they’re helping support people in real need,” notes Hays.Hays and other volunteers left for Africa on June 11 and returned home June 23. On this trip, the threesome started with a rare few days on safari (all watching, no hunting) in Maasai Mara.“We said we were glad we did the safari before we went to be with the kids, because once we’re there in Githunguri, we don’t want to leave them,” says Hays.Encouraged by CommunityFrom a few bookshelves three years ago to a broad inventory of books from best-sellers to classics today, Hays says she is encouraged by the growing support of her venture by people in the community.“We have more than 300 members in our book club, and new people coming in every week,” she reports.The support translates into improved lives in Kenya.“We’re seeing improved conditions for these children, many more of whom now are in school, in better health and happier about their future,” says Hays.

Valerie Hays brought back African artwork, jewelry, purses and other souvenirs from her trip to Africa. Hays sells the pieces at the Village Bookstore in Warrenton to help out the Hosanna Children’s Home, an orphanage she visits every summer.