Douglas businessman works for Africa's destitute

Douglas County resident Greg Burns is taking on the challenge of his life: creating jobs for the poorest of the poor in Kenya's Mathare Valley.

"These are such good, humble people," Burns said. "I've made it my life's ambition, to do what I can for them."

The owner of both Burns Machines Inc. and Dirt Trikes in Douglas County, the businessman and mechanical engineer is opening a plant in Kenya that will manufacture housing and create jobs for these people.

"I had a life-changing experience. I saw the slums of Nairobi in January," Burns said. "Hundreds of thousands of people are dying.

"I'm convinced the entire AIDS epidemic in Africa comes down to employment," he said. "Women have a choice. They can watch their children starve, or sell themselves. If they have sustainable jobs, they won't have to do what they do."

Located near Nairobi, Mathare is home for 600,000 of Kenya's 4 million residents, according to a report by Bridge Ministries, a Douglas County organization dedicated to educating and comforting the children of Mathare.

About one in every three adults in Mathare is HIV positive and the average life expectancy for those with the disease is five years or less.

The mortality rate means thousands of orphans are left to fend for themselves and that sector of the population is expected to explode in the next five years, according to information from Bridge Ministries.

Burns, who is working in conjunction with the ministry, said drought has brought thousands from rural areas to the city seeking a better life, much like the migration that occurred in the United States during the 1930s. When they can't find work they wind up in the slums.

"They're enchanted with the promise of jobs and prosperity, but there is 70 percent unemployment in the slums. When they do work, they earn just $1 a day," Burns said.

Mathare Valley is the oldest and worst slum in Nairobi. The United Nations African Headquarters is just five miles away, but no one will set foot in the slums.

People are crammed into homes made of tin and mud, those homes often headed by juveniles. There are no beds, electricity or running water and public pay toilets are shared by up to 100 people. Those who can't afford to pay use the alleys and ditches. There is no police or fire protection because government officials are afraid to enter, according to information from the ministry.

Through the ministry, 1,200 children living in Mathare are educated and fed twice daily.

"We can go in because we feed their children," Burns said. "They respect us for that."

Burns first heard about the problem through Andrew Ongunka, a Nairobi exchange student his daughter brought home for a visit.

"He grew on us," Burns said. "He kept telling us about his uncle, who runs a school in the heart of the slums where they feed and educate these children."

Burns first visited Mathare in January with three other officials from the ministry.

"We wanted to see for ourselves, if Andrew's stories were true," he said. "We found that, and more."

He will return to Kenya on Oct. 9 to set up his new manufacturing plant and operations. In conjunction with the ministry, he will also look at school sites away from the slum, that could ultimately offer a haven for orphans.

Burns is also working on an entrepreneur's project, to help these people build their own businesses.

In Douglas County, Burns' companies manufacture motocross sprockets and BMW race car parts. He said he has competent help and the businesses can run themselves when necessary.

Americans are consumed with the pursuit of a bigger car or fancier house, something Burns is willing to forego, he said.

"I don't need anything, and I can make a real difference for these people if I forego the stuff," he said.

Burns has been married to his wife, Jeannie, for 25 years and together, they have three daughters. Twins Karen and Kristine are 28 and Alicia is 25.

For more information, Bridge Ministries can be accessed through their Web site, www.bridge-ministries.net

Susie Vasquez can be reached at svasquez@recordcourier.com or 782-5121, ext. 211.

BREAKOUT

Flora, a 13-year old living in Mathare Valley in Kenya, recently scored first in her nation's equivalent to America's Scholastic Aptitude Test.

Children in Kenya take the test when they are in the eighth grade and if they do well enough, an organization called Compassion International will pay for their secondary and college education, said Douglas County businessman Greg Burns.

"Her dad brews moonshine and her mother is a prostitute," he said. "She's 13 years old and she wants to manage a bank, the World Bank."

Andrew Ongkunga graduated from the seminary and recently married a girl who is in medical school. When she graduates in a year, the two plan to work in the Mathare Valley.

Funding for Ongkunga's seminary education was provided by the Hilltop Church in north Douglas County, Burns said.