Schools for Hope

Schools for hope aims to step into the lives of children like Simon and Mary by providing a high school education that meets them where they are...in the heart of Kibera the 2nd largest slum in the world. [read more]

Breaking the cycle

In Kenya, without a high school education there are few job opportunities outside of construction and child prostitution. Providing a Christian education from pre-school through high school will give children like Simeon both hope and a way to break the depravity cycle. [read more]

Kids long for education

Grace is one of the many children in need of education in Kenya. [read more]

Moving Forward

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A little girl should never walk through a river of sewage. Yet there she was, wading in her dirt covered dress through the slush. Instead of playing princess, she wandered aimlessly through the largest slum in Africa, Kibera. Seeing her broke our hearts, but it also called us once again into action. This summer was not Annie and my first time in Kibera, but now when we walked down its dirt streets it was with purpose. God put us on a mission, but he did not ask us to walk the streets alone. In our months abroad God joined us together with people across America, England, New Zealand, South Africa, and Zimbabwe; all for the purpose of helping children, like the one we watched

in the stream, get out of the slums as we work to

provide them with a Christian education.

God has been opening doors for us to build a Christian high school for these children so desperately in need. A high school education offers the pathway to jobs, and the opportunity to escape their world of child prostitution, forced labor, and drugs. We were grateful for your prayers and support that undergirded us as we met with Kenyan principals, the Kenyan Ministry of Education, landowners, contractors, and educators from multiple areas of Africa. We are confident God led us to the right partners: a construction group highly experienced in the building of schools, someone with curriculum building experience, and possible members of a school board.

Daily God brings us closer to providing a school for the children of Kibera. We hope that you will continue to walk beside us with your prayers and financial support as we follow God’s freedom call for Kenyan children together.

Lifted from the Dust

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Dancing. Laughter. Drum Beating. Swahili songs of worship. All at once the entire Jakazi IDP camp, 840 people, celebrated God's outrageous love with all their might. Why? After tribal wars destroyed their families these survivors banned together to make a new home, and today marked the one year anniversary of living on this new land.

These people were a riddle. They had nothing, but were filled with joy. Experience had showed them how crewel life can be, yet their lives were filled with hope. As we picked up hammers and nails we joined the Jakazi residents in building new homes for those who had spent the year sleeping on the ground in outdated tents.

As we worked their stories of faith filled our ears. "God has lifted us from the dust," one woman proclaimed. She was right. This year they had watched as God provided food and water for the entire community even without a single person being able to work in the local ostracizing town. Today, on their one year anniversary, God made it possible for the community to obtain the supplies necessary to build the last 52 homes needed.

Jakazi is a nothing short of a modern day Israel. God was with them when their lives were ripped from them, and he leading the charge to bring about a new life. The small woman was right when she proclaimed that God has lifted them from the dust. "He has put his dwelling place among them, he is walking with them, and he is their God who has broken the bars of their yoke and enabled them to walk with heads held high (Lev. 26:11 paraphrase).

Today was a day of celebration. It was a day of worship.

Tribal Warfare- IDP Camp

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Our hearts broke. Can you imagine? As a result of last years Presidential election in Kenya tribal warfare broke out across the nation. Homes were burned, family members were murdered, and 10,000 of the tribe’s people were forced to flee for safety.

And here we were…talking to the very people who were trying desperately to piece their lives back together. They had experienced such pain, but as we sat around their homes talking they acted so normal.

Where did they flee? Most came to a small plot of land in central Kenya that the government provided for the people to squat on. These people are called Internally Displaced People (IDP).

As we sat under a tin roofed hut this community of survivors explained to us their story. This IDP camp had broken off from the 10,000 other refugees, and they were certainly unique. When the government gave each family $125 to compensate for their struggles, instead of carelessly spending the money, this group of 840 entrepreneurs decided to join together as a community and purchase land. Now they are able to grow crops as they work towards building homes, finding food, water, and education for their children.

Looking around the camp felt like glancing around an unfinished construction site. While roughly fifty mud walled homes had been erected another fifty-two homes were yet to be built. For the past year these families have been living out of leaky tents waiting for the community to be able to afford to build more homes.

As our conversations continued we found ourselves shocked to hear the fate of their young teenagers. Daily the high school students walk down a major highway 3 miles to a little town where they can attend school. Seeing children in need the truckers have started taking advantage of the desperate girls. Knowing the children go days between meals the truckers offer to give money in exchange for the only thing the girls can offer, Sex. What began as children walking to school has now become a popular child prostitution location.

It was difficult to hear the fate of these people. There are so many needs. Where do we begin? Next week we will join Global Connections as they help build 52 homes, and to temporarily provide food and water until their crops can grow.

The biggest immediate problem left is what will happen to these high school girls. How can we help? There is no temporary solution to this problem. What steps must we take to eliminate this problem?

Once again the cry of this communities desperation showed us how necessary it is to provide Christian education. They need a high school. They need hope.

Schools for Hope

Breaking the cycle

Kids long for education

Hope for Children

Join the fight

Moving Forward

Lifted from the Dust

Tribal Warfare- IDP Camp

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