30
Apr

Thank You

   Posted by: william   in Community Development

24
Nov

The house nears completion

   Posted by: william   in building

Work on our new house has been continuing, as the photos below show. The perimeter wall is essentially finished. Work on the insides is continuing, with further big jobs including the ceiling and the bathroom.

Front view of the house

Front view of the house

Painting an inside wall

Painting an inside wall

The internal fixtures are now being installed

The internal fixtures are now being installed

24
Nov

A hopeful young athlete

   Posted by: william   in Partnership Opportunities

Joseph Kituku Mwinzia

Joseph Kituku Mwinzia

Joseph Kituku Mwinzia is a 15-year-old student at our high school. He is also one of the best athletes in the country, having recently won a 5,000-metre race in 13 minutes. (The 13-minute barrier was not broken anywhere in the world until 1987, and the world record currently stands at 12:37.35.)

A healthy diet is essential for an elite-level athlete. It is not possible to derive sufficient strength from the diet of maize meal on which many impoverished Kenyans subsist. Joseph is seeking sponsorship in the hope of being able to maximise his natural athletic talent.

Joseph's letter

Joseph's letter

Click on the image to the right to read Joseph’s hand-written letter.

Elyon High School has some other good athletes, and the coach will be spending two weeks working intensively with them after the current academic term ends on 26 November.

24
Nov

Registration Certificate

   Posted by: william   in Education

School registration certificate

School registration certificate

The full registration certificate for Elyon High School has now come through. Many thanks to all who have been praying for this. In the past the school has been operating on a provisional registration, using semi-permanent facilities on rented property.

The full registration certificate will be a significant benefit to the school. We will now be able (funding permitting) to purchase land and build permanent structures.

We are continuing to explore options for obtaining more land.

During famine in the south coast food was a luxury

During famine in the south coast food was a luxury

The mission to South Coast was very challenging indeed, a team of six missioners left Nairobi by bus fully loaded with a film projector, a 2.5kw generator ,pas ,bedings and personal
effects to last 10 days.On arrival ten pastors of various denominational churches led by pastor Stephen Chengo met the group at Mwanguda Baptist Church an agreed venue for the mission.It was already one oclock on the next day having travelled over 600km in the night the team began with a crusade at three oclock that ended at six .At 7.30 pm they showed Jesus film to about 300 people which included some muslims ,120 gave their lives to Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour .The following days that followed were dogged with many problems, the generator got spoilt and another one was hired ,however that one also quit after the night film show forcing the team to rent another generator that managed to complete the miission.Accommodation was on adirt floor of the church with air camp matresses the team hah carried it was a window and door less structure in average temp of 30c.fOOD Was available only once a day with acomplimentary cup of tea any time of the day when water was available The lone meal was at midnight. The team was in an area hit by famine and drought thefood was by world food pgm, the nearest water point was 20km. After ten days the team narrowly escaped death along Mombasa-Nairobi Highway at night when the lights of the bus went off suddenly at high speed at a corner. The calling upon the name of Jesus is what saved the situation by the mission team The driver used moonlihght to stop the bus.All this happened from 29/3/09 to9/4/09. 674 persons gave their lives to Jesus as Lord and Saviour. The next mission will be next year in Sept.

16
Dec

DRESSMAKING / TAILORING 2008

   Posted by: william   in Education

Young woman with a sewing machine

Young woman with a sewing machine

This year Dagoretti Corner Technical Institute – Dressmaking / Tailoring program has rare trainees. These are child mothers with their children (under 1 year). These trainees will sit the National Trade Test exams from 15th Dec 2008. They have been studying through subsidized fees.

Their request is for sewing machines to start tailoring shops after graduating so that they can support themselves with the children. Their ages range from 15 to 18 years. Each will need averagely 10,000/= i.e AUD 200. Last year 5 qualified and graduated; this year we have 6 who will graduate, two of them are child mothers who need extra help compared to others.

To inquire about this opportunity to make a difference, please click on the Contact Us link above.

construction site

construction site

Most African pastors retire without pension and a house to live in. In majority of Baptist Churches in East Africa it is most common. For this reason Greater Harvest Trust in Melbourne and Maitland Baptist Church chose to help Rev. William and Grace who have worked in the slums of Dagoretti and Kibera to put up a decent house in the outskirts of Nairobi. A couple of friends from Sydney have also contributed personally. The house is expected to double up as a motel specifically for overseas youth who come as volunteers to work on Christian projects in Kenya. It is ideally situated near the main airport (Jomo Kenyatta International Airport). It has reached a critical phase (halfway) and needs a concrete slab, roof, windows, doors and utilities. It is our appeal to request for financial support on this lifetime project. The house in which we are right now is very small and doubles up as a guest wing for overseas visitors and on rentals per month. Having lived in it for 20 years, it is time for change. May God bless your giving as you assist to raise at least AUD 25,000 to finish the house in 2009.

To seek further details or to contact us for any reason, please click on the Contact Us link above.

16
Dec

KIBERA SLUM WOMEN – PROJECT

   Posted by: william   in Poverty

img_0121

fellowship meeting

There is genuine cry for help from widows from Kibera slums who have formed a Bible study group which we are trying to encourage and facilitate. Each one has a sad story of loss of their husbands. One has seven children to support despite her business having been burnt down in post election violence.

To All our development Partners in Christ

Dear All

RE APPLICATION FOR ASSISTANCE WITH KENYA CRISIS RELIEF PROJECTS

Praise the Lord our saviour Jesus Christ!

We the above named holistic ministry is a Christian community based organization dealing with education mainly to the local Kibera slums Church members ( Women,Youth & Children ) on income generating activities e.g curios & handicrafts,fish mongering, beef / poultry butcheries, hair saloon,  electrical goods shop, nursery school & day care for babies among others.

We engage our members in these different activities  on self help basis to help teach them “how to fish” to try and eradicate the main notion which we have noticed in the slums of “donor-dependence” or hand-outs.

We are based at Kibera Olympic & Ayany  on structures which we purchased with a loan of  US $ 3247 . These structures were looted & burnt down during the post election violence. We have so far managed to rebuild/ re -start the business on some & others half way. We invite you all to come and verify these on the ground at our sites in Kibera. We have about ten Church members on these projects.

We seek this crisis relief assistance to enable us operate fully like before the violence when, the members were able to to feed themselves .Not like now when hard working women & youth are almost being reduced to beggars!  Currently, the projects are run on very small time basis. The funds will be used to re-stock the butcheries with two freezers,beads for the beads works, kerosene pumps, buy stock and working capital for example. All these we had but, were all looted and whatever they could not carry they burnt down and yet we still feel the pinch of repaying loans on businesses which are practically “limping!”

These are the estimates for the movables stock which were looted,we attach all the proforma invoices from the sellers:

FREEZERS 2 PCS, ONE FOR BEEF, & ONE FOR POULTRY @ US $ 325 EACH = US $ 650

KEROSENE PUMP 2PCS @ US $ 1700 EACH total US$ 3400

KEROSENE FROM DEPOT @ 1$ PER LIT RE minimum of 1000Lt’s  total 1000 US $

WORKING CAPITAL   US $     750

TOTAL AMOUNT US: $5625

NB: Pse’ note, we have two locations in Kibera that’s why, we request in two’s.

We acknowledge the big amounts involved and as, a people who model on teaching one another  how to fish, the US $ 5625 can be given to us a loan with a grace period and then, we will be able to re- pay the loan back considering that, the business premises are ours.

We remain hoping you will kindly assist us with the funds to enable us re-start, expand and also to continue with our business which we do in order to get funds to run the ministry!

Thank you in advance and God bless you all.

Yours sincerely,

Lynette Omollo- Abongo Mrs

omollolynette@yahoo.com

Kibera coordinator

The sorrows of Lynette and family

Lynette has lived in KIBERA slums for over twenty years with her family of four children and a jobless husband. Recently Lynette accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Two children go to school while two stay at home. This past Friday (12.12.08) her landlord evicted her and demolished the house for new construction against a court injunction. This afternoon I visited the family and was shocked to learn that the family has spent the last three nights in the cold; at a car park in the open. The children sleep in the old and abandoned cars. Today 15/12/08 I visited them and had nowhere to sit and console them. The case is in court but justice is delayed. Her husband was wrongfully detained and injured in the fracas despite a court injunction to stop the eviction. Lynette needs Kshs 60,000/= to rent another house and purchase basic household items to replace the looted ones. She is one of the ladies in this financial request mail to revamp her butchery business. Lynette attends Gatwikira Baptist Church. The rest of the family does not attend this church. Without immediate assistance, Lynette and family will never celebrate Christmas at all.

kibera slum

kibera slum

We have finally come to the end of the year 2008 in Kenya. The hand of the Lord has been upon us all this time. All of us remember the post election violence which affected Kenya. Dagoretti Corner slums and Nairobi at large was affected gravely. Armed groups of youth paraded the streets, major roads and the slums for several days; we were marooned in the house. From time to time we would hear gunshots or smell teargas;p there was insecurity everywhere. We had 10 extra people in the house. Businessmen in Dagoretti Corner hired the same armed youths numbering about 250 at a cost of 200/= each per day to guard the area. This worked perfectly well and later the police reinforced them. There were two enemy forces, mungiki from the West and Luo youths from Kibera slums from the East. Early in the week of post election the Luos made a spirited attempt to over run Dagoretti Corner but were stopped by the hired youth group of Dagoretti Corner backed by police at Kenya Science College i.e. 1 km away on Ngong road. The mungikigroup attempted to invade from the West the next day but were stopped at Kawangware market. All this was God’s protection, “No weapon fashioned against us shall ever prosper” (Isaiah 54:17). Shortly after these encounters police and military friends advised us to leave Nairobi for our own safety. Subsequently we left for Malindi on 29/01/08 in a convoy of 3 vehicles; 7 ton lorry and 2 vehicles. We were twenty five in total.

Thanks for your prayers and financial support this was possible due to your generous financial contribution and sincere prayers to our God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Special appreciation goes to the following and others; Tear Fund Australia, Syndal Baptist Church, Allan and Catherine Morrison, The Greater Harvest Trust, John Gibbs, Jennifer Gijsbers, Sarah Lee, Rev. Ian Stanfield, Mark Cross, Maitland Baptist Church, Mike and Liz Saccombe, Church of Christ Orange Australia, Bega Valley Christians, Ernie and Judy Geering, Paul Fellowes and Susie Buckley, Kevin and Nancy Harper, Mustard Seed Africa, Simon East, Janine Kemp, Rebecca and Matthew Smith, Matthew Fyfield, Lou Wynd, St. Matthews Anglican Church, Sydney, Pamoja Child Trust, Brian and Dell Thompson, Chris and Berry, Peter Gitau and Catherine Saccombe, Holy Trinity Anglican Church Oakleigh, Milton Addulah Baptist Church Janine, Geoff Quinn and all well-wishers who assisted in spreadin the Loveof God to the need through the Church.

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