Growing Young Minds in Kawangware

When a local church asked if we’d put together a mission trip to Kenya, I knew it would be a different kind of mission experience, mainly because it wouldn’t involve our food packets. Our mission was to glorify the name of Jesus by teaching in the small classrooms of Nairobi Language Institute, located in the heart of the Kawangware slum. This slum has a population of nearly 150,000 people living on an income of less than a $1 a day. To say that living conditions there are hard is an understatement.

One of our travelers was a public school teacher. She asked her fellow teachers if they would donate supplies for our trip. And did they ever! Over 350 pounds of teaching materials were donated, covering everything on math, science, and reading for grades 1–4. Wall posters, lesson plans, and so much more will help the teachers be more effective.

School supplies generously donated to teachers at NLI

Life is hard at Nairobi Language Institute. There is only sporadic electricity so classrooms are often dark. Bathroom facilities are primitive, at best. And when it rains, raw sewage pours into the school grounds. This was the case after a big rain on Sunday night, and we showed up on Monday morning.

Raw sewage is a fact of life when it rains hard in Kawangware

HIV/Aids is widespread in Kawangware slum, and it affects everyone. Joel is an eight-year-old boy in the second grade at NLI. He was diagnosed with HIV when he was only four years old. He feels loved at NLI and will receive a great education as well.

Eight-year-old Joel is receiving an education at NLI

One of our travelers realized that she needed help in the classroom of the youngest children, as they had not yet learned English. We needed an interpreter, and God provided. Our waiter at the guest lodge told me that he felt God calling him to a ministry of prayer. I asked if he’d come help us—he had a fantastic time and really broke down the language barrier. He made instant friends with some of the staff at the school and they, in turn, asked for help in praying with families of students at NLI. His prayer ministry is officially launched!

God is using Kenyans to reach other Kenyans for His glory!

Because “it’s more than a meal” at Feed the Hunger, we presented Bibles to children in the upper grades (6th, 7th, and 8th).

The Word of God is a life-changing tool for spiritual growth

We gave the school a 100-foot drip irrigation system. The school has a garden club of five boys who have an interest in growing food, and they were very excited about collecting rainwater in a 15-gallon bucket and growing all sorts of crops. They said they were going to grow kale, carrots, red chilis, onions, soybeans, and maize.

Future farmers of Kenya!

Every trip Feed the Hunger takes offers so many opportunities to glorify God. We didn’t get much chance in the way of food, but God gave us multiple glimpses of His perfect plan as we found many hurting people who simply needed a kind word or a gentle touch. Over and over again, our message to others—and to ourselves as well—was Psalm 139:14, which starts by saying, “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

Jim Gurley | Director of Development