kimuri Primary School

On Dec 30th, mayhem broke out in many parts of Kenya following the disputed election. Thousands of people fled into camps. We immediately got involved in displacement camps, distributing basic necessities and counseling victims of violence. The need for physical relief supplies was great, but we discovered an even more overwhelming concern—that of children who could not return to schools. We took in several children from different grades and enrolled them in boarding schools around Nairobi, along with children from our Jubilee Scholarship Fund. In one school, Batian Girls High school, we paid fees and bought provisions for ten girls who were brought to us from a displacement camps in the rift valley. 

But a particularly disquieting was the need of would-be candidates of national exams in Standard eight.  There were just so many of these, and we did not have the funds to enroll all of them in separate schools. Neither could we could keep them in the halfway houses that we were then running. It was a heart breaking situation as we counseled and prayed with the parents, we knew that we had to do something else to assist these children.

It was then that we came in touch with a disused school facility in Kikuyu, Kimuri Primary School, owned by the PCEA church. It had classroom space and buildings that could be used by students. We immediately rehabilitated the school to turn it into a boarding school for the class eight pupils. We had to buy everything—beds and beddings, desks, equip the staffroom, kitchen and all the things needed to run a school. We hired a head teacher, teachers and workers to run the school. Then we bought personal effects of the children, outfitted them with uniforms and began the school for seventy six formerly displaced pupils who came from displacement camps from Limuri, Kirathimo, Nakuru and Eldoret. And for the last nine months, running the school—feeding, paying salaries for teachers and administration has been the responsibility of Nairobi Chapel. We opened a medical account at the Kikuyu hospital for them. We even allowed the children to stay in the school during the holidays because most of them had no homes to return to yet. We organized for parents to come in from the camps to visit with the children and meet us, providing bus fare, food and overnight accommodation for them. We also went to the camps to meet the parents.

You know, people ask, where is God when bad things happen? God was right here in our midst working in and through us to respond to the needs of many Kenyans affected by the post election chaos. The funds to do all this that we are talking about came from this congregation. Several of you personally sponsored the children. All of you contributed through your regular tithes and offerings. Nairobi Chapel, of all that you did in response to the post election situation—and you did much—walking with these seventy six children (plus about 30 other children we helped to get back to various schools), has been your finest hour. Not only have you facilitated their formal education; we have also restored their hope for goodness in this life.

Their outlook on life is brilliant, their expectations of themselves so high, even though they are only in class eight. They look clean and beautiful and healthy which is a huge contrast from how they looked when they first came to us. Then majority of them have committed their lives to Christ in the course of the year. For us at the office, it has been a huge learning experience as well. Words are not enough to express our pride, joy and excitement as we today we present them to the church today, to celebrate and pray for them as they prepare to sit their national exam this national week. Praise the Lord!