Kenya (MNN) – Kenya Hope’s ministry is reaching impoverished areas of Kenya through a unique method. The organization forges partnerships between American and Kenyan churches in support and prayer.
“Our goal is to build relationships within these communities, build relationships with the churches, and also build a relationship with people that sponsor to direct individuals within these communities,” Kenya Hope’s Joy Mueller says.
Churches around the US — including California, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania — are partnering with churches in rural and needy communities in Kenya because of Kenya Hope.
Mueller says the organization often finds partner churches in the US and Kenya through divine serendipity. “Many times, it’s God just bringing people across our path and building that relationship and finding the churches that have that same heart vision to reach the world, not just locally, but globally.”
Naitaiaang, a widow sponsored by Kenya Hope. (Photo courtesy of Kenya Hope)
As Kenya Hope links churches across oceans, they put an emphasized focus on sponsorship for their Widows Might Program in Kenya, which both individuals and churches in the US can support.
Through the Widows Might Program, Kenyan widows receive monthly food assistance, five goats to begin a self-sustaining herd, skills training, and biblical teaching.
Mueller points out the need for widow sponsorship in Kenya is significant.
Poverty in Kenya
While Kenya is an economic powerhouse in Africa, Nairobi is home to Kibera, the largest slum in Africa with about 250,000 people. Furthermore, there are about 200 slums across the country and about 2.5 million people living in them, according to Kibera.org.
“I would say one of the common misconceptions is that it’s a modern country…. The majority of people outside of the capital of Nairobi are extremely poor. The more remote your community is, you’re not going to have a chance to go to school because the government doesn’t build those schools,” Mueller says.
“So, many of these people are poorer than poor. They survive on less than $20 a month and just can’t feed a family and buy clothes and pay school fees [to] send your child to school on $20 a month.”
(Photo courtesy of Kenya Hope via Facebook)
Kenya Hope has found that widows often have the greatest needs. Sponsoring widows and extending God’s love to them can bring the greatest impact.
“Sponsoring widows and training widows and impacting widows has been one of the greatest benefits. It’s benefiting the widow. It’s benefiting the children and the whole community at large…. When you sponsor a widow, you are basically empowering her to support her whole family, which is just huge.”
Join Kenya Hope as they empower churches and individuals in Kenya. Get started on creating a partnership between your church and a Kenyan church by contacting Kenya Hope here.
You can also sponsor a widow here!
Please also pray for Kenya Hope’s work in the nation. Pray for safety and for partnerships to be strong and blessed.
Header photo courtesy of Kenya Hope.
