Exploring the streets of Juba, South Sudan. (photo: Micah Albert)

9th grade students

It’s back to school for our children in Kipkaren and Ilula. It was great to have all the children home for the school holiday. In addition to playing and catching up with each other, the older children (8th grade and high school) went through additional school tutoring as well as participated in a vacation bible school that a short term team from Water of Life Church in Southern California hosted.

Now that the children are back in school and the high school children have left for boarding school again, the home is much quieter. Please pray for the children as they get back into the groove of school. Thank you!

11th grade students

10th grade students

Primary School Children shaving their heads to get ready for 2nd term of school to start.

All the children receiving letters

More photos…

Francis Kibet receives a package from his sponsor

The children take time to look over their letters from sponsors and Pen-Pals

Ebby holds up gifts from her sponsor

Joyline writes back to her sponsors

Shambas all around! Shamba is the Swahili word for garden. The children in our homes take pride in their beautiful gardens. Always up for posing next to their well-tended gardens, the children display their skill in growing vegetables and fruits that are consumed by the children. This not only provides the children with a healthy diet, but is teaching an important skill that is needed in a farming community.

Our kids love to play! From basketball, soccer, volleyball, netball, to playing on their playground set, these children love to play!

Thanks to the baking expertise of intern, Wynn, the Ilula Children’s Home is baking their own bread instead of purchasing it in town. The bread is bigger and better in quality. They are so thankful to Wynn for empowering them with this skill. Even the older children are becoming bakers and learning the art of baking!

Linus (security), Benja (security), Reuben (kitchen), Abraham (kitchen), Aaron (herdsman) and Mr. & Mrs. Kemei (house parents) enjoy their time away.

A little time away can refresh and strengthen a person. This is what our house parents and Kipkaren Children’s Home staff experienced when they took a day trip to the Uganda border where they were able to spend time together as a team, enjoy a new environment, browse the local shops and take time to pray. The ladies enjoyed their time as they found nice clothes, handbags and shoes at affordable prices.

Our director of the Kipkaren Children’s Home and ELI Kenya Board of Directors saw the importance of taking care of our staff members’ well-beings and decided a nice, relaxing day trip would be a good reprieve. Our staff decided on a location by the border of Uganda and off they went to enjoy new scenery and receive appreciation for all their hard work in raising 200 plus children. They had a great time and were so thankful for their time away.

Never forgetting the children back home, the parents brought home some snacks to the children for them to enjoy.

Jeniffer (secretary), Eliza (kitchen) and Rebecca (assistant parent) shopping in the local stores

Sunset on the shores of Lake Victoria, Tanzania. (Photo by Micah Albert)

At the end of 2012 we said farewell to Katie Cook as she transitioned out of ELI to focus on community development in her neighborhood. We were very sad to see her go. She has been a huge part of ELI serving as the Short Term Team Ministry Coordinator and then the Community Engagement Coordinator. Katie was first introduced to ELI 4 years ago when she invited ELI to be a beneficiary of her non-profit business, Africa Hope, which sold t-shirts to benefit charities working in Africa. We were so drawn in by her compassionate heart, creativity and energy that we needed to have her as our new Short Term Team Ministry Coordinator. She did a great job preparing teams and interns serving in ELI, Kenya. Her care for people has been evident to so many as she spent her time to listen to people’s concerns, answer questions, train and pray for each person. There are many who can say she was more than a coordinator, but, she was a friend and mentor.

After spending her first 3 years with ELI as the Short Term Team Ministry Coordinator, Katie passed on her role to a new ELI staff member (Lori Eaton) and took on the exciting role as Community Engagement Coordinator. Katie has been a catalyst in spreading the word about ELI’s ministries to schools, churches and other groups.  Her passion for the poor coupled with creative ideas has engaged hundreds of men, women and children throughout the USA to take action and make a difference in lives across the world. Many would not know about the plight of children in the slum of Bukavu, DR Congo and how they can help these children receive an education if it were not for Katie. She brought Change for Life (link), an interactive program she took in to schools and churches to teach people about the typical life of a child in DR Congo and the hard decisions children are forced to make. Thousands of meals were raised by children in the USA through Katie sharing. She has been a voice for the voiceless and we are so grateful for how she has spread the word about what God is doing for the poor in Africa and how we can make a difference.

Thank you so, much Katie, for your love, dedication, passion, energy, and joy in serving our Lord and Savior, Jesus and the men, women and children in Africa and here in the USA. We are grateful for you and the time we had with you at ELI.

Katie Cook and her husband are moving to Asia in April to love and serve women who have come out of sex-trafficking. If you would like to read more about Katie’s next adventures, visit her Blog: http://hopeengaged.blogspot.com/

Ilula Children’s Home Form 1 (Freshman) Boys

By Amy Rogers and Cathy Lessig

We are thrilled this year that Concord Boys High School in Eldoret, Kenya, has invited over twenty boys from ELI’s Children’s’ Homes in Ilula (15+) and Kipkaren (5) to attend their school. We are excited our boys have a great support system for each other!

Kipkaren Children’s Home Form 1 (Freshman) Boys

Concord puts God first in everything they do and you can really sense God’s presence at this school. Our boys are performing well academically and what is even more encouraging is seeing their spiritual growth and character development. We know that God is going to continue to do miracles in the lives of our boys as they continue their education. Concord is an amazing blessing and answer to prayer. We are praying that they begin a girls’ school soon!

Today one of the boys from the Kipkaren Childrens’ Home had an incredible day!

He traveled to Nairobi for an overnight trip.

He was awarded a secondary school scholarship which includes tuition for the next four years, books, school uniforms, a stipend plus leadership development, career guidance, and mentoring.

He shook the hand of his president, Kenya’s Mwai Kibaki during a commissioning ceremony held at State House!

Who is this boy?

Linus Kipkoech, a recent class 8 graduate from Brook of Faith Primary School and a child living at ELI’s Kipkaren Childrens’ Home as part of the Kimei Family. We are so proud of Linus and this great achievement!

How did this day come to be? The Equity Group Foundation has been identifying Kenya’s academically gifted and economically disadvantaged students in primary schools since 2010. Focusing upon the top five percent of students, finalists are invited to apply for the scholarship. After a rigorous screening and interview process 2,907 scholarships were awarded this year.

God has done such a miracle in the life of Linus through the great academic mind He has given him, the confidence to express himself well, and the blessing of this generous scholarship. Won’t you celebrate with us…and Linus?!

“Now to Him who is able to do exceeding, abundantly, above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen!” – Ephesians 3:20-21

What is your favorite greeting? Here’s a chance to say hello to your sponsored child! We invite you to participate in our annual Write to Your Child Month, where we hope to send all 200+ children a message from their sponsors. Be sure to send in your letter by March 18th!

To make it easy, we have included a template for you to download, print and mail to our office. CLICK HERE to download the template.

As a refresher, here are some simple guidelines to follow:

• Be creative
• Focus on things in common
• Be encouraging!
• Avoid asking what the child may want
• Do not include your personal contact information

Want to send a gift?

• Everything must fit inside a FLAT 8 ½ “x 11” envelope
• Examples: stickers, bookmarks, photos of your family, a thin paperback children’s book
• Do not exceed 2 pounds

Sending Photos?

• All persons must be dressed modestly to honor cultural differences
• Please, no bathing suits or short shorts/skirts; in Kenyan culture, this kind of dress is inappropriate

Mail letters to:

ELI

Child Sponsorship Program

PO Box 67

Upland, CA 91785

Prefer email? Send your email to sponsorships@empoweringlives.org and write your child’s name and ID# in the subject heading.

Thank you!

We reserve the right to review each letter and any enclosed materials for compliance with our guidelines and decline any inappropriate communications.