How sweet it is to receive a letter from a friend! All 200+ of our children have received letters from their sponsors and friends and they are so excited to write back. Thank you to everyone who wrote to the children for Write to Your Child Month!
All the children receiving letters
More photos…
The month of April brings all the children home from boarding school and reunites the Children’s Home. Across the nation, Kenya school systems have breaks during the months of April, August and December. This month, the children are enjoying being all together again. They are spending their time playing, tending to the gardens and baking bread. Please pray for them and our house parents and staff as they spend the month together before all the children return to school in May.
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. (more…)
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.
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! (more…)
By Cathy Lessig
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? (more…)
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!
The husbands in Ilula invited their wives to a special Valentine’s Day celebration where they enjoyed good food, special company and fun conversations in celebration of their love for one another. What a good God we serve!
Linda, one of our children in the Ilula Children’s Home, just received news that she passed the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exam. This is a huge feat! This means she is able to join high school. Along with the 20 other children in Ilula and 6 children in Kipkaren who passed the KCPE exams, Linda waits for the results of what high school will accept her. We’re hoping to hear from schools starting next week. This is a huge milestone for children who would never been able to go to school if it were not for the Children’s Homes. One life at a time we are caring for orphans and giving them a hope and a future.
Linda wanted to send a thank you to ELI and all the sponsors, a thank you that all of our children echo. (more…)