12
Jan

Libraries

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5-12-2013

Maggie’s School was built in 2008 by Wink McLeod in memory of her daughter, Maggie McLeod. Wink wanted to do something in honor of her late daughter. GOA’s Bishop David Thagana had visited Turkana five years earlier. When Bishop David went to Akatuman, which is the heart of Turkana, he felt lead to build a school. The residents of Turkana had no education at all. The population was 100% illiterate. There was also a water and food shortage in this region. Bishop David began to pray for a school, a church, and a well for this people of Turkana. When Bishop David heard of Wink’s idea to build a school in Kenya in memory of her daughter, it was an answer to prayer.

Since the school opened seven years ago, serving less than 100 students in one classroom, many improvements have been made. There are now three classrooms, a pavilion, two wells, a solar powered farm, a fence with a gate, uniforms, two meals a day, and many more ongoing
endeavors to enhance the education of the children in this remote area. Through fundraisers and generous donations, a kitchen with a large range will be built this year. Maggie’s school now serves over 800 children.

Matthew 28:19 – Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

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4-23-2013
In Kenya, usually a family can afford to send only one child to school. This child gives hope that someday the family will not just barely survive. For the first eight years of primary school there is a huge amount of pressure on the child to do well in his studies.
Only 24% of the children that start first grade will enter into high school. Failure to continue with a high school education, after their family has sacrificed so much to send them to school is a heavy burden for a child. Realizing the importance of obtaining a higher education, for the survival of their family, eighth grade students have committed suicide when they were denied entry to high school, because of low performance on national exams. Poor results on national exams are due largely to lack of books and resource materials in the classroom. 80% of schools in Kenya do not have the textbooks and teaching resources needed for educating their students. Through libraries of donated books, our goal is to assist schools in offering a quality education for their students, which will help in raising a students national exam scores.
This year, Reaching Hands Ministry is sending 6,000 books to three schools in Kenya. A total of 26 schools will have access to the three libraries. The present enrollment at the 26 schools total 12,350 students. The libraries will be open to the surrounding communities al- lowing anyone from the community, including children that are not able to attend school, to have access to the books. One library will be at The Dam Slum in Nairobi, one at a rural school in Western
District, and one in the isolated north west Turkana area.
It is our prayer that these libraries will be a blessing for many years as they bring Life through the Word of God and hope through education, to the people of Kenya.

A donation of $1,000.00 would enable us to send two more libraries to Kenya. There are two schools in the southwest corner, an area where HIV/AIDS is highest in Kenya, that are prepared to receive libraries. We just didn’t have the funds to send the books. Eighteen schools with total enrollment of 6,700 students, 40% of the children are or- phan’s and 70% have parents with HIV/AIDS. Is God calling you to serve Him by donating the shipping of these books?

Following is a list of the schools we are currently trying to bless with libraries:

JACROSE PREPARATORY SCHOOL

Jacrose Preparatory School is located at Kwanza, Kenya. It opened its door in January 2012 and received students from kindergarten to lower primary classes one to four. Jacrose Preparatory School is a private school with an enrollment of 60 students.

Jacrose Preparatory School has been established in a community whose members are living below the poverty line. Most of them are not salaried but they have children. Some are single parents who have completely no income and thus unable to sponsor their children to access even the basic education. A number of children are also orphans.

Jacrose Preparatory School is an educational institution that endeavors to help transform the community by offering quality but affordable education as a tool to fight and eradicate poverty. The locals in the region lookup to the school for provision of affordable education that would radically change their lifestyles.

Vision:

1) to be a leading educational institution working jointly with the community in provision of quality and affordable education to bring up holistic, competent and self reliant citizens with a strong Godly foundation hence being a centre of positive transformation and empowerment for the community.

2) to expand our services in future to include High school and college education to fully equip the community academically.

Mission: to gradually set up a resource centre for the whole community to access quality education and relevant knowledge and information that would put them in the forefront of productive economy.

Objectives:

1) To eradicate illiteracy from the community by availing quality and affordable education now in primary school but later in High School and College.

2) To equip the community with a research centre for provision of relevant information that would lead to economical development.

3) To create employment opportunities i.e. to the teaching and non teaching staff.

4) To be a centre for community transformation by being a spiritually, economical and educational inspiration.

WHY WE NEED THE LIBRARY

1) There is a large number of learners attending both primary and High Schools from within and around the community. None of these schools have an equipped library to cater for their needs. Setting up one such facility would be a great relief and a constructive effort to them.

2) The region also has an increasing number of scholars from polytechnics, colleges and universities. These students may want to do their own researches while at home during vacation but since the facility is not present anywhere in the region’s proximity this becomes a simple impossibility. I would wish to have this facility brought here for the benefit of this large community of scholars who, no doubt, are the backbones of our society.

3) a) Clergymen/women

b) Environmentalist

c) Administrators

d) Community service development organizations/welfare groups

e) Adventurous youths in their quest for talent exploitation.

These people may want to sharpen or further their skills, abilities and talents in their respective fields by carrying out personal researches in this library.

4) A library may lead to establishment of the first ever tertiary college in the region with well equipped facilities to offer affordable and relevant education to the community.

5) The idea is in compliance with the new system of governance, the devolved government, which advocated for the various counties to be independent in provision of certain services. This library may be the only one in the area if established and thus would be highly utilized.

OTHER SCHOOLS THAT WILL BENDFIT FROM THE LIBRARY AT JACROSE PREPARATORY

School Status Enrollment

Jackrose Preparatory School Private 60

Morop Academy Private 130

Kapsitwet Primary Public 380

Kapsitwet High School Public 350

Zea Primary Public 300

Liyavo Primary Public 960

Liyavo High School Public 220

Misanga Primary Public 900

Lurare Primary Public 500

Namanjalala High School Public 620

Namanjalala Primary Public 1,200

Tembelela Primary Public 380

Rosephil Academy Private 80

New Life Academy Private 90

School Status Enrollment

Kwanza Friends Academy Private 200

Mukuyuni Primary Public 560

Maridadi Primary Public 750

Pengi Primary Public 380

Gidea High School Public 400

Gidea Primary Public 900

Bishop Wakhungu Academy Public 310

Amuka Primary Public 850

St. Thomas Amuka High School Public 320

Korosiot Primary Public 410

Total number of students to benefit from Jacrose Preparatory Library 11,250

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KANGEMI SCHOOL

Kangemi Pentecostal Assemblies of God School is located in The Dam Slum of Nairobi, Kenya.

The school is based on Christian principle. The challenges faced in drug addiction, this needs rehabilitation, and widows and orphans. They intend to run the library with good Godly morals. The school has five grades from baby class to class five. The teachers are not paid a salary but a wage from the tuition fees paid by the pupils.

The school is a church community which helps the needy pupils form the slum, which has a population of 5,000 people. Currently the school has a population of 200 students.

Reaching Hands Ministry can play a very important role to change the life of this people:

1) They will be encouraged to register and use the library.

2) A program to rehabilitate drug addicts.

3) A program for orphans, widows and less fortunate people.

 

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RASIENGO JUNIOR SCHOOL

Rasiengo Junior School is located at Korwa, Kenya.

After completing school successful students join secondary then university. Some join middle colleges while some drop out and serve as manual laborers. Due to limited income only about 7% graduate from university and collages.

At this Korwa school 598 students will benefit from the library, but five other schools with over 1,500 students will benefit from the library. There are 202 orphans in the Korwa school alone approximately 36-40%. Approximately 280 students have parents with HIV/AIDS. This is about 60% of the children. The percentage of disabled children is very low about 2%, while that of the malnourished is over 80%.

This library will help many. Many students at all levels of learning will easily access study materials. The facility will provide condussive studying environment. Their teachers, college and university students will access reference materials from here. It will be a place where students will make good use of their free time. The help that the students will get from the library cannot be counted.

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BONDO MENNONITE ACADEMY

Bondo Mennonite Academy is located at Bondo, Kenya.

The little library that was donated to us by Reaching Hands Ministry has been so helpful. Since its inception all the kids have had no trouble buying pens and writing materials, more so, the orphans. The pupils including those in Sunday school classes have enjoyed reading the Story books. Many of them enjoy drawing and painting using the color pencils. The play items that were brought like balls, ropes among others have kept the students physically fit and busy as they play in school. The learning materials available have made it easy for the teachers for they can easily access the materials without having to struggle to get them.

One way of saying how the library has been helpful is that only, three months, after it was brought, 50 more students joined the school. Some pupils whose parents were not attending any church for Sunday services have also influenced their parents to come to church.

While the small library has only been beneficial to students in our school and those attending Sunday school, the larger library will serve a multitude in the community for it will be the only library in area. Students in 7 neighboring primary schools with over 3,000 pupils will be the very first beneficiaries. Then students in one of the orphanage,, just 1.5 miles away will also benefit. The orphanage has over 100 students with some in primary and the rest in Secondary and colleges. Also to benefit from the new libraries are students in secondary schools like Bondo, Sagero and Nyango. These schools have over 1,500 students. Student in different colleges and universities in the community will also have a share. Teachers will also benefit from the library as they will get reference materials from there.

The youth in our churches will benefit most as they will use these books in bible study classes.

Since our school is expanding, the many students who join this school and those who are in will continue to benefit from the new library. As the school grows more teachers will be employed to teach the increasing number of students. This will create employment to the youth in our church and in the community, thus improving their standards of living. The help which the library will bring cannot all be put in writing. It is will transform the community!

It is worth noting that this area is one where HIV/AIDs infection is very high. This means about 1,710 students in this community, have parents infected with HIV/AIDs. The number of orphans in this community could be well over 1620. The dependency level is very high, with some families having as many as 10 orphans in a household. The number of malnourished children is above 95% or even more. Given that this is a rural setting, the percentage of disabled or displaced might not exceed 5% .

 

Bondo_School_Board.JPG  Bonds_School.JPG

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IVUGWI SECONDARY SCHOOL

Ivugwi Secondary School is located at Soy, Kenya

The Ivugwi fraternity are still excited with the book donation from Reaching Hands Ministry.

Our library is now regularly used by student, teachers and some members of the community. The books have stimulated the reading interest in the learners thus broadened their scope of understanding as seen in the kind of answers they write in examinations. Teachers too have a wide scope of reference books making their lessons more qualitative and interesting to the learners.

Soy_principle_1.JPGSoy_5.JPGSoy_6.JPG

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