Late summer and early autumn is a very busy time for our Kenya Now team. From manning info tables at festivals to putting on fundraisers and concerts, it has been quite the month! Fortunately, we are settling back down to our basal rate of activity. First, I would like to say thank you to the 16 supporters who have filled out our communications survey. I am going to keep it open over the weekend and would appreciate more input before I compile the submissions and present it to our board of directors next week. Fill it out HERE. It only takes around 30 seconds! Happenings at the Rebirth Academy & Children's Home There is never a dull moment at the orphanage. The kids are well cared for and happy. They always look forward to our Virtual Enrichment Classes, where they get to spend 45 minutes interacting with our volunteers as we read them books and teach on fun enrichment topics. This past Tuesday, I explored meat eating plants with them and showed them some epic BBC videos of Venus Flytraps coming to life to take a life... poor fly! There are no computers or established internet at the school. We teach over an iPad that sits at the front of the classroom filled with 160 eager students. It is always a blast. You can join in on a session if you want to see what it is like. Email me to join the next class: dan@kenyanow.org We have a new resident at the orphanage. Her name is Faith. She is a 14 year old girl who was dropped off by her mother, who was desperately pleading for us to take her child. The mother made little sense through her hysteria, so we allowed the girl to stay overnight as a safe haven until we could investigate further and determine the best action to take. That was 3 weeks ago, and the mother is nowhere to be found. We have learned that the father had died and the stepfather was terribly abusive, though a lot remains a mystery. The local authorities are involved, and we have formally accepted her at the orphanage. She is currently attending our Rebirth primary school until we can enroll her into an outside secondary school (we only have a primary school and outsource our students to nearby secondary schools). She is in desperate need of a sponsor. The monthly gift does not only help cover her care at the orphanage, but it also pays for school fees, uniforms, and more. Please consider sponsoring her and joining the family of supporters that make our education and children's home program possible. Find her profile HERE. Healthy Child Program Update This leads me to my next update: our school medical clinic initiative. Faith is a very tall girl, and she is very malnourished and likely has never seen a doctor before. That is where our Healthy Child Program comes in. As of 6 months ago, we have a school nurse who has been implementing health initiatives and wellness checks for all of our students in the program. Her name is Bethany (you rock, Bethany!). With her help, we have been able to monitor, treat, and prevent health issues on the compound. This is a major milestone. Bethany is assessing, monitoring, and providing the necessary care for Faith. With our Healthy Child Program combined with our Nutrition Program, I am confident that Faith will thrive and quickly adapt to this new environment. While we have a health program, we do not actually have a stationary clinic. That is where you come in. Help us finish our clinic fundraiser so we can build an onsite clinic, stock it with supplies and medications, and pay our current unpaid nurse. That is right, the only compensation that Bethany receives right now is a small amount to cover rent. We need to compensate her just as we do with the teachers. I am confident we will complete this fundraiser soon, as we are already 50% of the way there. We are going to start building the clinic even though we have not raised all the funding yet. It is that important. If you want to make an impact, this is that opportunity. Find the clinic fundraiser HERE. Spiritual Awakening Project Update I am assuming, and hopeful, that you already know this: Kenya Now is a Christian organization. We do a lot of humanitarian aid, but as a whole, we do it as a calling and with the hope of shining the love of Jesus Christ to those we serve, without prejudice. We are so thankful to our supporters who may not view the world through our same eyes, but decide to partner with us anyway. We are happy to have a diverse group of supporters! However, the Spiritual Awakening Project is special to my wife Kara and I. This is where we support our ministry partner, AMJM, in their church planting and Gospel initiatives. Not a lot of people give toward this project, and I would like to see more traction here. Every dollar donated to this project goes straight to AMJM and their ministry efforts, not to our other programs. If you have been looking for a way to give solely to our Christian mission, this is your stop. Check it out and get involved HERE. Bishop Patroba just returned from visiting one of his churches in Uganda. He has over 30 churches spanning across Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania, all of which receive no regular financial support. What they do receive is leadership networking, along with supplies such as Bibles whenever they are gifted. We had a donor give toward this trip, and the funds were used to gift sacks of maize to some of the women, many of whom are widows. These moments never fade away and are always powerful. Here is another example of where your gift might go. A few weeks back, Bishop traveled up to the extremely remote desert region of northern Kenya near the border of South Sudan. He was visiting a church that has been asking to join the AMJM network of churches. While there, he was given a tour of the village named Kakuma. "Kakuma" literally means "nowhere" in the local Turkana language, which is fitting for such an isolated area. The town originally grew out of a makeshift refugee camp established in 1992 to shelter the thousands of displaced children known as the "Lost Boys of Sudan" fleeing civil war. Over the decades, that camp expanded to become one of the largest refugee camps in all of Africa. During his visit, Bishop met a woman living with her children in a small hut in Kakuma. Thanks to a donor who gifted money for this trip, Bishop was able to use those funds to buy metal sheets to help her secure her walls. Find a photo of the hut in Kakuma and the Ugandan women with their maize below! Bishop could use your help with his ministry. We will make sure he gets your gift through this project page. As a community of believers, anything is possible!
Every morning, the students at Rebirth Academy in Kenya drink their morning tea—a mixture of black tea, milk, and spices that resembles chai in other regions of the world. This is such a staple in the region that a teacher once told me children who don’t have access to morning tea every day are considered very poor. Our students at Rebirth are always provided warmth, not only through their morning tea, but through our compassionate teachers, cooks, and caregivers. How Do We Ensure Tea is Served Every Day? Through our Nutrition Program! Morning tea is just a sliver of what is provided through this vital effort. Nutrition was the very first hurdle my wife Kara and I tackled in the beginning. How can children learn well if they don't eat well? Years ago, many of the children rarely ate meat. When we introduced daily protein, we found that not only did they look healthier, but their learning and focus improved dramatically. That is how important this program is—it covers every aspect of a child's well-being. We are always looking for Nutrition Champions. Is that you? Setting up a monthly gift of nutrition ensures this program never stalls. Set up your monthly gift here Prayer & Support Request: Bishop Patroba Please be praying for our good friend and ministry partner, Bishop Patroba. He will be traveling to Kampala in Uganda to register his ministry of churches in the country. It’s a long, arduous road trip! If you’d like to help him with travel costs, you can do so through our Spiritual Awakening Project. In fact, if you want to solely support the Gospel aspect of Kenya Now, the Spiritual Awakening Project is how to do it! From purchasing Bibles to putting on large church leadership conferences, your gift toward spiritual growth goes a long way. Support the Spiritual Awakening Project Sponsor a Child: Sponsoring a student helps us pay our hardworking teachers, provide school supplies, and ensure our school stays open! Sponsor a student today
Every couple of years, the Kenyan Ministry of Education swings by unannounced to inspect our school and orphanage compound, comb through documents, and grill teachers and staff. Being a nurse, it reminds me a lot of the internal panic hospital staff feel when the Joint Commission rolls up (you know, the people who can literally shut a hospital down). We held our breath... and the final report was outstanding! They were thrilled with all the new buildings, the mural art making the compound so vibrant, the large outfitted kitchen for our nutrition program, and so much more. In fact, they said they rarely see private schools in such great shape. On top of that, they were floored by our Child Protection Policy, which we adapted from UNICEF standards. It’s a comprehensive safeguarding policy that every staff member and volunteer must review and sign off on annually. This glowing report came just in time, as we recently signed a lease for a large piece of property adjacent to our compound to use as a sports field (and with the right funding down the road, we hope to purchase it!). We thank God for all of this progress, and for the women and children whose lives are being changed every single day. This is all made possible because of you. You receive these emails because at one point you decided to partner with us through a sponsorship or a one-time gift. That doesn't go lightly with us. You are a vital member of the Kenya Now family. Event Registration Update! Speaking of moving forward, here is our current attendance count for our upcoming concert and W4KN walkathons across New Jersey, Maine, and New Hampshire: W4KN NJ: 3 W4KN ME: 2 La Claires Concert: 3 Hey, now that’s progress—we only had 1 person for each event last week! Now, if you are anything like me, you might naturally push everything off until the last minute. I like to keep life fluid! Heck, I barely know what I’m doing two days from now. But let's make an exception here... you know, for the kids! We want to see you there. We want to walk with you. We want to get to know you. Will you sign up today? This isn't just a walk—it's energy spent for real change. Sign Up
Our original schoolhouse—made of mud, clay, rocks, and sticks—has collapsed because of the harsh environment and elements. This schoolhouse represented the origins of our partnership with Abundant Mercy of Jesus Ministry. Starting with just a handful of students, we have now grown to over 160! With growth naturally comes restructuring. We can always try to keep things the way they were, but ultimately, if we want to make a big change, we’re gonna have to accept changes that we don’t anticipate. Thank you to everyone who has helped make this ministry grow to have such a huge impact on the children and widows that we serve in Kenya. Upcoming Summer Events! We have some exciting events lined up, from live acoustic concerts to multi-state walk-a-thons and summer festivals. All of these benefit our organization tremendously, and we hope to see you at one (or two!). Please view the latest events HERE. The LaClaires Bluegrass Concert I am personally so excited for this one! Tickets are cheap and the music is going to be amazing. Will we see you there? When: August 15th Where: Awaken Great Bay Church (Dover, NH) Tickets: The LaClaires View this week’s update video on YouTube.
We've been raising funding over the month of May to put on June's food distribution event. Out of the 16 supporters who donated, we were able to raise $5,000, and that fed over 3,500 people this week! View photos and videos in this Google album! Think of the possibilities if we keep spreading the word to gain even more supporters. The lives we could bless during these times of increased economic hardships are innumerable! Huge shout-out to those who made this event possible, it couldn't have come at a better time. We might be doing an additional food distribution sometime in the fall if this crisis worsens, so keep an eye out for any new distribution campaigns! The kindergarten class of American Christian School in northern New Jersey raised a whopping $8,300 to go towards building our school nursing clinic! Our total goal is $15,000, so we still have a ways to go. Help us close the gap by donating toward this important project! Thank you to the little guys for putting in so much hard work. You rocked it! Robin, one of our dedicated supporters, has been fundraising in hopes of putting a young student through university. The student's name is Stella, and I am extremely pleased to say that Robin has met her goal! Stella is now set up with a new computer, rent, and a food budget, and her tuition has been fully paid. She will be studying agriculture, which is perfect for the area of Kenya that she lives in! Robin, thank you for showing your compassion and dedication to the Kenya Now Organization. God is good! We have a young student who has been admitted to the hospital for a sickle cell crisis. Hosea, along with all of our other children, are completely covered with our Healthy Child Program allowing us to provide medical care when it’s needed most. Please be praying for him as he recovers. You can view his profile here. Our healthy child fund is always in need of being recharged. Please consider providing a gift of health today. 🗓️ Calendar Alert: February 2027 Team Trip! Are you interested in joining us on our February 2027 team trip? It may seem far off in the future, but our orientation is happening soon! When: Sunday, June 14th at 12:30 PM Where (In-Person): Awaken Great Bay Church in Dover, NH Where (Virtual): Online via Zoom/Stream. Video call link: https://meet.google.com/otv-dthi-itm Please find more info and RSVP for both in-person and virtual attendance here. This meeting is highly recommended for anyone who is interested. Trip seats fill up very quickly! Kara and I feel so blessed to have such a dedicated family of supporters and prayer warriors. God is good all the time, and all the time, God is good! Have a wonderful weekend! Mungu Akubariki ("God bless" in Swahili)
We were able to raise $4000.00!! Because of all the generous people who donated, Stella will be on her way to University! I would like to thank you all in helping with this Kenya Now fundraiser. I know Stella will be so excited to begin her schooling to study Agriculture. She will graduate with a two year degree and come back to help her community! God bless you!🙏
Food and fuel prices have been dramatically increasing in Kenya, sparking deadly protests and civil tension within the region. Last week I discussed how this has been affecting our fuel budget, getting Bishop to the places he needs to be to ensure operations run smoothly. This week the price of food followed suit with a dramatic 30% increase and an announcement from President Ruto suggesting this will only be getting worse. Full disclosure: this causes a bit of anxiety, but God’s got this. Our board of directors has been crunching numbers, evaluating the health of our emergency fund, discussing long-term strategic plans, and relying heavily on prayer and guidance. We are already starting to witness God’s divine intervention to meet a need that only a few people knew about. You can help us ensure food is always provided for our kids regardless of the turmoil occurring around them. These children were rationing food when we first met them during the COVID pandemic. Just the other day rationing was brought up as a possibility from our Kenyan partners: “Brother don’t worry. We’re Africans, rationing is always an option we’re used to," Bishop explained. We assured him that rationing was something these kids will never experience again. Sponsor a child today or give monthly to our nutrition program. Both of these programs provide the essentials needed during these turbulent times and beyond. But wait, there’s more! My wife, Kara, had the honor of speaking in front of a small church group in New Jersey thanks to supporter Kristina Barkey (pictured below with my wife). She flew round trip within a 24-hour period to attend and came back with sheer excitement. The stories of interactions and discussions she had were encouraging. Kara said she talked about our most recent issues with price increases, and God delivered. This small group of 20 people instantly provided nearly $5,000 by the end of the evening. We were not expecting this event to be an emergency fundraiser! Thank you, Hillside Church, for your wonderful gift. It will be supplementing our current food budget for the next few months. Please consider sponsoring a child to help us in the long-term strategy of making a difference. Prayer requests: Pray for our children: They are competing against other schools in track and soccer. They’re kicking butt and having fun! Check out these epic videos of the comps. Here is a list of our kids moving forward in the tournaments: 1: Emmanuel W (volleyball)2: Jasmim C (volleyball)3: Bravin S (Handball)4: Ivan S (handball)5: Bernard W (Soccer)6: Mitchell A (soccer)7: Ian W (soccer)8: Abigael S (Handball)9: Lindah N (Handball) Pray for Kenya: The current Kenyan administration is causing a lot of chaos and struggles compared to the surrounding countries. Pray for our Kenyan community: Seasons of hunger are enough of a struggle, let alone a continuous burden of increased costs to simply survive. Keep an eye out for possible emergency food distributions outside of our normal annual schedule. We’re keeping a pulse on the situation and will intervene when necessary. You can proactively give towards our crisis distributions here. Updates on our June distribution will be coming out in the coming week!
We did it– not only did we raise all the funding needed for our next food distribution event, but we surpassed it by $125. Way to go! I can't wait to provide updates on this event when it happens. This event will touch a lot of people. I’m talking over two thousand. We don’t simply feed people— we share a message of hope and truth and then they go home with a gift that will provide for another day. These people, our people, live day-to-day during these cyclic times of struggle. To add to the struggle they’ve also been experiencing massive amounts of rain, flooding and crazy fuel prices along with civil protests. Those blessed enough to own a vehicle are paying nearly $6 per gallon. Stark contrast to our elevated pump prices right now. Check out this video of a wild protest turned relay race that just happened near Bishop’s home. Creative, fun, and peaceful. That leads to another need; Bishop drives over two hours per day largely along rocky African dirt roads. It takes a lot of fuel between managing the orphanage, school, churches, and everything else he does for the greater community. Get this, Kenya Now doesn’t pay him or his wife. We have two people who help with basic car maintenance but it’s minimal and not nearly enough. But where does my donation go? Straight to where it is allocated; education, food, distributions... You can help Bishop by scheduling a recurring gift and know that this blessing would be a huge relief. The kids at the school have been competing in sports this week. They’ve all done great and they’re having a blast! Sponsorships help us educate these kids, house our orphans, and do fun activities just like this! Please consider sponsoring a child today. We have a very large list of unsponsored children. The impact is much larger than you might imagine. Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!
My wife, Kara, recently found this shirt, and I think it’s hilarious. But it also stirs up a bit of discord in my soul—a somber reminder of how I first reacted when God started writing this new chapter in our lives. In the beginning, leading a mission in Kenya, let alone a mission in Africa, was never a dream of mine. It wasn’t even a passing thought. When I felt God’s mighty grip pulling us in, my initial instinct was to run. I was on course to pull a full "Jonah" (although I could totally do without the whale). To be clear: I wasn't running because I thought the women and children in Kenya weren't worthy of help. I was running because I was terrified of my own inadequacy. I didn’t have the "know-how." I’ve always been a big dreamer, but a sloppy executor—the kind of guy with a yard full of half-finished projects. Mind you, our actual yard is pretty tidy. I'm sure you get the idea. The sheer thought of failing, of potentially putting dozens of orphans back on the street, was too much to bear. So, instead of saying "yes" to God’s will, I decided to go on my own little march. I cold-called twenty different organizations around the world with a desperate plea: "Please, take this project off our hands." The answer was almost always some version of: "We’ve got our own problems. You need to deal with yours." That was the "smack in the face" realization. When God tells you to do something, "no," or even "maybe," isn’t actually an option. "Get in, loser. We’re doing God’s will." There may not be a truer quip than that. And there, all along, stood my wife, waiting for me to hop aboard. Welp, now that we’ve got that out of the way, we have some work to do! What is God doing this month? We have a big gap to fill as we aim to raise $5,000 this month of May to feed thousands of people by early June. $2,000 raised so far! We could really use your help! Learn more and give here Bishop reported that they planted a new church in Kenya! The plot of land fell into place. The excited congregation started pulling together supplies from their own homes to build an incomplete, makeshift church structure. They have the drive and will to say "yes" to God's calling. Can we help them finish their church building so they can worship out of the rain? This project is $3,000. Donate below and put "church" in the note. I'll take it from there. Our board of directors has a vision for this year to expand the Rebirth Academy School and Children's Home compound. There are two plots of land that have been offered to us (without us even inquiring!). Both properties—a one-acre and a half-acre—align right next to our compound. To acquire both these properties will take some serious cash to the tune of around $20,000. God has opened the window to see what lies ahead, but He has yet to open the door. If you want to give toward this goal, simply donate and put "property" in the note section. There is no official fundraiser for this dream; it is that new! Yes, we have some ambitious goals directly in view. But like I mentioned, when God says "go," inaction simply isn't an option. Please be prayer warriors for our mission and projects. We are confident God will provide on His own time. I pray you have a restful weekend.
Today I have a project update as well as an urgent call for help. Our water runoff project has been in progress—building retaining walls, digging water retention tanks, and planting grass for water absorption (and esthetics, too!). We had a couple of generous donors who made this expensive project happen, and we want you to know how appreciative we are for those selfless gifts. This need wouldn’t have been filled without you. You can view videos of the project progress below. While that work continues, our most urgent need right now is for our next food distribution event happening in just a few weeks! We always aim to raise $5,000 in hopes to feed over 2,500 people during these hard times of food insecurity between harvests, when jobs are far and few between. Every donation is a blessing that goes well beyond nutrients and hits deep to the core of hope. These events not only feed people with food, but provide us the opportunity to feed people the truth of the gospel to thousands at a time. Please help us reach our goal. With current bulk food prices, $100 can feed around 50 people. Would you be willing to sponsor this event? Learn more and donate here Thank you for your support and for partnering with us in this mission of hope!
I wanted to share Jackson’s story this week because it fits so perfectly with what we’re fundraising for this May to get food to those who need it most by June. I literally just asked him to record a quick thought on what impacts him, and this is what he sent over. Jackson has witnessed the struggles of the people we serve over the past few years and his time with our Kenyan cohorts really sparked a wildfire in his heart to serve. Take a second to listen to him. Join the movement. What’s your story? URGENT: This May we are fundraising for June’s large food distribution event. We don't have long and we have a lot to raise— $5,000 by May 20th! ➡️ Give towards our June Food Distribution Event today. Every $50 feeds 25 people! Praise report: All three orphaned brothers (Ben, Joel, and John) have been fully sponsored! Nothing gives us more joy than seeing that confirmation notification. The impact is more than you can fathom. There is still great need! Find more sponsorship opportunities here.
Do you remember Ben and Joel, the two young and orphaned brothers we welcomed a few weeks ago? Through further investigation, we located their 11-year-old brother, John. Unfortunately, John was also living in very poor conditions. For his safety and the long-term well-being of all three boys, we have decided to bring John into our care as well. By keeping them together as a single family unit, we are giving them the best chance at healing. We feel truly blessed to be able to provide a safe haven for such vulnerable children and to keep this family whole. We need to get John sponsored. Here is his profile page. Our Healthy Child Fund has been working overtime lately. Between Ben, Joel, and John settling in and keeping the rest of our students in tip-top shape, the fund is sitting critically low. It needs a serious recharge. If you’ve got a passion for health, these kids depend on us to cover everything from basic check-ups to the advanced stuff. You can jump in and help HERE. Speaking of health—you know the saying that behind every great man is a great woman? For Bishop, that woman is his wife Ruth. She is as humble as they come, but she’s also a powerhouse who simply gets things done. This week, she had to undergo an urgent hysterectomy. We’d appreciate your prayers for her recovery, and if you’d like to help cover her hospital bill, you can donate below—just put "Ruth" in the donation note. Make an impact without spending an extra dime. We have a cool new tool called Double the Donation. You just type in your company’s name to see if they’ll match your current or even past donations from this year. It’s an incredibly easy way to do more for the women and children in Kenya. Check if your company offers this HERE. Finally: We have way too many shirts. We’ve got a mountain of event shirts from last year that look awesome and fit great, but they gotta go! If you buy one for $1 from our online store, I will ship you as many more as you want for no extra charge. Do you attend Awaken Great Bay church? We can bring them to you on a Sunday! Seriously. Take them. While you’re there, check out our other merch so you can rock some swag and spread the word about Kenya Now. Shop the $1 Shirt Deal & More Swag Have a great weekend!
