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Center For Sharing Kenya Report May 6-16, 2007
Trip Goals
2. Visit Pan Africa Christian University.
3. Attend Dedication of New Methodist Church Kenya Guest House at Marimanti Rural Training Center. 4. Visit Voices of Hope college students in Thika. Kisumu
In 2008 plans are underway to bring all previous participants together for a time of evaluation and discernment about the future course of this program in Kenya.
PAC U
We explained the themes of our course, and its mission to assist individuals in the birth /development of their call to service. We were given the transcripts of our SLS students now attending the masters SL course at PAC. All are doing very well. We believe they could provide the seed for a future department of servant leadership at KEMU.
Voices of Hope
This program is facing some funding needs starting September, for the safe house and food. Lemayan is spending about $150/mo. in order to keep up with student’s personal needs for ongoing financial and personal support. He would like Rachael to come to Kenya for a fundraising tour to visit local corporations there.
There seems to be a strong desire to hold another leadership course this year in December when the girls are at the safe house, on break. The course cost about $15,000 last year.
Marimanti Guest House
Since there is not other facility of this kind for 80-100 miles, it is expected to become a motel/meeting/conference center for many individuals groups and organizations. We think this could be a great place to hold the SLS evaluation conference in 2008, to showcase an example that could inspire visions for other communities.
Kenya’s countryside was a lush green this trip. Security is being increased throughout the country, as is an increasing effort to beautify Nairobi and natural national resources in general. Traffic congestion is a problem, and roads are in desperate need to repair which is being addressed by the Kibaki government. This new focus for education is to extend free education for high school level as was done in 2002 for primary students. Once again this trip, we repeatedly heard that good leadership may be Kenya’s #1 need. |
Kisumu is the third largest city in Kenya, some 5 hours west of Nairobi, along the shores of Lake Victoria, the 2nd largest fresh-water lake in the world. A team of 4 of us made the overnight visit, and looked at 5-6 different hotels and guest-house possibilities of various personalities, locations and prices. We are awaiting a comparison spreadsheet of costs before making a decision. This year’s class will include a few lay leaders serving MCK in various roles as well as pastors. Four staff of the MCK conference office have already participated in the course. We will add a fifth this year. 
We met with Kim Kilmer, a lawyer by profession, who felt called to bring her family to Kenya to serve in mission. She is directing the development of a new curriculum of servant leadership modules which can be taken into rural areas for 1-3 day seminars.
We traveled about one hour to Thika with Lemayan Tawuo, the local director of Rachael Tengbom’s VOH program. In Thika, where many of the VOH girls are going to school, we were able to visit the beauty school where 3 of the girls attend, while several other girls are taking computer/business courses. We met with 10 of the 14 girls currently enrolled in VOH. When Glenn asked them where they see themselves in 5 years, here were some of their replies:
This is a new facility funded by Vista Hermosa Foundation. May 13 it was officially opened by Presiding Bishop Stephen Kanyaru and Cheryl Broetje, representing VHF. This facility can sleep up to 60. It is a great example of servant leadership in action, , as the director, Rosemary Kirambia, is a government employee, who has been loaned to MCK Marimanti for 5 years through a partnership with MCK to stabilize the economy by training farmers in progressive farming techniques. In turn, the farmers share their practices with their neighbors in this region of some 100,000 population.