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We are excited to announce that New Hope Initiative is expanding it's ministry into a brand new country as we partner with Dwayne and Tammy Wright to open a new school project in Ethiopia. We are so happy to be moving into this new region and we are thrilled to begin this new partnership with incredibly effective leadership in Ethiopia. Please click on the link below to learn more about this amazing opportunity.
As we begin the new year of 2014 we are excited to share with our supporters a great improvement for our ministry in Kibera. The new year brings a brand new facility to our school compound. We have just finished construction of a dining hall and commons building. This brick structure is without question the finest school building in all of Kibera and perhaps the single nicest structure in the entire slum. The building is stone inside and out and houses a new kitchen, with a large secure pantry and pass through serving facility, as well as a seating capacity of almost 200. This will allow the entire student body to be fed in 2 convenient, efficient shifts. We have been able to feed the children of our school for the part 5 years due to our faithful sponsors however the children have always had to eat standing in the compound with their bowls in their hands. The new hall will allow the students to enjoy a more civilized atmosphere that will continue to help us promote excellence in all phases of the New Hope Kibera Primary School.
As we strive to bring excellence to our school in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya, we must be reminded of our foundational goal of bringing real hope and real change to the children that we work with. We have been reminded this season that to accomplish such a lofty goal we are going to have to offer quality in education to our children. We are very excited about the foundational processes we have in place through the New Hope Primary School and the Kibera Penda Project scholarship program to accomplish these goals. For the first time in NHI history we are seeing some of the long-term fruit of our programs as we have admitted five of our students into college and university. In order to move these precious children from the Kibera slum into more adequate lives they must complete an upper level degree that will offer them the hope for a better job and a better life.
It is our five-year goal to have 125 secondary school students in our Penda program as well as 100 university students completing their upper level degrees. It will be our ongoing goal to maintain these numbers into the future so that we can develop a growing base of students who begin in our elementary school and end up as university graduates. That is the blueprint for changing a community. It is not fast, it is not cheap, is it not easy, but it is achievable and it will be effective.
By Sandy & Karen Baird
From trouble with algebra and the typical pressures of high school, to financial and family issues, there aren’t many struggles that face the students of the Kibera Penda Project that Samson Mugendi, the 28-year-old Director of the Penda Project, can’t relate to. The oldest of five children, Samson, was born, raised, educated and still lives in Kibera so he knows all too well what challenges these students face on a day-to-day basis. I recently had a chance to sit down with Samson in Kibera and talk more about his life and his role with the Penda Project.
TJ: What is your role as the Penda Project Director?
Samson: One of my main roles is to check on the 77 students that are currently sponsored. What I mean by that is I make sure they attend all of their classes and beyond always attending I make sure they are doing well within those classes both academically and in terms of discipline. Secondly, when they are done with exams at the end of each term, I collect all of their grades and send updates back to Kyle & Kelsey Baird and the sponsors in the United States. My other main job is to serve as the Student Pastor and teach them the word of God.This mainly takes place on Sundays when they attend the youth service at Kibera Bible Baptist Church.
TJ: One of the core aspects to the Penda Project is accountability, how do you try to provide this for the students?
Samson: As I said before this is one of the main responsibilities I have and the students need someone to consistently check on them. This is one of the reasons I am employed full time so that I can be there at any point the students may need me. In addition to attending class, all Penda students must attend study hall after school and this one of the times that I can check in and make sure all is going well with them.
TJ: What are some of the biggest challenges the Penda students are facing?
Samson: One of the biggest challenges is the environment they come from and are currently still living in. In Kibera, a lot of students drop out because they can’t pay school fees after primary school or they don’t qualify to attend. The Penda students are blessed to have their school fees covered but not all of them have qualified to attend boarding school which means they travel to and from Kibera each day to attend classes. When they go home, many people their age have already dropped out and the opportunity to get involved in bad activities like drugs are prevalent. Our boarding students are away for most of the year but still come home between breaks in terms and face these same situations. Also pregnancy is another huge challenge they face - especially the girls who are in day school and in some cases the pregnancy is against their will.
But no matter what challenges they have we always tell them that we want to have students who are committed to working hard and overcoming any hardships.
TJ: What has being the Penda Project Director meant to you?
Samson: It has changed my life. I never imagined I would be where I am now and I believe that God is using me to do great things in Kibera. The Samson I used to know four years ago is so different now because God is working in my life. My prayer is that God will continue to use me to reach many people in Kibera — from the Penda students to my neighbors and my fellow youths.
TJ: What are your goals for the future?
Samson: Right now I am working on my theological degree at Tena Bible Baptist School. I have finished my first year and I have two years left. Once I am finished I want to continue to serve the Lord in Kibera working with New Hope Initiative and using all that God has given me through my time as the Penda Project Director to continue to serve the youth of Kibera. I want to do all I can to make sure they achieve something with their education and most importantly serve God in whatever job they have.
By T.J. Walter - New Hope Initiative Board Member
Since starting Kibera Penda Project in 2008, we have seen incredible growth in the desire, motivation and hope of the students living in Kibera. We are now partnering with sponsors to send 76 students to government day-school and 37 students to boarding school. This year 31 out of the 53 students from New Hope Primary School passed their Class 8 national exams - the school's highest percentage ever and we are anticipating that this number will grow even more! We are grateful that most of our sponsors from previous years are continuing their commitment, allowing these children to continue their education.
Kibera Penda Project will have their first student, Gladys Atieno, graduate high school this spring and we are committed to sponsoring her at a university this fall. In addition, we are sponsoring two New Hope Primary School staff members to continue their university education.
This year we are also focusing on ways to help those who do not pass their Class 8 national exams. New Hope Initiative placed three of the girls at Seed of Hope, a girl's vocational training center that emphasizes education and teaches job skills necessary for their future success.
We place high expectations on our students in Kibera Penda Project, and we want our students committed to their future. Our goal is to give them the necessary resources, allowing them to work hard and escape the poverty cycle. We realize that not every student will succeed in this program, but we have seen a drastic change in the motivation and determination of these students. They understand the opportunity they have been given, and they do not take it for granted. However, we still have a few students who need sponsors for high school. If you are interested in helping give hope through education, please visit our website at www.kiberapendaproject.com
By Ava Baird
