A second school is now complete
We first met Moses, the leader of a church on Rusinga in 2014 and have been wondering how we might partner with him. At the end of 2017 an opportunity arose ..... please read on
Rusinga Island
This is an island on Lake Victoria in very rural western Kenya and is marked A above. It's a 7 hour drive from Nairobi or a one hour flight to Homa Bay or Kisumu. Life depends on fishing and agriculture and there is a lot of poverty resulting from under investment in infrastructure.
It is an area of great need. Compassion, an international children’s charity have 5 projects in this area and a survival programme, all of which are needed to address the considerable poverty and highest rate of infant mortality in Kenya.
This is Moses and his congregation
Lakeside Baptist Church
Steve and Ellen met Moses who leads this church in November 2014.
Moses is a gentle giant of a man, aged north of 7 decades who has dedicated his life to the community around him. His story is too long to tell here, but he is a pastor who trained at Bible College in Tanzania and as a young man he trained in business and has a bachelors degree from USA, so he has a unique combination of gifts and a passion for the people of Rusinga.
Graham Palfrey
This project exists because of the donation left to us by Graham Palfrey who died in 2014 and unbeknown to the trustees had an interest in the school from reading our newsletters in his final years.
Graham Palfrey, was a successful Pharmacist, who came from a working class background and was the first in his family to gain a degree. He recognised the importance of education and the benefit and opportunity it can bring. The executor of the estate Don Gillander said “I had informed Graham of your charity and he recognised the legacy which your work will leave through improving the future of the Kenyan children”.
After building the school Don Gillander endowed us with another sum that enabled us to build a pharmacy.
