Spring 2024 - Kaigo Update
We started today at Kagio Primary school, where we were able to see the computer lab that has begun, but still needs 10 desktop computers to be functional. Currently, they have 1 computer, so the need is there for the additional. We were then able to see the latest porridge kitchen built with funds from the Bennett Sims Memorial Fund. The ladies were preparing the cups of porridge for the students, but we were able to speak with them and hear how well it is working out for the school to be able to offer a hot meal to the students during the day.
As we were leaving we asked to get some testimonies from some of the older students about what the porridge program, and as we wrapped up with them, thanking them for their time and willingness to speak with us, they said that the classes had some gifts for us. I still don’t know how to put into words the emotions felt as every student in the school brought something for us. Pineapples, potatoes, thorn melon, lettuce, avocados, mangoes, tomatoes, sugar cane, and more. Every kind of fruit or vegetable you could imagine was laid at our feet to thank us for the work being done by God in their school.
We then went to Munyu-Ini Primary to see the kitchen that has now been operational for almost a year and got an opportunity to see how it has impacted the school there. The big takeaways from them were that enrollment is up and truancy is almost nonexistent, due to the porridge kitchen. They said that in a 13 week semester, most students would attend about 5 weeks worth of class before the kitchen. Now, they are there almost everyday. It’s stories like these that show just how important feeding these kids a good meal in the middle of the day is for them. The porridge that we are able to serve them is better quality than what a lot of them would be able to eat at home, due to the fact that we can buy in bulk to supply the soon to be 4 kitchens.
Having the students at school on a daily basis ensures they get at least 1 hot meal a day during the week, and also exponentially helps their learning. In 13 weeks, most students are now receiving 13 weeks of instruction, instead of the 5 weeks they were receiving before. That’s an additional 8 weeks every quarter that they are in school learning. This right here is why the scores are increasing. It’s not that these kids aren’t intelligent, or that the teachers weren’t doing their jobs, it’s just that life would get in the way, so they wouldn’t come to school. Now they have a reason to be at school everyday, and the results are starting to show. Our prayer is that these students will continue to be successful and that these schools will continue to thrive.
Once again, at Munyu-Ini, the children and their families blessed the work the Lord is doing. It is truly amazing the outpouring of appreciation from these families, and each day is just a reminder of how important the work the Lord is doing here truly is.
Thank you for all your prayers and support this week as we lay the groundwork for the mission trip this summer. God is doing amazing things in this place and it is truly incredible to just sit back and watch God do His thing. God is so good and we pray that he fills each and every one of your hearts the way ours have been filled to overflowing this week.
These trips are always a jam packed schedule to get everything done, but God is giving us the strength to meet the challenges of each day head on. He is mowing down the path for us to follow behind the framework that He has laid out before us.
