Teaming Up for Kids in Kenya

Kenya

“Awana has helped my children know where they are going and who they are.”

Amid the trees that tiptoe out of Kenya’s Kakamega Forest lies a school nestled behind sky blue gates. And that school has become the staging ground for some of God’s most important work. 

To the boys and girls attending the school, headmaster Madame Geit is as much a mother as she is an administrator. Having been raised in a volatile household, Madame Geit knows all too well that adversity can either crumble or create a person, and two factors make all the difference: a loving, caring adult and the hope of Jesus.

School Headmaster Madame Geit

It’s that experience and knowledge that inspires her to follow her calling to educate and nurture the faith of the most vulnerable children in her community with a Proverbs 22:6 approach: Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Reminder of Proverbs 22:6 on school building

A Partner in Child Discipleship

But even with the best of intentions and determination, shaping the faith of kids with varying ages, personalities and life experience is a challenge for one person. Then she learned about Awana. For some time, a teacher at her school had regularly asked permission to leave each week to “go to Awana.” So one day Madame Geit asked her, “What is this ‘Awana’?”

The rest, as they say, is history. The young teacher told Madame Geit all about Awana, connected her with an Awana missionary in Kenya and a partnership was formed. The school received Bibles and books and the teachers learned more about how to share the Gospel with kids.

Jesus Changes Everything

Child discipleship blossomed. More than memorizing and reciting verses, Madame Geit says, “Awana has really shaped their character. They [the children] respect each and every person.”

Awana has shaped their character

“No one can choose where to be born, but they can choose where they are going.” That’s the wisdom that drives Madame Geit to take in children from some of the most desperate circumstances and show them that their identity is not rooted in their past, but in Christ Jesus. With God’s grace and help from Awana, Madame Geit and her school have provided a safe place for children to experience the transformative power of faith.

That’s the kingdom work you’re a part of. Thank you.