Kenya
This East African country is known for its scenic landscapes, wildlife preserves, and beautiful beaches— creating a booming tourist industry. There are more than 60 languages spoken in Kenya among 40 ethnic groups. While Kenyans are mostly tea drinkers, they are one of the world’s largest exporters of coffee beans.
KEY CHALLENGES
While primary education is free, many children have responsibilities such as tending to livestock or fetching water which keeps them from attending class. Access to medical care is limited and expensive. Limited access to advanced vocational training has left people struggling to find adequate income.
our approach
We were never intended to live in poverty, divided against one another, with little hope for peace. In the Kingdom of God, poverty, violence, division, and hopelessness will not exist. We believe the Church is God’s primary transforming agent in the world, and that the local church exists to make its community more like the Kingdom of God.
We partner with local indigenous leaders as they minister to the communities and cultures that they themselves are from. We start projects and programs in the hardest places and set up a plan for them to be self-sustaining in order for them to know independence and the value of reinvesting in their own communities.
Read on to learn how communities are being transformed in Kenya.
Our partners
We have three partnerships in Kenya.
Kensud, led by Willy Komen, has been a Mission ONE partner since 2000. Willy and his team work in remote areas of northern Kenya and South Sudan alongside the local church, if there is a church established in the region. In areas where the church has not yet been established, Kensud helps build and support new church plants. Their focus is on providing medical care through the establishment of health clinics and creating access to education for school age children.
Mission To Unreached People (MUPE), led by Janet Kosgei and her father Hannington Munyao, is an African-led ministry that mentors, disciples, and raises up African leaders to reach ethnolinguistic people groups with little to no access to the message of Jesus. After Hannington spent time in Sudan as a missionary, his heart for Christ and passion for missions resulted in the founding of MUPE. MUPE is mobilizing the African church to send out missionaries with local support to unreached people groups. Through its team of 25+ missionaries, MUPE focuses on empowering communities through their work in education, healthcare, and church planting. Mission ONE has partnered with MUPE since 2000.
The National Evangelical Outreach (NEO) Kenya has been a Mission ONE partner since 1991. Led by husband and wife Wilfred and Rahab Githongo, this partnership ties back to the early roots of Mission ONE. Our founder, Bob Schindler, first met Wilfred during his initial trip to Africa in 1988. God used Wilfred’s testimony and ministry to deeply influence Bob’s heart, which led to the founding of Mission ONE. NEO Kenya has planted a network of churches using a cascade model where one church is planted and nourished, then that church plants another and so on—multiplying their efforts. Over 300 churches have been planted through this ministry. Through these church plants, NEO Kenya has a special focus on walking with and supporting women and children.
PROJECTS
Sewing Co-op - In Eldoret, a sewing co-op will provide women with the skills to earn a dignified income while reclaiming their God-given value. With a portion of proceeds going back into the co-op itself, this self-sustaining model will continuously give more women an opportunity to go through the training program.
Sewing Project - In the Kenyan community that once inspired Mission ONE founder, Bob Schindler, to establish the organization in 1988, a sewing project transforms the lives of vulnerable women and overcomes barriers to restoring their hope and humanity in Christ.
All Girls School - An all-girls high school in Pokot, Kenya gives girls a pathway to a brighter future as it allows them to pursue a college education, compete in the job market, and contribute to their communities and the world at large.
Murecars Car Rental - This car rental project is not only providing a reliable service to the community in Kenya, but it also financially supports the work of MUPE ministry and its missionaries serving vulnerable communities in Kenya, Tanzania, South Sudan, and Uganda.
Pig Project - A pig farm project in Kijabe Town, Kenya provides a sustainable source of income for families living in poverty and encourages community members to return to and invest in their hometown as a place of opportunity.
Ebenezer Primary School - The Ebenezer Academy is creating access to quality education in Tamu, Kenya and generating a self-sustaining model for tuition and long-term growth.
Relief Projects
Maasai Tribe Covid Relief Project - Our local partners were able to provide a two-month supply of food for the Maasai tribe, meeting their physical needs as they recovered from the devastating losses of the pandemic.
Gospel Context
East Africa has become a majority Christian culture over the last 200 years. While the message of Jesus has spread far and wide, the good news often lacks a connection to people's everyday lives.
We have made it our mission to partner with local indigenous leaders and missional organizations around the world to reach unreached people groups by planting churches in the areas they are already serving. Not only do we desire to see more people come to Jesus Christ and experience the power of his life, death, and resurrection, but we also work towards sustaining the communities these churches are planted in. We do this by creating locally-sustained projects that aim to transform communities from the inside out. It’s our vision for communities around the world to look more like the Kingdom of God.
Learn more about our work and how we connect to unreached people groups through the practice of listening by checking out our blog post: Listening as a Gospel Movement.
