Hope in Pokot: Celebrating 17 Girls, Graduation, and Transformation

Home > More Like the Kingdom > Hope in Pokot: Celebrating 17 Girls, Graduation, and Transformation

Earlier this spring, Mission ONE Founder, Bob Schindler, and his wife, Linda, traveled to Kenya to visit our partners and local missionaries there. Part of their time was spent in Pokot—a remote district where God has been doing something remarkable since we partnered with Willy and the local community in 2000.Meet Willy, our local leader in Pokot, Kenya

Over the past several years, we’ve stood alongside Willy to support an all-girls school that is not only changing the lives of individual students, but reshaping the entire community.

A tragedy that started a movement

The All Girls School in Pokot began with heartbreak. Willy knew of a young girl who had just been told she was to marry a man decades older than her. Desperate and terrified, she couldn’t see a way out. Not long after, she made a heartbreaking decision to take her own life. But in that moment of sorrow, it became painfully clear: something had to change.

Girls needed a place where they could be safe, where they could learn and grow. They needed a space to encounter the love of Jesus, experience hope, and to be told their lives had value. That conviction became the seed that grew into the All Girls School. What started with 17 girls in the first school year has turned into 137 today. What was once a dream shared between Willy and Mission ONE is now a vibrant, life-giving reality.

During their visit, Bob and Linda walked the school grounds, met with teachers and local leaders, and most meaningfully, spent time with the students themselves. They saw the growth first-hand—both the tangible development of classrooms and dorms, and the intangible, but deeply powerful, spirit of confidence and hope in these young women.

See a glimpse of Bob and Linda’s trip here:

The impact of the All Girls School has been undeniable—and word is spreading. More families than ever are asking to enroll their daughters. Families are believing in the worth of their daughters because they are seeing them learn, lead, and dream for a future filled with hope. They’re seeing the impact of the gospel over their lives as they are encouraged in who they have been created to be.

Last fall, the first class of 17 girls graduated! Hallelujah! They have passed their national exams and are seeking the opportunity to go to college!

This is a place of Kingdom transformation. This is a milestone!

Seventeen young women. Seventeen powerful stories. Seventeen reasons to celebrate.

Each graduate has overcome significant barriers to education, including early marriage, poverty, and cultural pressures. Their resilience is matched only by their joy. Their dreams are big—becoming teachers, nurses, entrepreneurs—and now they have a foundation strong enough to reach for those dreams.

Together with Willy, and with your support, we’re not just funding education—we’re fueling transformation.

Sign up for our emails to stay tuned for more details on how you can get involved later this month!

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