Our school in Kenya continues to grow! Over the last several years we have grown from a few students in a rented shack to our own multi level facility with enough classroom space to teach kids up through 8th grade. At the beginning of the year I reported we had 133 children in our school. The need in the slum area of Mathare is great, and when another school in the area closed its doors, we welcomed an additional 50 children. We now have 180 children, currently up through 5th grade. This is simply incredible!
The construction and financing of this school was amazing and I can’t thank you enough. So many people gave sacrificially to make this a reality. We will continue to use it for God’s glory for as long as we are able. The facility is not quite complete, but it’s functional enough to meet our current needs. There is some plaster and paint work yet to be done, and the top level will need to be completed as funds are available.
The school has definitely attracted attention in the area. God’s Daily Word Academy is known as a Christian school that provides a vital service to the area. The quality of the building also lets people know we will be in the area for a long time. One of the side issues of having such a nice school is that we have attracted the attention of the Ministry of Education. They see us as a legitimate education facility and have added some requirements to our operations. The requirements are all good, but they have added to our expenses.
One of the changes is in how we care for our teachers. We are to contribute to a small health care and retirement fund for each full time employee. I am glad they made this requirement as I did not even know that Kenya had such a system. Our teachers work very hard and certainly deserve the best we can provide. We were glad to immediately include this in the compensation of our fifteen teachers. We also hope to increase pay over the next year as we currently pay below the standard level for teachers.
Another interesting requirement was that we needed to purchase metal cups and plates for our food program. This was a good idea, and we were glad to comply, but, again, additional expenses.
With all this growth, I will from time to time need to encourage others to join our ministry support team. This ministry is supported through a few larger one-time donations and many smaller monthly donations. We are very efficient with our school, but monthly expenses for staff, food, and supplies cost approximately $30 for each student. With this, we educate in a God honoring manner, feed, and provide uniforms. Though we don’t do direct sponsorship of our kids, you may consider setting up monthly donations that could support one or more children.
In addition to our monthly needs, we have a few one time needs. One is the finishing of the facility. This will require an additional $10,000 to construct the final roof and finish the walls. Another is the yearly field trip for the kids. Each year we like to provide a trip where they can go someplace special and see part of the world outside the slum. This year we will be taking the younger kids to the zoo and the older kids farther out into the Rift Valley to learn about rivers, waterfalls, and wildlife. The total cost for these trips, to include transportation, meals, and entrance fees, is $2000. Lastly, each year close to Christmas, we like to provide food baskets to the parents of our school kids. With well over 100 families in our school, this project will cost about $4000 to help these families through the holiday season.
If you would like to help with any of these one-time needs or join our monthly support group, please click on the Donate Now button at the bottom of this message. You can also send personal checks or bank checks to:
God’s Daily Word Ministries
PO Box 12441
Jackson, TN 30308
Thanks so much for your consideration in this request!
Have a Christ Centered Day!
Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries
