the first half of September

It is EMI’s privileged honor to partner with Seeds Ministry with their vision of a Trade School Campus in Kitale, Western Kenya. Seeds Ministry (SM) has a mission to serve the children and young adults of the Kitale region. 

Project Scope

 

We are back! These past eighteen months, the US office has been running projects remotely. And though that worked, and Zoom became our new best way to communicate, it’s not like being there. So…. we are excited to have “boots” back on the ground in one of my favorite counties, Kenya!   Let me tell you about this project.

It is EMI’s privileged honor to partner with Seeds Ministry with their vision of a Trade School Campus in Kitale, Western Kenya. Seeds Ministry (SM) has a mission to serve the children and young adults of the Kitale region.  Already, SM operates multiple programs on different parcels of land in and around Kitale. This includes a children’s home, and schools. Our project is the Seeds Ministry– Trade School to be constructed on a property near the high school, also owned by Seeds.

This trade school has a goal to teach basic job skills so that when students leave school, they can support themselves. Yea! and this is a big deal in Kenya. Even though many of these children come from a rough background (i.e. slums), they have high goals; Seeds invests in them to be future leaders in their community. The trade school campus will include classes in automotive repair, welding, electrical, plumbing, carpentry, tailoring, and food catering. The campus will accommodate open workspaces for the trades that take up large areas such as automotive repair and welding. A commercial kitchen with dining will also be part of the campus.

Pastor Richard and his wife Hellen Makani founded the Seeds Children’s Home, the Children’s Academy, and the Feeding Station in 2002 after visiting the Kipsongo Slum. God placed on their hearts James 1:27:

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”

From this humble beginning, over 220 children are now hosted at the orphanage, and almost 500 children are helped at both the feeding station and Seeds Academy. Also twenty-four churches, (yes 24!) have been planted. Go God!  

We are so excited to partner with Seeds! To learn more about this ministry, see the link.

We are looking to mobilize a team of EMI staff and several volunteers to Kenya in early September (around the 3rd to the 17th). After arriving into Nairobi (NBO), we have a forced overnighter, then fly into Western Kenya, we will meet with the Seeds leadership and staff and work toward a masterplan and conceptual design for this school.           

On a personal note, in 1994 I had the opportunity to go to Guatemala on my first EMI mission trip. The focus was also a new orphanage campus. During that trip, our team visited the state run orphanage in the nearby town of Zacapa. Though it was years ago, I still remember walking up to the orphanage and being greeted by those beautiful faces and their contagious smile. They all wanted to just hold my hand and walk with me. As I sat on the concrete porch with some of the kids after a game of tag, I realized that this is what the Father’s heart is all about: to love and care for the orphan. Each child I met in Zacapa those many years ago has a place in our Lord’s heart. Each child has a story. Each has a purpose, and each one is worthy of His love, His protection, and His provision.

Will you prayerfully consider joining us in designing a world of hope for the Seeds Ministry – Trade School and Master Plan Project?

 

Thanks in advance for your prayers and consideration. God bless!               — Rex Barber, EMI USA trip leader

FYI- Teammates will need to have a negative Covid test on the front and back side of this trip. 

— Rex Barber, EMI USA trip leader

Needs

Architecture: Position filled
Civil Engineering: Position filled
Electrical Engineering: Position filled
Structural Engineering: Position filled
Survey: Position filled
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