Kapsabet, Kisagat, and Ngenymesut

When we arrived yesterday, we got to spend some time seeing what has changed here at the Kapsabet Orphanage.  This is one of our oldest locations and the biggest, so it was time to do some upgrades based on what we have learned since this place was built.  The last time I was here, we detailed a plan for renovations that Bernard Kibet has now completed.  There is a totally new kitchen, built to be able to feed both the orphanage and feeding station that is attached, over 240 people.

We also rebuilt the clinic, placing it on the small road that runs beside the orphanage.  This will allow the new clinic to serve the orphans and the community as well.  The construction of both projects is first rate; I am very pleased.  There is still work to be done here, as the girl’s dorms are overcrowded, but we are progressing well here.

One of the most exciting projects that we are involved with is here next door to the orphanage.  It’s a secondary school for all of our orphans at Kapsabet, Ngenymesut, and Kipsenende.  We built it as a cooperative venture with the Kapsabet church.  We paid for it’s construction and equipping and the church operated it and gives our orphanas free tuition.  Over time, this will lower our ongoing educational costs and ensure that our kids are getting the best education possible.  There are pictures of the school on our Facebook page, along with other pics from today’s visits.

Today we visited the school and got to meet their students and staff.  They are off to a great start, with over 80 Freshmen just enrolled joining another 80 Sophomores- Juniors.  They will have to be in operation for one year before they are allowed to give the KCSE (Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education) exam to their seniors, so there are none here yet.  They have 7 teachers, plus the principal, which gives them a great ratio of students to teachers for Kenyan schools.  I’m so excited about the future for this place.

After lunch with the teachers, we moved over to Ngenymesut, another of Kibet’s orphanages.  It’s only about 5km away and not hard to get to.  It’s a smaller orphanage, less that half of Kapsabet, but a good one.  We did our recording of their choir and then got to spend time just talking with the kids.  They asked great questions about our lives in the US, and what differences there are between our two countries.  It is so had to describe America to rural Kenyans, they haven’t even seen much television, so it frequently sound like heaven to them.  We try to relate some of the negatives and not to build false hope that they will some day get to go there.  Better to tell of what heaven will be like, we can all go there!

Tomorrow we will go and see Kipsenende, the third orphanage in this area and then we will make our way to Eldoret for a night at the Siriqa Hotel.  Be blessed, we sure are!