1st Love and Raila Education Centre

I visited a children's ministry that is coupled with a school recently. It borders the Kibera slum and provides meals and education for over 600 kids in the area. They have been growing very quickly as they are only a few years old. Many plans are in the works to expand the outreach.

Our host (middle) shows us around the school campus. She has been living nearby with her husband and children for the last 3 years.

Here is a portion of the Kibera slum that borders the school. This is very typical construction for the area. All of the students come from this area. Many of them have very scanty meals and are very appreciative of what they receive at school.

Ahhh. Here's a sympathy shot for you : )

Here are the cooks that prepare meals for the kids. The meals are very simple but nutritious. They were a very jovial group and dished out some hugs as well.

More campus.

Some artwork & name.

The students were very happy to have visitors which is typical of Kenyans. We stopped by several classrooms and said hello. They loved visiting and having their picture taken.

Now we're talking. This is where I'd be during recess. Hoop there it is...

In addition to the school is the 1st Love ministry. There is a new building that houses some young orphan girls who also attend the school.

Next we drove to the other property of 1st love. Here is my faithful 21st century moto-steed parked at their property. This is a new work for them and they have big plans here. It is very close to the school, but it was a long drive as we had to drive around the slum area to the other side. This is where the our directors live - our host, her husband and family.

This building being constructed will have a health clinic in it. Other buildings are on the drawing board as well. This ministry is well funded compared to most and is blessed to be able to grow so quickly and see its vision come to pass.

One problem with this property is that it is in a somewhat remote area without much security. Just the night before we visited they had a break-in. Their family was held at gunpoint and some things were stolen before the police arrived. No one was seriously injured but this young man who is on staff was hit in the head and tied up. They are almost sure that people from the construction crew were involved in the robbery. It turns out that the the neighbor was frequently robbed until they put in a high fence. This goes to show the importance of two things in Kenya - have a good tall fence & security and only hire trusted people that you know.