12 Dec 2018 by the Numbers
This was a year filled with joy and achievements for our Children of Hope homes in Kenya. Our family of donors is 215-strong this year – THANK YOU!! We’ve written our holiday message to share what your generosity has made possible.
We hope you’ll share your milestones from the year with us on social media using the #GiftofCOHope hashtag so that we can celebrate the gift of love together with our extended Children of Hope family this holiday season.
The year in numbers:
- 1 new water tank
- 3 kindergarten graduates
- 5 new babies welcomed
- 6 visits to the swimming pool
- 6 college students celebrated (3 graduates and 3 still attending)
- 6 eighth grade exam graduates
- 8 baby bunnies born
- 10 kids not yet in school
- 16 high school students
- 50 cherished staff
- 72 primary school students
- 150 doctor’s visits
- 215 Children of Hope donors
- 312 soccer games
- 365 hours of devotions
- 1,350 kids from the community at our annual Vacation Bible School
- 4,380 loaves of fresh bread
- 5,400 loads of laundry
Thanks to your generous support, we installed a new water tank and tower at the Kikuyu home. This has supported reduced electricity costs at the home, helping us achieve greater stability in 2019.
Three of our growing scholars graduated kindergarten and are excited to join their ‘siblings’ in first grade next year. Pictured from left to right: Anne, Jonathan & Joseline.
Visits to the swimming pool are hands down the kids’ favorite, and each home took three trips to the local pool. Some of our staff even took a dip!
We were reminded just how precious life is by welcoming new faces and saying goodbye to loved ones.
Our homes mourned the sudden loss of three loved ones – our dear teenager Vivian (pictured), beloved Aunty Mary Nyambura who raised our kids for 16 years, and Joseph who worked on our farm and was always a mentor to our boys. We know they’re watching over us from above.
FIVE new babies were welcomed into our Kikuyu Home. Pictured from left to right are: Jonathan, Nyambura, Elaine, Stacey and Jesse. We pray for their mothers who loved them and were unable to care for them, and are grateful for the Children’s department who placed them in our care. Babies Jonathan, Nyambura and Stacey are still in need of champions to help raise funds for them in 2019. Would you consider asking your network to help support one of these angels? Contact us to learn how to become a champion.
Ours is a home just like any other. Thanks to you, we support our children until they have completed their post–secondary education, have entered the workforce and are independent.
This year, David, Lucy and Linda had their siblings beaming with joy when they graduated college. David received a Diploma in Journalism from Nairobi Institute of Professionals. Lucy (pictured, right) earned a Certificate in Beauty from Beauty Point College. And Linda (pictured, left) was awarded her degree in nursing from the Jomo Kenyatta University.
We are tremendously proud of Christine, James (pictured), and Rembo for their continued dedication to their college studies.
Six of our kids completed their class 8 exams – a two-day test – and passed with flying colors. Our Kikuyu grade 8 graduates are pictured above. From left to right: Issa, Angelina, Mary, Tony, Baraka and James (not pictured).
There were eight baby bunnies in the first litter born to the Kikuyu boys’ budding entrepreneurial business. They hope to raise enough for sale so they can purchase a cow!
Our Aunties and Uncles are blessed with 10 little ones who are still too young to attend school (and keep underfoot at the homes while their ‘siblings’ are in class). Some of them are pictured with their older siblings here.
Sixteen of our kids are attending High School.
A whopping 72 of our 100 kids are enrolled in Primary School (Class 1-8) next year, which begins in January. (That’s 44 kids from Kitalale and 28 kids from Kikuyu! Each home has 50 kids.)
We counted 150 visits to the doctor to maintain our growing kids’ health.
The kids played 312 soccer games, with an average of three games per week at each home.
Our Kenya family dedicated 365 hours to devotions, with 30 minutes a night spent in reflection at each home.
We welcomed 1,350 kids from the community to our annual Vacation Bible School, hosted with the help of Valor High School. Since it began in 2012, the local kids have come to anticipate the songs, dance, and snacks so much that we had some waiting at the gate a weekend early this year as they know it always happens in June!
Six fresh loaves per house are purchased each day to feed our hungry mouths, which totals 4,380 loaves of bread purchased this year alone. The homes celebrate meals together, and we want to thank our 50 incredible staff who make it all possible!
Can you imagine washing 5,400 loads of laundry a year? We can! Some of the washing is done by hand and some by machine.
With love and gratitude for your support through this year and those past. Our family wishes you a very Merry Christmas and happy holidays.
If you haven’t had a chance to meet our kids in need of support for 2019, we hope you’ll do so, if nothing more than to put a smile on your face. Each and every one is unique and brings smiles to our faces every day.