I Witnessed So Much Joy and Happiness On Sunday I gave gift bags to the children in our community. They haven't received many gifts in their lives. Most of their belongings fit inside a small metal trunk. When I've handed out items before, it's usually things like soccer balls and coloring
There Have Been So Many Beautiful Moments The last time I saw these girls they were in primary school. More than two years later, I arrived to find them in their second year of high school. I didn't expect time to stand still while I was away, but it still has been
In 2013 a volunteer group traveled to Kenya to help fund and construct a greenhouse at Rapha Community Center. For many years that greenhouse served our community well. It allowed us to grow tomatoes and other fruits and vegetables which are not easily grown in our area. The new variety of food helped us
It’s happening! On June 28th, a team of 9 people will join our Executive Director, Jennifer, in Kenya for the first volunteer experience at Rapha Community Center since the pandemic started in 2020. We can’t wait for our children to meet new friends and for our volunteer team to witness the vital work we’re
Remember Samantha? When I shared her story in my last letter, she was just about to begin her KCSE (Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education) examination. This is an important endeavor for all Form 4 students in Kenya. It’s the culmination of their entire secondary school education and their results determine so much
The pictures in the top row are from the very first day of school at Rapha Secondary School. In the beginning, we had more desks than students, and our classrooms were temporary structures that were hardly conducive to learning. It was a humble beginning, but hard work, determination and the generosity of
Samantha’s mother passed away when she was just starting secondary school. It was a difficult loss at such a pivotal time in her young life. Her father should have been there to help her grieve, but he abandoned her and left her to care for her younger sister. They didn’t have anyone
After the death of both his parents, Joseph was taken in by his grandfather, but caring for a young child was too much for the elderly man to handle. There wasn't enough food to eat, school fees were not paid and instead of attending school, Joseph stayed home to help care for his grandfather.
It’s the largest giving day of the year and when you donate to HEAL your donation on #GivingTuesday will count twice! Thanks to a generous donor, all donations made online via our website or Facebook will be matched up to $5,000. In addition, Facebook will be matching up to $8M in donations.
The doors to the first class of students at Rapha Secondary School opened nine years ago. I remember those students. I remember the temporary structure where they learned and the makeshift science lab they used. Many of the teachers were just out of school themselves and the administrators learned quickly that operating
