Ray of Hope Children Centre

This is a center based in Mbita, Kenya at the shores of Lake Victoria. The project has the component of community development with special focus and reference to Orphans, vulnerable children and widows.

Some of the programs that we run includes: 1. Nyakech Widows program: Aims to empower widows so that they can be independent and responsible and respected members of the society through starting small scale income generating activities for them. Some of the things that can be done with the widows that we do includes but not limited to handicraft centre that we run making things like baskets out of dry banana leaves, Working on their kitchen gardens, helping in building projects for the widows who do not have houses etc.

2. Ray of Hope Child Support: This works with the needy children to provide for their basic needs which includes education, medicare, shelter etc. For the people interested in working with the children's centre, they will work with them both at home within the centre or at the school that we run where they will help them with their homework, after school tuition, games, counseling, medical care etc. We are also working on starting a farm for the centre so there are going to be need for people to come and serve at the farm. We are a very young organization and so there is also very huge office work (administrative) that is going on which includes writing up the profiles of the kids and making both hard copies and soft copies of the same. The people who come, together with out staff, will also help with visiting our high school kids at the schools where they are to find out how they are doing

3. Blessed Kindred: This is a penpal exchange program that encourages the children from the west to have children from Africa as penfriends so that they can exchange ideas etc about themselves, countries, etc with an aim to develop their understanding about other regions of the world. With this, we are building a database of children from the centre, our school and different schools with whom we can connect with children from other countries as penfriends. those who come will help with the building of the data base which includes taking pictures of the children and giving a brief history about them and creating a filing system for them.

4. Community Visit We always have days when we visit the community to be a blessing to them. When we visit any family we just be there to be a blessing to them and to assist them with any work that they might have and then share a meal with them just to show and express the Love of Christ with them.

5. Outreaches We also have children shows and outreaches where the children go out on some Saturdays and minister to the local community of adults and kids through games, skits, puppets etc. This has been a very powerful tool that we use not only to express the love of God but also to gain entry into a community.