Sewing Center - "Garments of Praise"

Garments of Praise Tailoring institute

Mama Kanini trying up the new machines

Garments of Praise Tailoring Institute students working on the New Singer Machines. The school is the latest addition to the College and admission for more is in progress

Garments of Praise students with their instructor Veronica Mutinda

Veronica - Our Instructor

Students

Students

These are a few pictures of our new Sewing Institute and this is a part of the new UAEM (United African Evangelical Ministries) Garments of Praise. We are so thankful first to the Lord and also for the vision of Ilowee Own and others who have worked hard to make this part of our ministry a reality.

Meet Some More of our Pastors and Churches

Deacon Nyamweya and family - Kisii

Pastor Joseph Nzuki and family - Trinity Evangelical Church, Kisii

Trinity Evangelical Church - Kisii

Pastor Mose Onchiri and family - St. Osbornes Evangelical Church, Kisii

St. Osbornes Evangelical Church - Kisii

Pastor Boniface and family - Field Director and Pastor of Nyabitunwa Evangelical Church

Nyabitunwa Evangelical Church - Kisii

Pastor Timothy Muye and his wife - London Evangelical Church, Kisii

London Evangelical Church - Kisii

Some of our Churches and Pastors

Pastor Titus Simiyu and his wife Violet and daughter hope - Field Director for the Bungoma Fellowship and Pastor of Chebosi Evangelical Church

Pastor Joseph Kwatemba and his wife Violet - Tembelela Evangelical Church, Bungoma

Moses and Bilhah Wimalwa - Tembelela Evangelical Church, Bungoma

Tembelela Evangelical Church - Bungoma

Mechimeru Evangelical Church - Bungoma

Pastor Chisanthus and his wife Catherine - Mabanga Evangelical Church, Bungoma

Mabanga Evangelical Church - Bungoma

Mabanga Evangelical Church - Bungoma

Pastor Victor Khaemba and his wife Celestine - Makotelo Evangelical Church, Bungoma

Pastor Martin Juma and wife Katherine - Makotelo Evangelical Church, Bungoma

Makotelo Evangelical Church - Bungoma

Pastor Haron and Peninah Wamutete - Mechimeru Evangelical Church, Bungoma

Pastor Gelus and Family - Mechimeru Evangelical Church, Bungoma

Pastor Emanuel and his wife - Kasosi Evangelical Church, Bungoma

Pastor David Wamalwa, his wife Jemimah and Family - Kasosi Evangelical Church Bungoma

Kasosi Evangelical Church

Pastor Benson Barasa and his wife Gladys - Chebosi Evangelical Church, Bugoma

Chebosi Evangelical Church

A Day in the Life of a Kenyan Student

Hi Everyone-

Yesterday I was waiting for the rest of my afternoon ESL class and began a conversation with Jane, one of the Grace Children's Home parents. There are five boys of Primary School age living with her and Daniel, so I figured she knew about the educational system in Kenya. She told me what the boys needed to enter school the first time, and their daily schedules. I thought I would send along this information to their US counterparts.

Jane has boys in Standard (grades) 2, 4, 6, and 7. By the way, Primary School goes through Standard 8, then the students go on to high school for Forms 1, 2, 3, and 4. At the end of Standard 8 and Form 4, they take national exams in each of their subjects. Their ranking on these exams determine their next school and type of study.

Anyway, back to Jane and Daniels' boys. When they were taken to their new school after joining Grace Home, they not only needed their past report cards, but each also had to bring a desk (really!) and a bag of cement for a school building project, plus other fees like PTF fees etc. They had to have full uniforms from shoes to socks, shirt, short pants and pullover sweaters. (Girls wear uniform dresses and pullovers, shoes and socks.) Every school has its own color scheme. If they come to school missing any one part, they are chased home until they get the right outfit. By the way, all primary school children, BOTH boys and girls can have hair no longer than 1/2 inch (basically shaved off), but In high school they can grow out their hair again in most schools.

Now for the daily schedules: The boys wake at 4:30 am so that they can bathe (only one bathroom in the house; no shower, just a pan of water to dump over the head. They eat breakfast of chai (tea with milk and sugar) and bread with jam and margarine. They also have prayers before school, then they walk about twenty- five minutes to school and must be there by 6:30, when it is just getting light..

During the morning there is a twenty minute break. If parents pay extra, the children can receive porridge during that break. That is expensive and the Grace kids get breakfast so they no longer get porridge. Lunch is at pm for about a half hour. Parents provide the ingredients and the school cooks the food- githeri- every day. Each student must bring four kilograms (x 2.2 for the pound equivalent) of green maize (white corn) and 2 kilograms of beans per month plus cooking oil and water to cook it in, plus pay a fee for cooking. They have to carry about two liters of water each day which is for cooking, drinking and cleaning the classrooms. Occasionally they also are directed to bring a big piece of wood for the fire to cook the food. So much for Little Caesar's or Chik-fil-A! No snacks are allowed. There is a huge mango tree in the schoolyard, but the students are strictly forbidden even to touch a mango even if it falls from the tree. Those fruits are for the head teacher.

School for Standard 1-6 goes from 6:30-4 pm. If there are games after school, they leave at 5 or 5:30. For Standard 7, they go from 6:30-8 or 8:30 pm every day and a half day on Saturday. The evening classes (with no food until they get home) are considered tutorials or preps. Of course, that is extra money, but is strongly encouraged. For the one who stays until 8, Daniel has to walk up to the school to walk him home. Dark is dark here (it gets dark by 7 pm) and unsavory characters can easily hide in the darkness. So Daniel takes his flashlight (torch to walk Chris home.

So, Americans, are you ready to join your Kenyan counterparts in school? I forgot to mention that the bathrooms in the school are holes in the ground in stalls outside in what Americans would call a string of outhouses, but without seats.. And I also would mention that there might be electricity in school (ask Mackenzie and Keri about that), but it goes off often and erratically. Last night it poured here again most of the night with thunder and lightning, and the stima has yet to return (it is 8 pm now), and we are operating on generator power for now. Classes have about 40-50 kids per class with one teacher per class.

I hope this has been interesting reading for you. The Kenyan kids work very hard in school. See that you readers do likewise and feel appreciative of whatever school you are in .Bye for now-

Blessings - Sue Gravino