HFCC Kenya Outreach Ministry - St. Josephine Bakhita Secondary School
St. Josephine Bakhita Secondary School on Facebook

Gitare Kenya Outreach Inc.

St. Josephine Bakhita Secondary School

Building the Future, Desk by Desk, Class by Class

"To the young people I say, you are a gift to your communities and indeed the world.
You are our hope and our future."

Wangari Maatha, Kenyan Nobel Prize Winner - 2004


THE NEED

Village Market, Gitare, Kenya

"One of the moments I will always remember from our trip to Gitare is when, after Sunday Mass, we went to the Village market. I pulled out of my purse the equivalent of a $10 bill and asked our driver to help me complete the transaction. He looked at my money and said, "Oh no, the seller will never be able to make change of that." So he took my money and walked around the village trying to "break it" into smaller amounts. No one could. We pooled our coins from the bottom of our purses and pockets and were able to buy the bananas. That is how little cash there is in the lives of the people of Gitare."

Sue Keister, Visitor from Holy Family Community, 2015

Gitare, Kenya is the home village of Fr. Stephen Ndichu Karani. Gitare is located 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of Nairobi. This village covers an area of 44 square kilometers (27 square miles). The area is semi-arid. Inadequate rainfall throughout the year makes water scarce. Most of the people are subsistence farmers who grow just enough food to feed their families. Crop failure is common and contributes to increased poverty in families, which in turn affects the education of children. In the past, only 36% of the people in Gitare have attained a high school education.

In 2008, Holy Family Catholic Community of Dansville, Perkinsville, Cohocton and Wayland, NY began The Kenya School Project as a ministry to serve the poor in Gitare. These communities and friends joined together in this mission to construct a high school available for boys and girls in this remote village. By 2011, St. Josephine Bakhita Secondary School opened with two classrooms with boys and girls attending high school for the first time. They became the first graduates from the school in 2014, followed by many other classes to date. Since 2008 through the generosity of donors and fundraisers, two more classrooms, a science lab, library and offices were constructed. This has enhanced the curriculum and enabled more students to achieve their high school certificates (diplomas).

In April, 2019, this ministry became a non-profit, 501 (c) (3) corporation by the name of Gitare Kenya Outreach Inc. This new non-profit entity will continue raising funds to complete the final construction phase of St. Josephine Bakhita Secondary School, provide resources for the classrooms and sponsor students from very poor families. Your prayers and financial contributions are greatly appreciated by the students and their families who know that education is the key to the future.

Downtown Gitare, Kenya

GITARE KENYA OUTREACH INC.

Please help us raise funds for construction of a library “Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”

-Harriet Tubman

 

GITARE KENYA OUTREACH BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Mary and Bill Biggee,

James Feely, Father Stephen Karani, Susan Keister,
Sue Kuhn, Mary Kuhlmann,
Sally Leeson, and Karrie Prinzi.

Ways To Donate to Gitare Kenya Inc

DID YOU KNOW?

  • With more than 70% of the total population in Kenya living in rural areas, access to education is a major problem.

  • Despite progress, millions of children and teens in rural areas are still denied the chance to go to school.

  • The poor, and girls most of all, have far less chance of attending school.

  • Secondary schools are especially needed in rural areas, slum settlements and pastoralist communities.

  • Literacy rates in rural areas like Gitare, Kenya are adversely affected by lack of books, newspapers, and other publications.

  • There are no public libraries in Gitare, Kenya.

  • Extreme weather conditions from drought to monsoons are causing extra hardships for the people.

  • In 2016, electricity became available to SJBS thus enabling lighting, access to computers, plugs and technology.

  • In 2019, clean and reliable piped water became available and now supplies water to St. Josephine Bakhita Secondary School.

  • In 2020, Covid 19 affects the education, health and economic activities for the students and their families.

PROJECT GOALS

  • Build a co-educational high school in Gitare, Kenya.

  • Improve the social and economic status of families by making high school accessible and affordable.

  • Empower young girls and boys to be socially and economically productive.

  • Undertake construction in phases over time.

  • Increase the percentage of young people attaining a high school education in Gitare, Kenya.

 

"Among our tasks as witnesses to the Love of Christ is that of giving
a voice to the cry of the poor."
Pope Francis

 

Gitare Kenya Outreach Inc. - PO Box 373 - Wayland NY 14572-0373
Non-profit for charitable, religious, educational, social, economic and scientific improvements.
www.gitarekenyaoutreach.org
gitarekenyaoutreach@gmail.com