From the Executive Director
Since we live by the Spirit, let us walk in step with the Spirit – Galatians 5:25
Dear Friend,
I can hardly contain my excitement! God has blessed In Step Children’s Home beyond our wildest dreams and expectations through your generosity. YOU are a part of impacting the future of a nation! The next generation of Christian leaders are learning, thriving, and growing up. Soon they will graduate from In Step and launch into the community as college students or with careers as leaders influencing the future of Kenya! How powerful is that?
Right now, we have 206 rescued kids living at In Step Children’s Home including 16 Stepping Stones (special needs) kids. Five of our children were fostered into loving homes. You won’t believe how fast the kids are growing up. There are 14 preschoolers, 78 children who are 5-10 years old, 86 who are 11-14 years old, and 25 who are 15-18 years old!
I am especially touched by the story of one of our toddlers, Baby Joanie. She is completely deaf and is on track to receive cochlear implant surgery. You have already funded nearly a third of her expenses. In the meantime, everyone on campus is learning sign language so they can communicate with Joanie! What a beautiful story of compassion.
Your gifts accomplished so much in 2021! Highlights include two new pod-style girls’ homes, a new computerized education system, a second well and water tower, our silo store house expansion, and a gorgeous, refurbished playground! I hope your heart leaps as you read about each project in our impact report.
I am incredibly thankful for YOU. Our community of supporters has become an extended family for me and I cannot be more honored to be called your friend.
Gratefully,
Estha Trouw Madeira, Rehema for Kids Executive Director
From the Board Chair
Dear Supporter,
Wow! I am humbled and amazed by YOU! 2021 was truly one of the most amazing years for Rehema for Kids and the catalyst for this was YOU!
We knew that 2021 was going to be a critical year for Rehema for Kids. When Estha and the Rehema for Kids’ Finance Committee presented the budget to me, I was very nervous… but I had faith. With the children getting older and the growth of In Step, we started planning for the new girls’ homes in order to provide more space and privacy for the children. Time was up – we had to start funding and building the homes quickly. We also needed to grow our high school tuition fund since we were sending more students to high school than ever before in 2021. Your support in these endeavors has been overwhelming!
Because of your generosity, girls’ home number one is about 95% done and home number two is about 60% done!
By the time this letter hits your mailbox, the girls should be moving into the first home! We hope we will soon be able to remodel the boys’ dorm so the older and younger boys can have more physical space between them, allowing for privacy and providing the older boys a more serene study area similar to what you’ve created for the girls.
In 2021, you sent eight new students to high school – for a total of thirteen! We’re humbled to say we are one of the only children’s homes in Kenya that is able to send its children to high school – but again we know YOU are the reason we can say this! In just a few weeks, twenty-one class 8 students will sit for their national exams to determine their high school placement and while some may repeat their Class 8 year for a more competitive score, we estimate about 80% will be accepted to high schools. It is my prayer that we will again be able to grow our high school tuition fund with your support.
This was also a year of maturing and growing for the Rehema for Kids’ Board of Directors. It is bittersweet for me to announce Kendall Gentry and Bob Johnson’s terms of service on the Board of Directors have finished. These two gentlemen have blessed Rehema for Kids more than you can ever imagine. We’re not letting them go too far though, as they are both blessing us with their wisdom and guidance by continuing to serve on various committees. I want to publicly acknowledge we are eternally indebted to these men of God for their years of service and I hope they can enjoy more time traveling and investing in their families.
I’m also excited to announce two new board members, Debbie Boffey of Bow, Washington and Daniel Traina of Pittsford, New York. Debbie, a former construction designer, has a gift for hosting and event planning! Daniel is a small business owner with extensive nonprofit experience. Thanks to the advances in communication software like Zoom, we’ll be able to meet virtually as a board each month and gain Debbie and Dan’s fresh insights.
I look forward to continued growth in 2022!
In His Service,
Jeremy Gray, Rehema for Kids Chair