The Rehema Daycare, School and Orphan Center
(Korogocho slum of Nairobi)

"Welcome visitors" - by the children of the Rehema Center in Nairobi, Kenya from Sahaya International on Vimeo.

Update December 2012: A dedicated group of volunteers (www.LetsGoToAfrica.com) went to Rehema in July 2012 and converted a room that was used to raise chickens into a library that greatly benefits the many children of Rehema and other schools in the slums of Nairobi. We thank everyone who made this possible via their contributions and volunteering efforts!

Rehema Center (Nairobi- Kenya) (The videoclip above was recorded September 18, 2007)

Update, January 2011. Dear friends, below is an e-mail I received recently from Father Erastus. I already decided to sponsor Ritah's tuition fees. Are you interested to help another one of these bright students? The amount for one student per year is around $450-$500 (please contact us for specific updates). Even if you can only donate $20....$50....$100...any amount will help them. This is also an excellent gift for your friends and loved ones, to send a promising and smart student to a good high school. You can send donations to Rehema via us (click here). You can find Rehema's most recent newsletter (December 2010) with inspiring stories by clicking here. Many thanks in advance! Koen Dear Koen, I do hope that you are enjoying the festive season like us here. We are doing well in almost everything God has alway been their for us. The children at our home enjoyed Christmas and are looking forward to a blessed New year. The primary final national exams were out yesterday and was received with jubilation especially for the children in our home for they achieved marks that will earn them a chance in high schools. the following are some of the children within the center who performed well: Samuel Eshuchi: 328 marks, Ritah Anindo: 316 marks, Jonathan Atemo: 309 marks, Boniface Joseph: 327 marks, Titus Kithimba: 284 marks and Helen Omukhango: 263.  The Estimated school fees per child is Kshs. 35,000.00 [U.S dollars 455]. The challenge now is on our side to ensure that they progress to high school. At the moment we do not have anything for this, that is why we would just ask you to join us in prayers for God's providence. Happy New year and prosperous 2011. Rev. Erastus Omukhango

What is Rehema?

The Rehema Daycare, School and Orphan Center is a registered Community Based Organization (CBO) operating in Korogocho slums, Nairobi, Kenya.

The organization is committed to supporting destitute children in the society, including orphans, street children, and those from extremely poor families. Rehema provides them with to daily meals, basic primary education, and vocational training.

The organization currently feeds and educates 600 children, using funds sourced from its income generating projects, support from well-wishers, and the Rehema Christian Fellowship Church, a religious ministry that was founded in the slum. Fifty of the children have no place to go to, and stay permanently at the Center.

History of Rehema:

Rehema was established in 1993, as a social responsibility of the church. By then, it was simply a feeding program, catering for 20 children from disadvantaged families in the neighborhoods. By mid 1993, the number of children was growing rapidly, thereby forcing the church to introduce an education program. The very first program was that of the baby class, which was sustained for four years because of lack of funds to expand it to class one. Currently, Rehema operates to class eight, and offers vocational training to some students who are otherwise unable to pursue further education.

Key Objectives of Rehema:

1. To rehabilitate street children in the Korogocho slum by introducing them to formal education.
2. To care for orphans by accommodating them in the society and providing them with basic necessities including food, basic education and love.
3. To introduce destitute children to income-generating activities apart from giving them formal basic education.

 

---

Income-Generating Projects of Rehema:

The organization is involved in income-generating activities such as tailoring (including sewing machines), raising poultry and rabbits, fish farming, mushroom farming and maize farming on leased pieces of land in Kitale, Western Kenya. It is through these projects that the organization generates much of its income. Poultry-rearing for layers and broilers contributes a lot to the payment of staff members, while maize- and bean-farming contributes a lot towards the feeding program.

In 2008, Kenya has suffered severe post-election violence. Many have lost their lives and homes, and many others have been displaced. This has suddenly increased the number of children who came to seek shelter at Rehema. In addition, because many shops in the slums have been burnt down, there has been a shortage of food. Because food has to be brought in from further away, this increases the costs. In addition 30 bags of maize and 10 bags of beans of the foods that were stored in Kitale (West-Kenya) as part of the income-generating program have been lost, which endangered the nutritional program. A batch of 200 chicks that was raised as part of the income-generating activities was lost because there was nothing to feed them.

Since then, the situation has been variable. In 2012-2013, the school has been having difficulty finding the resources to pay the teachers, so the most experienced teachers have left to find better paid jobs elsewhere.

Accordingly, Rehema can use your help! You can make a difference, so please contact us.

Contact information of Rehema (Nairobi):

Father Erastus Omukhango Rehema Day Care and Orphans Centre
P.O Box 53334 - 00200
Nairobi, Kenya
TeleFax: 254 Ð 788653
Mobile phone: 0722 - 853265
Email: rehemacentre@yahoo.com or erastusomu@yahoo.com

How you can help Rehema

If you live in the USA, you can make tax-deductible contributions via Sahaya International:

• Send a check, made payable to Sahaya International (with mention: Rehema-Kenya) to:
  Sahaya International, Inc.
  c/o Koen Van Rompay
  2949 Portage Bay Avenue, Apartment #195
  Davis, CA 95616
  USA
  Phone (evenings): 530-756-9074
  kkvanrompay@ucdavis.edu
  www.sahaya.org

• You can also donate online with your credit card by clicking here. Please notify us via e-mail (kkvanrompay@sahaya.org) if you donate online to let us know that your donation is meant specifically for Rehema.

If you live in Europe you can also donate to Rehema via Sahaya International.eu

Individuals or organizations outside of USA/Europe can also send money directly to these programs (see address listed above).

We thank you tremendously for your support!!