Youth Group Mission Trip to Kenya, June 19 to July 4, 2023
Youth Mission Trip to Kenya
Nambale Magnet School
NMS is a K-8 school in Western Kenya, built to provide a home and excellent education for children orphaned by AIDS, and others in Western Kenya. NMS was founded by Rev. Evalyn Wakhusama, a native of Kenya and graduate of Yale Divinity School, who serves as a priest in the Diocese of Kenya and serves as president of the school. The school actively selects the poorest of the poor - children who are getting barely enough food, shelter, and security to live - and providing them the support and resources to thrive along with their classmates. The school opened in January 2009 with 32 children in grades K-1, and has grown to serve more than 300 students, through the 8th grade. There is a staff of 45, including teachers, teachers’ aides, kitchen staff, a social worker, agricultural workers, and security personnel. Money for the school is raised through donations, some tuition, and through some of their farming activities.
For the 2023 Youth Mission Trip we will return to the Nambale Magnet School in Kenya! All 8th-12th graders are encouraged to apply for the trip, which will be from June 19-July 4. Space is limited, so completing the application (due January 17) is essential. Contact Mike Stafford ([email protected]) with questions.
Service Activities
The wonderful people at Nambale Magnet School will be setting up our service and putting us to work. Our general mantra is “There is no job too small;” we will do whatever they need us to do. The school has kids to teach and play with, a soccer team and a music program to help out with, grounds and a farm that might need tending… the possibilities are endless.
Info on western Kenya
Kenya is an incredible country, facing incredible challenges. After independence from British rule in 1963, Kenya has struggled with disease, dictatorship, and poverty. 17% of the country lives on less than $1.25/day, and half of Kenyans live below the poverty line. Malaria and HIV/AIDS continues to hurt the population, contributing to the country’s low life expectancy and high infant mortality. Schools like NMS are a fabulous way to address the multitude of issues facing Kenya, as they address the multitude of their students’ issues and inspire and empower them to address poverty in Kenya more widely.
Leave SFO on June 19
Return to SFO on July 4
Other Activities
Safari! Our plan is to visit Masai Mara, one of the great Kenyan National Parks to see wild African animals in their native habitat. Common animals seen in these locations include lions, elephants, giraffes, rhinos, hippos, leopards, gazelles, and wildebeest. Probably a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Riley would be happy to hear ideas on how to secretly procure a (small) elephant and return it to San Francisco to be best friends with her puppy Spencer.
FAQ:
Safety:
The United States State Department and the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office have a travel warning for Kenya, specifically concerning the northeastern region of the country, close to the Somali border. Our destination is on the far side of the country from those areas, in the safest part of the country. We have no intention of spending significant time in Nairobi, except traveling through the airport on our way to the Kisumu airport. The school has its own security personnel, and the head security guard lives on-site; there have not been serious security concerns at the school in the past few years.
COVID:
For the health and safety of all participants and the children and staff at the Nambale Magnet School, we are requiring proof of COVID vaccination and boosters to be able to participate on the trip. **There is a chance that the trip could be postponed or canceled if there is another significant outbreak/strain that would compromise the health of the travelers.**
Disease and Vaccines:
Yellow Fever and malaria are both present in the western part of Kenya, so each member of the group will be required to get a vaccine for Yellow Fever and prophylaxis for malaria (which, depending on the specific drug, will have to be taken before, during, and after the trip).
