church buildings
Building & updating churches in rural Kenya is a vital endeavor that fosters community, support, & spiritual growth. These structures serve not only as places of worship but also as centers for education & social gatherings. Investing in these churches, we can enhance the local infrastructure & provide essential services to the community. Join us in making a lasting impact through the revitalization of these sacred spaces.
St. John Catholic church Mauthini
St. John's is located 15 miles from the main church. It is a dry, semi arid location without water or electricity. The church was started in 1976 & has a current population of 37 families/households. The estimated population in this community is 200 people. 98% of the population has no formal employment & the largest economic activity is dry crop farming & grazing goats.
It has taken 7 years to collect materials with local families giving little by little after every harvest, many years due to lack of rain & no harvest at all.
An estimated $15,000 is needed to build a nice church. Unskilled labor & other locally available materials will be donated by the enthusiastic community.
St. bartholomew catholic church kirudi
St. Bartholomew Catholic Church was started in 2009. It is located 5 miles from the parish center & there is no water or electricity. The congregation has 17 families with a average of 65 members. None of the members have serious employment or business. The economic activities for the community are dry cropping & grazing.
$10,000 can build a nice church with washrooms for men & women.
St. joseph the worker Catholic church kathengeca
St. Joseph the Worker is located 9 miles east of the main church, It was started in 1989 & has a current population of 25 families, totaling 73 parishioners. 99% of the population have no formal employment & the economic activity for the area is dry crop farming & grazing goats.
The community is very poor & illiterate & have been blinded by a Christian sect locally known as "kabonokia", which doesn't believe in formal education or taking people to the hospital. Their belief is to pray for healing. They would prefer to die than to do something they aren't convinced of.
The catholic Church supports them with food & clothing & encourages their children to join others for mentorship. Currently there are more than 20 children in school from this community that are supported by the church.
An estimated $10,000 is needed to build a nice church & bathrooms for both men & women.
St. Michael Catholic church karambani
St. Michael's is located 7 miles north of the parish center. It was started is 1983 & has a congregation of 40 families, with a total of 130 people.
Over the last 15 years the members have built a new church, although it has no windows, floor, alter or bathroom. The community also has a school with 400 students that use the church as well.
$12,000 is needed to help this church community & the school.
St. peter & paul catholic church kamacabi
This church is located 35 miles northeast of the main church in a very hot & dry location. It was started in 2000 & has 32 families & around 98 parishioners.
Friends from the United States dug a well that serves more than 1,300 people including 700 students from both primary & secondary schools in the community.
To better serve the community the well needs to be expanded & a new church needs to be built. $3,000 is the average cost for expanding the wells pipe line. $10,000 would help build a small chapel with bathrooms.
St. francis of assisi catholic church irunduni
St. Francis was started in 1977, has 73 families & a total of 332 members.
The community has water, electricity & a school but the level of poverty is still very high. 70% of the community is unemployed or has very little income.
They have outgrown the old church & have started to build a new big church. it is estimated that it will cost a total of $60,000 to build. they have already contributed & constructed a structure worth $20,000.
A total of $40,000 would help complete a new church for this strong, enthusiastic community.
St. stephen catholic church ria mbogo
St. Stephen's is 12 miles east of the parish center. It was started in 2018 & has 32 families & 165 members.
The community is very poor, with 98% being unemployed. The only clean water the church has is harvested rain water next to the church.
It is a very active & enthusiastic church. It is estimated that $10,000 could build a church with nice washrooms.
St. rose catholic church gatithiini
This church is located 16 miles north of the parish center. It was started in 1979 & has 65 families & around 220 parishioners.
The community is largely made up of older people because many of the younger generation have fled to towns & cities looking for jobs. Ethnic clashes in the area between two rival communities have also escalated the high poverty in the area.
Friends from the United States have donated a borehole & electricity to the church. The church also has a mobile clinic that sees patients on Saturdays.
To complete the church, build an alter & sacristy would cost $8,000.
Holy Family catholic church mukothima
Holy Family is the main church & where Father Eliud's farm & school are located. His parish is 40 km, which is equal to 25 miles. It costs $200 per week to keep all 19 churches in the parish running.
There is no industry in the area, the government is the largest employer. Farmers have 2 acres of land which sustains themselves, but leaves them unemployed.
He has many projects he wants to complete, but his first priority is to build two more chicken coops. (DONE) by building these coops it makes his chicken project more profitable. The Parish sells chickens for $1 to the community, so they can start raising their own. Father Eliud has a better breed of chicken which helps the community, they also teach the community how to care for the chickens. $30,000 would kelp with this expansion & fencing. This project would allow his parish to become self-sustaining with the income created by selling the chickens.
Another project for him is to build a barn for his goats & cows, he currently has 10 cows & 7 calves (Jersey & local African breeds). The goat & cow barns would allow Gather Eliud's parish to become a training center for locals to learn farming practices. $20,000 would help complete this project.
There are two projects that would help the school on his property. A girls dormitory was completed in 2024, but the boys are still in need of a new dormitory. There are currently 100 boys at the school, but the numbers are increasing. This project would include a new building & bathrooms. To complete this project it would be $30,000.
An opportunity to sponsor a child is also available. $500 would provide accomodation, food & medication for one year.
Finally, an expansion of the water project is needed. People walk up to 7 miles to get water. Women walk to get water & could be stopped by a man with a motorbike who offers to get the water for her in exchange for sex. This causes unwanted pregnancies. there are more than 100 children on the compund being taken care of as a result.