Spring 2024
I am very excited to share that I will be traveling to Kenya with INGAGE Unlimited this June! You may know that my wife, Bethany, has been involved with INGAGE Unlimited for a number of years and has gone on two trips - including to this same school in Kenya. The most exciting part is that my high school daughter, Kaelyn, is also part of the team. We will be able to experience this together.
INGAGE Unlimited is returning to Kibera, an area where extreme poverty greatly impacts a child’s ability to achieve an education. Children growing up in these settings face unique challenges, and the teachers often do not have the training to address their academic or social/emotional needs. In Kenya, an estimated 3.5 million children are in the labor market, and school dropout cases are on the rise. The number one killer of girls under the age of 15 is early childbirth. Educating girls is a main focus to end poverty in our world.
Recently, a vision team has met with the staff in Kibera to identify their specific professional development needs. Along with our team, Kaelyn and I believe that we will be able to support many of their needs and will begin to create professional development workshops to help meet the academic and social/emotional needs expressed by the Kenyan teachers.
While in Kenya, we will be working with two partners. We will once again be providing support in Kibera, the largest urban slum in Africa. The team will return to Bringing Miracles, one of the schools INGAGE Unlimited partnered with in 2019. We will also be working at Paradise Community Centre, whose mission focuses on changing the lives of the vulnerable underprivileged street children, orphans, young mothers and the elderly living in Kibera slums. They work to provide basic needs to the children under their care, such as food, shelter, education and medical care. The Centre aims to go beyond the provision of the bare necessities to cultivate an environment that is conducive for the welfare and growth of the children into responsible, productive and law-abiding citizens in future.
Would you consider being a part of my support team (and/or Kaelyn’s) by making a donation? Because this is a volunteer service trip facilitated by the non-profit organization Ingage Unlimited all contributions are 501(c)3 tax deductible donations, and they can be made online here or Kaelyn’s page on this website. Your donation will assist with our travel and provide support for the families and students with whom we meet along the way. Verbal and spiritual support are also very welcomed and appreciated!
I look forward to sharing our experiences with you. Please let me know if you have any questions! Thank you so much for your consideration!
With gratitude-
Paul Louis