An open letter from one of our “younger” Child Sponsors who had the privilege of visiting her sponsored child and seeing first hand how her commitment, generosity, and prayers have been not only impacting her child, but many other children in their community as well.

I have been a supporter of Father’s Heart Projects ministries for about 3 years, both financially and prayerfully. I have recently been blessed with the opportunity to visit the Fathers Heart School in Kisumu, Kenya and I was thrilled to see what I have been supporting.

The school is out of the main part of the city, closer to a nearby village surrounded by a beautiful mountain range. I was brought to the school by Tobias; the Kisumu Director for Father’s Heart Projects, who welcomed me with very open arms and was so ready and willing to answer every question I had about the kids and the program.

I met with the head master of the school who was a young, very involved, Christian man. I was extremely impressed with the knowledge and dedication he showed for the children. I have spent some time in other parts of Africa and never met any head master of a primary school who actually knows the children by name and knows their personality.

I was so encouraged to see Tobias, the head master, and all the teachers interacting with the kids on such a personal level. All the staff knew all the children and vice versa. I felt a real sense of community and safety between all the adults and children. I sat in on a short bit of the teaching in every class and was impressed with both the teacher’s dedication to teaching and the student’s intellectual levels.

A normal African classroom can be 80 students to one teacher and at Father’s Heart there are about 15 kids to one teacher. It was so reassuring to see with my own eyes that the child I am sponsoring is literally getting the most specific and individual education in all of Kenya, and I can say that with great confidence.

Of course, there are still needs - the small kids sit two to a chair and one classroom doesn’t have a completed room. But with a few more donations and a little time I’m excited to see where our school will be.

We currently have a young but growing garden out back where the children learn farming skills, and the school can improve the student’s lunch that they get daily (it is VERY rare to be fed at school there) with delicious veggies! The kids learn how to build rabbit “huts” and are taught responsibility by collectively, as a student body, raising and caring for these school pets.

Another aspect of the school that really encouraged me was that the children from the surrounding community are welcomed there alongside the sponsored Father’s Heart children, so because of the dream and success of this sponsorship program the whole village and community is benefiting. All together the experience was very encouraging and inspirational, from playing football (soccer) with my sponsor child, Stephen, to seeing with my own eyes the amazing work and progress that I have been supporting from afar. Father’s Heart Projects is very evidently impacting the children in the project and the community with the grace and love of our God.

Jessica Volkman
April 2011


To learn more about our CSP and to view our available children, please click here. 
 

Thank you.