top of page
August 2015
VPM UK TRUSTEES VISIT VPM KOROGOCHO
VPM was blessed to host Dr. John Preston, VPM UK Trust Chairman and Mr. Daniel West VPM UK Treasurer from Friday 22nd May 2015 to Monday 25th May 2015. It was a short visit but very blessed one. The two VPM UK trustees had last visited VPM Korogocho some seven years ago. VPM staff and Committee members were delighted to receive them warmly with a lot of memories of our two visitors' past visit. Besides visiting Korogocho they also visited Lucky Summer to see many developments like housing project and the orphanage that had happened within the seven years which they had not seen. On Sunday, it was such a blessing to have Revd. Franklyn Otwoma celebrate Holy Communion alongside our visitors to mark the end of their trip VPM, and we were much encouraged by the commitment of the staff and committee. The school seems to be working well, and our perception is that the quality of teaching has improved with more government qualified teachers.
It is good to note that all five students who took government exams last I is always a blessing to visit the work of year passed. The clinic was at work serving patients with a variety of needs, including treating a patient with cholera. It was a joy to worship with the team and children in both a school assembly and in church on a Sunday morning. It was a particular blessing to see the new children's home, and to see that VPM are building staff accommodation above this. This will allow a much stronger overall VPM UK trustees with VPM committee and church members who turned up for lunch with visitors at Otwoma's Residence. Remuneration package to be offered to staff, and should hopefully allow much greater retention of staff. Losing good teachers and nurses has been a sad part of VPMs story over the years as the allowances that have been afforded have been insufficient to compete with other opportunities. Whether you're sponsoring a child, making general gifts to support the project or helping to fund a particular part of the work, we can thank you for doing this - we've seen firsthand the difference you're helping the VPM team make in a difficult and deprived slum. Sincere thanks were widely expressed whilst we were visiting Korogocho by a number of the staff team and Committee, and they have a genuine feeling of friendship, love and support from their family in Christ back in the UK. Your generosity makes such a lasting and evident difference.
Here is much good news for Korogocho as the Kenyan Government is looking to upgrade the slum with money provided by the Italian Government. Already there are new tarmac roads being put in and slum civil works teams are cleaning and improving the area. The Korogocho area is being reallocated into plots on which buildings will be constructed, replacing the current shanty town development. Although this is good news for the slum, sadly we will lose half of our church which will need to be demolished to put a water pipe down. You may recall we had to demolish our previous church to make way for the road.
VPM is one of only two organizations in Korogocho with title to our land. This was obtained by presidential decree some years ago due to the foresight of the VPM Director. We therefore have a written commitment from the government that although we will lose some of our plot for the water pipe, we will gain new land at the other side of the plot, and overall the size of the VPM compound will increase. But this means that when we are allocated this land we will need to urgently put a wall around it to make a secure compound. Which will be followed by Architectural plans to build permanent VPM building in Korogocho unlike the semi-permanent at the moment. We will urgently need some money to do this, although we are not sure when this will happen. We are letting you know this in advance so you are aware and it is not a surprise.
Security Challenges This year the security situation fluctuates. On the one hand, we now have a Korogocho police post who are cracking down on crime. On the other, some of our staff have recently experienced threats or attacks. For instance, a new qualified nurse Miss Naomi Achando was accosted on the road and warned by strangers that she should stop coming to work at VPM's clinic. Although we reported the matter to the police, the threats continued and in April Naomi decided to leave VPM. A second incident happened on Saturday 2nd May when people came posing as patients at night. When the watchman opened the gate, a group of thugs entered into the health centre, vandalized plumbing pipes and threatened the watchman badly. They left in our clinical dead body that had been murdered elsewhere. Also in May one of our teachers was attacked on his way to church and had money and a phone stolen, and was left with a knife wound. In all these incidences, we are told the involved criminals are from Somali origin (Al-Shabaab). Overseas visitors to VPM should not be alarmed as we can hire security for your visit. However, we share this news to ask you to pray regularly for the safety of our staff who face the challenges of working in Korogocho daily.
Our Class Eight children of last year passed very well the school's first National examinations and we anticipate that, this year our candidate will perform exemplarily. The school administration changed last term. The Head-teacher who is also the VPM manager is now Mrs Elizabeth Awino Ondiek. Elizabeth took over from Mrs Irene Kaari. Both teachers were away part of last term (May to July) for maternity leaves. Teacher Mr Stephen Odari held the position of the Headteacher and VPM manager in acting position. The management anticipated teacher Irene Kaari to resume duty in May but she extended her maternity leave for a month. While teacher Elizabeth Awino who had serious problems with her pregnancy until she ended up in caesarian section and lost her child, resumed duty earlier than we expected when leadership had weighed down on teacher Stephen. When the management was interviewing VPM staff in search for a suitable VPM Boss to replace Mrs Irene Kaari, Mrs Elizabeth Awino passed the interview and replaced teacher Irene Kaari.
Teacher Stephen Odari was recommended to be her deputy and teacher Jacqueline Kamayo was appointed to be the Senior teacher. The school runs for two weeks for academically remedial classes for weak pupils and tuition for other pupils till the 13th August 2015. This ending second term the school had a total of One hundred and ninety six pupils: Ninety three boys and one hundred and three girls; with eleven teaching staff. Next term opens on Monday 31st August 2015. The school will miss teacher Wilkister Atsole who was on teaching placement from Kenyatta University where she is taking first degree in education. Teacher Wilkister has left a lot of inspiration to our pupils, to work very hard in their academics and aim for university as their ultimate goal, the purpose for which Wilkister was hired.
Our Class Eight children of last year passed very well the school's first National examinations and we anticipate that, this year our candidate will perform exemplarily. The school administration changed last term. The Head-teacher who is also the VPM manager is now Mrs Elizabeth Awino Ondiek. Elizabeth took over from Mrs Irene Kaari. Both teachers were away part of last term (May to July) for maternity leaves. Teacher Mr Stephen Odari held the position of the Headteacher and VPM manager in acting position. The management anticipated teacher Irene Kaari to resume duty in May but she extended her maternity leave for a month. While teacher Elizabeth Awino who had serious problems with her pregnancy until she ended up in caesarian section and lost her child, resumed duty earlier than we expected when leadership had weighed down on teacher Stephen. When the management was interviewing VPM staff in search for a suitable VPM Boss to replace Mrs Irene Kaari, Mrs Elizabeth Awino passed the interview and replaced teacher Irene Kaari.
As teacher Wilkister goes back to the University to continue with her studies, we are trusting God to bring us a good replacement soon before the school reopens. Teacher Wilkister and other teachers have prepared our class Eight for Primary school National final Examination (KCPE) in November 2015.This will graduate our pupils from Primary school to High school according to the grades that they will get in their national exams. This year, we have seven pupils who will sit for KCPE (Kenya Certificate of Primary Education). The teachers have finished the school syllabus, they are revising lessons covered as they do joint exams with other schools. This helps teachers and pupils figure out their academic position compared to other pupils of other schools. As our pupils study hard to pass KCPE please remember them in your prayers.
Mr William Ascough VPM UK Trustee, a member of St. Mary’s Reigate UK is a regular donor for the feeding programme and writing materials of the school so faithfully. There are who also support the feeding programme. The teachers and the children wish to thank Mr. Ascough so sincerely. Imagine this: A little girl asked her mother "where did people come from? Her mother answered "God made Adam and Eve and they had children and that's how all mankind was made. A couple of days later, she asked her father the same question. The father answered, “many years ago there were monkeys which the human race evolved from?’. The confused little girl returned to her mother and said "mommy, how is it possible that you told me that we were created by God and Daddy said we came from monkeys?" The mother answered, Well dear, it is very simple I told you about my side of the family origin and your father told you about his," The little desperately confused girl was left wondering about her father's side family, why monkeys don't continue evolving to humans anymore, hahaha...!
The orphanage is now complete. We thank God for His faithfulness and for the graciousness and the gift of generosity from Mr Allan Payne of Epsom Baptist Church in the UK, who is a regular donor of running cost of the orphanage. The earlier donors for the construction of the orphanage were Paula Rogers family, St Annes Church Friends of Nairobi (FON), London Ontario Canada and Mr. Clive Cooper of St Mary’s Reigate in the UK. Others also sent their support. The orphanage block is designed that the matron and the children occupy the ground floor. The first and second floors will be occupied starting September 2015 by the longest serving VPM staff. The teachers flats are upstairs separated by steel gate from that of the children. This housing package is meant to improve staff remuneration since the housing needs have been met. We now have fifty Seven children in foster home and twenty five in the orphanage. Ms Josephine Campbell of St. Barnabas Epsom UK sponsors thirteen children in Korogocho. Please sponsor a child in Korogocho slums to help children open their doors and let in their future. We are so sorry that we have lost all Canadian child sponsors as they withdrew siting various reasons. o The Orphanage matron is Mrs. Dorine Ngesa. | Dorine also teaches at our school in baby class.
his programme is up and running although as always with some difficulties because of financial constraints. The school has to literally feed all the children in the school on different diets because school population has diverse home background but all children are very hungry wanting food to eat. The cook, Mrs Faith. Wanza does an excellent job doing the best she can to make sure that food is ready at the correct time for the hungry stomachs. Teaching staff help Faith in serving the food in the dining hall to ease the heavy burden on Faith. Please help to feed a hungry child in Korogocho. Regular supporters of feeding programme are Christ Church in Epsom UK, Epsom Baptist Church UK, St Annes Anglican Church, London Ontario Canada and Ebenezer Revival Tabernacle church, Scarborough Ontario Canada.
“We enable people to enjoy optimal wellness and abundant life, leading them to Christ the great physician to experience full and free salvation”. This was said by none other than Mr Paul Minanga who is the new nurse in charge of our VPM Medical Health Clinic as he explained to a local politician who had visited VPM. Paul is a graduate of Kenya Medical Training College, Kakamega and he joined us from MaruralNursing Home. Another new medical staff member who has joined us is Miss Charity Shidogo, a Patient attendant. Our Medical Health charitable services we are offering is likened to a good Samaritan who stopped to help a stranger. He took on the burden of caring for someone he did not know. He treated and nursed him, cleaned his wounds and searched for a Health clinic to admit him and later returned to the clinic and paid his medical bills. Can you be a good Samaritan today to someone sick and needy in Korogocho slums? To take him for medical assistance and pay his bills? Please support VPM in order to do it on your do.
bottom of page