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Friends United
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Global Ministries:
Turkana Friends Mission
Turkana Friends Mission was started in 1970 by Ersal and Dorothy Kindel and two students from Friends Theological College. Turkana, located in the northern part of Kenya, is a region familiar with hot temperatures, harsh winds, frequent droughts and limited resources for development.
Today there are 20 staff at Turkana Friends Mission, sharing the Gospel, planting churches and starting nursery schools. Because Turkana is a desert climate, the people are nomadic and in constant search of water which makes education, both spiritual and academic, challenging. Friends discovered the best way to reach these nomadic people is by providing wells with clean water. Turkanans can then settle in one region.
Building a school and church are the next logical steps in reaching these people. The Friends Mission provides teachers and buildings. The government provides at least one meal per day. Without this meal, many children would starve. If the school continues and a primary school is established, the government provides that teacher. To date, there are five nursery schools, three primary schools and an orphanage for children.
In
addition to churches and schools, Friends have worked to initiate a range
of community-based projects in local villages. Two women’s groups have
been organized for the production of income generating crafts, such as
baskets and jewelry. Water has been piped to Lochuga and Kalokol which
now runs a grinding machine for grain.
Rental units have been constructed to provide housing for local teachers. To date, five out of the projected 20 units have been completed. It is hoped that with the completion of the other 15 units, the income will pay for the salaries of all who are on staff at the Mission.
Annual operating expenses total $26,000. Many months the pastors go unpaid due to lack of funding. This is especially difficult in a community where most paid staff support not only their immediate family, but their extended families as well.
In addition to operating expenses, the mission has a desperate need for a new vehicle. The vehicle used in the Mission was purchased in 1992; it is no longer in service. A new vehicle will cost $35,000.
Please consider how you might be willing to support this important
work of Turkana Friends Mission.
For more information, contact us
or use the response form.
Turkana Friends Mission:
- Pastors sharing the Gospel and planting churches
- Nursery schools and primary schools offering education, food and water
- Community-based projects providing boreholes (wells) and pump systems for water
- Turkana Children’s Home caring for orphaned children
- Women’s groups organizing self-help projects