Updates from Oloile!

According to Staff of Hope co-founder, Pastor Jeff Spainhour, there is a lot to be excited about in the future for our nonprofit and the Oloile Secondary School. Pastor Jeff returned from his month-long trip to East Africa reporting a number of positive developments. The electricity is better, the teachers are young and eager and the second-year headmaster is excelling in his role. Just like the lush vegetation surrounding Oloile, the school itself is becoming more and more a place where similar growth happens in the hearts and minds of young students.

Pastor Jeff’s said that Oloile is making progress toward reaching its goal of 200 students. Currently, Oloile has around 155, but the school appears well prepared for future growth. It is expected to meet its goal early next year. Getting to 200 students would be beneficial for a number of reasons. The facilities would be operating at 100 percent capacity and there will be more opportunities to offer courses in a variety of subjects. In addition, it should result in a good balance of kids on scholarship and it will move the school closer to being entirely self-sufficient. By 2019, Staff of Hope wants to have 25 percent of kids on scholarship. Right now that number is 40 percent but it is trending downward.

The Kenyan government has issued a number of regulations for private schools, and a lot of time was devoted to ensuring compliance with them. Many of the regulations are intended to keep the children safer, so Oloile has been busy setting up extra lighting and fire extinguishers. The metal bars that once covered the windows were removed so the children can escape through the windows if needed. A big point of emphasis for the school and for Pastor Jeff was to inspect the new computer lab. Happily, all computers were working and the school has a new computer teacher teaching an approved curriculum. Things are going so well with the computer lab that there are plans to expand it at some point in the future.

Pastor Jeff was also pleased to see the success of the medical clinic we started. Staff of Hope turned it over to the Kenyan government a couple of years ago and it has blossomed into a very effective medical clinic. Before Staff of Hope, access to quality medical care in that region was difficult. Pastor Jeff said he sees the clinic as a shining example of what nonprofits should strive to do. “We don’t want to create a place where people are dependent on us,” he said. “We would rather they take things and grow it themselves.” That has happened with the medical clinic, and now Staff of Hope can focus its efforts on other areas like education and clean water.

The future is looking bright for Staff of Hope and for Oloile. “Our hope is that this specific school, Oloile, will be the best school in that district and will serve as an example for other rural private schools and what they could be,” Pastor Jeff said. We are thrilled to serve this region in the name of Jesus and we are thankful for your support throughout these wonderful years.

We invite you to continue to partner with us so that, together, we may walk with the teachers, students and staff of Oloile Secondary School.

Please consider the impact your gift will make:

$10                                  Plants, trees, grass at our school                               

$25                                  Clean water to a family for a month

$35                                  School supplies

$50                                  Goat which helps a family be self-sustaining

$100                               Teacher’s salary for a month

$120                               Cow which helps a family be self-sustaining

$200                               Computer desks at Oloile School

$400                               Boarding a student at our school for a year

$1,000                          Fresh coat of paint for Oloile School

$5,000                          Constructing Computer Lab at our school

$_______                      General Donation (any amount where most needed)