Barbara O’Donohue—Children of
Pokot Education Fund—West Pokot, Kenya
After a visit to the Pokot people in 1997, Barb
O’Donohue was challenged to lead a Christian
elementary school. It was from this outreach
that the Children of Pokot Educational Fund Mission
began. From its early beginnings as a nursery
school, Tapadany Christian Academy
has grown and now numbers over 750 students from
preschool to the 8th grade. The school has an
excellent reputation in the community.
The 8th grade government exams in November went
well. All TCA students got high enough scores to be
able to attend high school, and overall, the school
was ranked first in North Pokot. In addition to the
school, evangelism, a sewing center, a bakery, and a
pharmaceutical
dispensary provide outreach to the people. New
projects such as honey and aloe vera production and
marketing are being initiated to create jobs for
graduates who can find no jobs.
Ever since she closed her business in 2002 in
order to devote more time to COPE, Barb
spends part of her year in the U.S. raising support
for COPE and spending time with her family.
The rest of the year is spent in West Pokot
assisting the nationals in leading and
administrating
the school and its programs. One very successful
program has been the Celebration of Christian
Womanhood. This is an alternative offered to young
women as a rite of passage into womanhood that does
not involve the traditional practices which are
harmful to young women and can lead to their death
in childbirth. In December, the Celebration of
Christian Manhood was held with 64 young
men participating. COPE wants to expand the
use of the Jesus film this year, and we are glad
to be able to contribute financially toward that.
God continues to move among the Pokot, and we are
grateful to be able to participate in His work
there.
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Please
continue to pray for Barb, COPE and
our brothers and sisters in Christ in West Pokot,
Kenya. You can get information and monthly
updates through the website:
www.childrenofpokot.org and through Facebook
at: Cope Ministry. |
