Helping people survive and recover from forced displacement
IAFR is BUILDING A refugee SCHOOL OF MISSION in KAKUMA, Kenya.
Our refugee partner, United Refugee and Host Churches (URHC), established the Kakuma Interdenominational School of Mission (KISOM) back in 1997. KISOM averages an enrollment of 45 students annually. Over one thousand men and women have graduated since the school began, most of whom are serving as pastors, evangelists and missionaries today. As it is the only school of its kind in the Kakuma region, it serves both the refugee and local host population.
For over 20 years, the Kakuma Interdenominational School of Mission (KISOM) met in whatever spaces they could find in the refugee camp, including an abandoned and condemned primary school building. In early 2019, IAFR completed phase I of the building project on a plot of ground just outside of the camp that we helped our refugee partners purchase.
We completed phase II of the project in August 2022 - the building of three classrooms on the KISOM campus.
The third and final phase of the project will include adding a kitchen and library to the campus. We are discussing the plans and related costs with our refugee partner now.
IAFR is partnering with United Refugee and Host Churches (URHC) - our local refugee partner agency and National Council of Churches Kenya (NCCK) our NGO partner in Kakuma. NCCK has overseen the architectural planning, local contracting and construction work as such work is among their areas of expertise in Kakuma.
Now that the classrooms are completed, we are in the early stages of planning phase III of the project - the addition of a kitchen and library to the campus.
As they have done for each phase of the project, our refugee church partner has done the work of drafting a detailed budget and securing architectural drawings for the buildings. After assessing the proposal, IAFR plans to supply the funding to turn their dream into reality.
Watch this recording of a LIVE online interview with Nicholas Gagai, Director of KISOM in Kakuma, Kenya.
The building of 3 classrooms on the KISOM campus was completed on schedule in August 2022. Thank you to our anonymous donor who provided a grant to make this possible!
Our refugee partner sent us this video to show building progress as of 1 June 2022. IAFR will visit Kakuma in October and post updated video and images of the classrooms afterward.
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