Kids in the Lucky Summer neighborhood of Nairobi, Kenya, have big dreams—and one Christian school is giving students there a shot at achieving their aspirations with help from Resonate Global Mission’s Educational Care training.
Resonate Global Mission missionary, Mwikali Wambua, says that many people consider Lucky Summer only a tiny step up from Nairobi’s expansive slums. The air is full of dust and exhaust from buses, trucks, cars, and motorbikes that squeeze down rutted roads. Apartment buildings—some half-finished and vacant—tower over the streets, and electricity and water services are unreliable.
Some of the kids in Lucky Summer daydream of being professional soccer players someday. Others aspire to be doctors, nurses, or journalists. Many want to make a little more money and live in better conditions than they do now, and they want to be able to support their families.
The reality for these children, however, is that they face a lot of barriers to their dreams—starting with their education.
Even though Lucky Summer has 50 public schools to provide children with an education, the classrooms can be overcrowded and resources can be scarce. Teachers are often overworked, and many have limited training. This makes it tough for students to get the education and support they need in order to grow, learn, and pursue their dreams.
But when Lucy Otieno, a teacher who was working in a nearby neighborhood, participated in Educational Care training led by Wambua, God gave her a vision to start a Christian school in Lucky Summer.
Educational Care provides biblically based training to equip teachers such as Otieno with a biblical worldview and Christ-centered teaching practices. Through the training, teachers come to see their work as not only a job, but a calling from God to care for and disciple children.
Just a few years after Oaknest Christian School began, it has become a safe haven in Lucky Summer. Located along one of the neighborhood’s narrow side streets, Oaknest’s colorful gate welcomes students and their families into a playground surrounded by classrooms built from brightly painted shipping containers. It’s a small space tucked in between apartment buildings, but it is making a big difference in the community.
“We help the children to see everything through the lens of God,” said Otieno. “Oaknest is a ‘shalom’ community where everyone can find peace.”
At Oaknest, children are not only receiving a good education, but they are also being discipled by adults who care for them and see their jobs as a calling from God. Children in Lucky Summer need cheerleaders, and Oaknest’s teachers know each student by name and will boast about some of their emerging special talents, from dancing and singing to math and Swahili. Otieno said she has seen students grow in their self-esteem and in their identity as children of God.
That gospel transformation is also rippling out from Oaknest throughout the Lucky Summer neighborhood. Several students have gone home from school and asked their families to pray with them and attend church. Even people who don’t have children at Oaknest know that this school is a safe space; people often drop in to talk with Otieno and to ask for prayer and advice.
Dorine Daisy Adhiambo, one of Oaknest’s teachers, said that Educational Care opened her eyes to how a Christian school should be.
“Oaknest is the best,” she said. “This school is in the right place.”
About the Author
Cassie Marcionetti, Resonate Global Mission
