News at Laudate Jesu

To our esteemed supporters of Laudate Jesu children of Kenya, please receive your flowers for all you have done and continue to do for the widows and children in LJCK project. You are a small group of dedicated individuals with a huge impact. That is what counts because the sacrifice and dedication you put in is invaluable. You recognized the need and jumped on the band wagon without looking back. Our special thanks and prayers go out to you for showing such great love to those who need it. We also thank those who are planning to join in supporting our ministry, as well as those who have not found us yet because we believe that someday, you will reach out to us. Together we continue to make a ripple effect of sharing God’s love with his people.

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Your support comes through echoing loud and clear per Jesus’ command “Love one another as I have loved you” John 13:34. When I read this scripture, I look no further than our dear supporters who are selflessly sacrificing and sharing their resources in providing shelter, education, healthcare services, and empowerment to those marginalized in our society. Last year December, some good Samaritans made it possible for 10 families to receive Christmas gifts of food and clothing. These families felt remembered for the first time, and above all, experienced a deeper sense of being cared for, and loved. You made their experience possible because love is real only when it is Crist-like. Christ-like love is not just something that we say or talk about, it is something we do. I give credit to our LJCK supporters for realizing that Jesus did not only speak about love but lived it. Kudos to you for being true followers of Christ and for walking in his footsteps. Through your generosity, you are enacting similar kindness as Jesus did while on earth. What you are doing is carrying on Jesus’ legacy in our world of today.

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At the end of 2025, we had 15 students graduate at different levels through LJCK education project, known as Village Educate Ripple Effect (VERE), making the total number of 75 LJCK graduand beneficiaries, (50 girls and 25 boys). Currently we have 27 students at different education levels. These young women and men are able to achieve their dreams because supporters like you chose to walk with them on their educational journey. We are grateful for your empathetic love which has become the stepping stones to success for these young people. Dear supporters, you might not be aware that your generosity is becoming a bridge to people who would have drowned in poverty without your assistance. The stronger the bridge, the more souls we shall rescue from drowning or falling through the cracks.

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Sponsorship for children

In Summary, with as little as $1/day, $30/per month, you can sponsor a child in grade school for term (semester) of 3months. The high school student goes for $3/day or $90/ term. College and vocation training costs $5/day or 150 per semester. This amount is purely for tuition excluding uniforms, books/supply. When students receive tuition fees, they work together with parents to take of the rest of their needs.

Empowering the Community

Every widow empowered, every child sponsored, and every family supported becomes an act of generosity which is a living expression of God’s love made visible and accessible through you. What you are doing is not momentarily meeting their needs, no! You are removing the stigma and shame of poverty, restoring their dignity, giving them hope, and helping them understand that they are not forgotten, nor alone in the turmoil of this world. Thank you for making God’s love active and alive through your generosity. Thank you for letting your actions show your love to the world. For all those who are about to join us in this ministry, let your Love be recognized as Christ-like through your support for the welfare of the people in need. Gratitude from LJCK Team to you for jumping on the band wagon of our ministry. Together we are creating a better world, one person at a time. May God bless all of you and continue to make it possible for you, to share his love as the Lord leads you.

Dr. Ekesa (LJCK International Coordinator)

 

On-going Activities at LJCK

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Education

Credit to our supporters who make it possible for us to continue educating one child at a time, reducing ignorance, and building a future with hope. We could not do it without your generous support.

Graduation: We have 2 graduates (twins) who graduated in hospitality from vocational training, December 2025. We count on them to take up 2 kids once they get jobs or establish their own small businesses.

Continuing education: Currently there is one university student studying medicine, 4 students doing vocational training, 5 in high school, and 17 in primary/grade school. All these students have shown potential in learning through their enthusiasm and dedication to their studies. We are grateful that supporters make it possible for these students to pursue their dreams. As a result, the more enlightened young people we have in the village, the less ignorance and the further we get from disruption.

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Health Care services

We are grateful that members stayed relatively healthy. Last year, we had one case that we funded. One of our students in need of braces to fix his teeth received help from LJCK. It is a costly undertaking which the mother would never meet from her salary of ksh 7,000/m ($70), less $100/m working full time. Thanks to a supporter of LJCK who single handedly funded the dental bill. The procedure went well, prognosis is good and the student has regained his confidence. Prior to treatment, the student’s self-esteem had plummeted affecting his grades. The improvement of his teeth has helped the student regain his good grades and can once again smile. Thank you for making him feel confident again.

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Projects

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Catering

The catering project is progressing well; the orders are increasing and the number of clients are growing with time. The feedback from clients indicates client-satisfaction, and there is also rising demand for the catering services. LJCK is looking into expanding the services to other villages after they acquire additional equipment to allow efficiency.

 

Fish Farm

The fish farm took off well and is consistently supplying fish.  LJCK has plans to expand on fish farming when land and funds are available. LJCLK has been doing fiscal study and found fish as one of the products that are increasingly on high demand. LJCK members are in agreement that fish farming is viable, cost effective, manageable, and worth investing in.

 

Housing

The floods of 2019-2020 brought unforeseen activity for LJCK. The families who lost their homes compelled us to embark on housing project. We decided to build one house each year through a Lenten campaign fund raising. The campaign was successful for year 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023. In 2022 we received double blessing because an American family single handedly gifted and African family with a house. A family- to- family gift house was fully funded allowing us to build 2houses for two families in a year. We register this great gift of love with gratitude and pray God to reward the donor family.

I also acknowledge that 2024 and 2025 we were unable to raise enough money, therefore, no house has been built during the two years. The families that have been selected are still in need of housing. On a positive note, I am glad to announce, this year 2026 we have embarked on building another family a house. It is going to take us 3 years building a small house for this family, yet we are happy, it is a blessing and success. What is important is that our supporters have not given up on us. Patience pays, we on our part, have no reason to give up.

 

Rental farms

Farming can be sometimes tricky; yields fluctuate depended on the seasonal favors. Hopeful there will be good yield this time round though not guaranteed, due to challenging rain pattern. However, working together through LJCK has helped members to sufficiently feed their families without worrying about starvation as was the case in the past.  LJCK is looking into ways of improving the yield in order to sell off the surplus to boost income resources.

 

News Section

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Individuals

Three LJCK beneficiary have individually reported success in their entrepreneurship for their small-scale businesses. What does this mean to us? It means giving back to society. Every successful LJCK member becomes a sponsor to a student in the VERE program. This is our way forward because each successful member puts one more student in school. The sponsorship keeps Village Educate Ripple Effect alive, an important element of the LJCK mission built on ubuntu spirit.

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Hard Encounters

Bead Project

It is with regret to announce that the bead project, the very first income generating resource of LJCK has been forced to halt due to lack of market. However, we must forge on relying on what we have at hand to help us grow. Thank goodness, we have other projects we continue to nurture and hope to be steadily expand.

Our supporters and beneficiaries are the reason for LJCK existence, you deserve to know the good and the not so good episodes on the ground. It is on a low note that we report the misfortunes that befell two LJCK members in their businesses.  After obtaining a small loan ($400) from LJCK, Hillie started buying and selling different kinds of cereals.  For 7 months, the business was doing well. After Hillie restocking her kiosk in preparation to paying back the loan, thieves struck, looted everything leaving her small vending Kiosk completely empty. Back to zero, Hillie got stranded with nothing to fall back to. These episodes happen randomly throughout the country though some areas are more prone to such misfortunes. Incidences similar to what happened to Hillie throws young entrepreneur off balance with no way forward.

Lesina, another LJCK beneficiary owns a small electronic vending kiosk. Lesina’s business has been successfully running for 2 years now. LJCK made it possible by loaning her $700 for the business. She paid back within 14 months. Lesina was progressing steadily, planning to expand her business by adding Airbnb project. Recently, people posing as customers conned her the money she had worked for a whole year.  The experience is such a painful setback for her. While still trying to overcome the shock, an alleged customer came in and bought a phone charger, he then asked to leave his phone charging for a while. He seemed genuine but shortly vanished and immediately 3 guys in civilian clothing showed up claiming Lesina had stolen the very phone that was charging in her Kiosk. Lesina tried explaining to the 3 men but due to lack of evidence was arrested and frog-matched away. At the police station, Lesina was mistreated, harassed, and intimidated.  A man “owner of the stollen phone” was at the police station; he confirmed that the phone found at Lesina’s kiosk was his. He then alleged the phone was tampered with and demanded for a new phone. The police did not care about Lesina’s truth concerning the incident. She was held at police station facing imprisonment failure to raise ksh180,000.

During the holdup time, her own phone was taken away, leaving her unable to communicate to her family, yet none of the family knew where she was at.  During the interview she said, “I begged the police officers to allow me to call my people but they refused. I cried till my head was throbbing, in response they hurled insults at me, calling me a thief. They daunted and mocked me issuing warnings and threats.  I was shoved along with many other people in a small cubicle. The room had more than its capacity.  Lack of space forced us to remain standing, pressing against each other like luggage throughout the night. We watched police officers change shifts. No one seemed to care about us” I was desperate, I didn’t know where my child was. I had walked her to school that morning on the day I got arrested. The father was upcountry; he had no idea what was going on. That morning, i dared to beg one more time, crying for my child. One officer allowed me “one call”. After one brief call to my husband, the phone was taken away again. I waited for him to travel over night from up country.  He had to sell household items to raise money for my release from the police, but money was not enough. On Friday I walked out of the police station on condition that I pay the rest of the money by Monday 12:00 lest I get imprisoned. We didn’t have the money. By evening I was too sick, I got admitted at the hospital”.

Lesina’s story became complicated. As she put it, “my life just took a wrong turn, there were bills and school fees to be paid. As if that is not enough wrestling, the additional burden of paying for the phone I did not take, the police, and worst of all, my health compromised”. It was too much to bear, she broke down, it took her 5 days in hospital before she was let to go home. Lesina wonders if she will fully recover from the incident, she is back working in her kiosk hoping one day to make enough capital $3,000(ksh300,000) to venture into Airbnb, a better income generating project, and less stressful business, she said. However, her long-term goal is to start a fruit orchard farm when land is available.  From her feasibility study, she needs approximately $10,000 (ksh1.2m)1acre of land. This is her dream. According to her, however long it will take her she is willing and determined to work hard for it. Her only option is a good steady project. It takes real resilience for one to go through such ordeals yet not give up. Heaven forbids, deserving individuals like Lesina should be protected by the law enforcement. In her case, the law worked against her and insulted her, punishing her for what she did not do.

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Overall Picture of LJCK

Great strides have been made since the inception. The number of children getting educated through the program is growing.  Some people who formerly were unable to get treatment have successfully accessed health care services through LJCK membership. Another advantage is families are getting enough food with better nutrients.  The villagers are returning to the old mode of working together for common goals restoring trust and unity, making progress towards changing the narrative of their lives.  A number of homeless families has been housed through LJCK donors. The communities are experiencing a sense of security, domestic violence and robbery are on the decline. We hope that these improper practices will soon or eventually be a thing of the past.

Your support helps the youth find purpose in life, engage in positive and constructive activities, guided and supervised through LJCK projects.  All these good things happening in the village are only possible because of our esteemed supporters. Feel proud to be a part of this improvement and success. It couldn’t happen without you. So, Thank YOU SUPPORTERS of LJCK.

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What is Unique about LAUDATE JESU CHILDREN OF KENYA

The program discourages individuals/members from expecting and relying on handouts. Individuals and families are trained to be innovative and creative in utilizing local resources. The emphasis is upon building on the strengths of people by teaching them skills for growth and development.  Most of all we employ the spirit of Ubuntu where selfishness is not tolerated. UBUNTU means (a person is a person through others) - (Archbishop Desmond TuTu) We  adopted Ubuntu for our philosophical doctrine or approach to life that emphasizes social unity and generosity of spirit; a quality that includes the essential human virtues; compassion and humanity as explained by Nelson Mandela. We chose the spirit of Ubuntu, because we realized that alone, one cannot do much but, together we grow and develop for the common good.  We inspire and teach each other to work collaboratively for the common good; at the same time, we encourage people to think independently and to contribute ideas and talents for group activities.

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In our program, members work together on an identified project and the proceeds are pulled into a common bag from which members benefit equally. For one to be a member, one must be active and hardworking, laziness, tardiness, late coming for group activities or individual assignment and rumor mongering are some of the grounds for dismissal from membership. Besides, members do not only rely on the common projects but also establish and own projects through which they take care of some family needs and make member contributions to the common bag of the program.  

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Membership demands of them to nurture and care for each other, to foster unity and promote peace. The experience of many ruthless killings in our village set me thinking of what I can do to help my people. I heard Mandela and Bishop Tutu talk about ubuntu, which got me interested in reading about it. I love ubuntu philosophy, I decided to use it as my strategic approach of tackling the problems of violence and unnecessary deaths in my village.  In attempt to restore peace and unity among villagers, we launched ubuntu practice following the brutal murder of my brother in July 2015. His death was a wakeup call when I realized that it is not enough to try to fight poverty and ignorance as individuals.  I knew that no one would come to give us a solution, hence, the decision to re-create the ubuntu philosophy in which the humanness (essence of life) is valued and shared among all members of the village. The Ubuntu spirit compels one to extend to another person the good one wants for self. I felt that the solution lies among my people themselves. Fortunately, the spirit of ubuntu spirit is positively changing the way most of our villagers think and act. 

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Since the inception of Ubuntu in 2015, people in my village are becoming dynamic, cooperative, more caring, respectful of each other and looking out for each other’s good. Many youths unlike in the past, are now engaged in collaborative activities in the program. The youth have formed their own entertainment group for public functions such as pre-weddings, weddings, graduations, and funerals. Funds raised are used to purchase school uniforms and shoes instead of relying on parents and guardians for every material need.  In addition, the youth have introduced the fight against mosquitoes by cutting grass for a fee, which serves as additional resource toward their school uniforms and supplies.  As a result, the youth are channeling their energy through positive causes reducing violence in our village. The more we engage people in the LAUDATED JESU Children program the more united and peaceful environment we have. We hope that our program will continue to grow and become a model that we can extend to other villages. Our program is striving for collaboration, more growth and development to be achieved.     

 

Stay tuned for more from LJCK

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