(Photo courtesy of Kenya Hope)

Bryan Haley with Kenya Hope points to climate change: “Even this last season of drought that we’re just coming out of was more severe than it would have been had they missed their short rain season a decade or two ago.” 

No surprises: drought brings livestock losses, crop failure, hunger, and worse. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification projects that between April and June, 3.7 million Kenyans in the country’s Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) will face crisis levels (or higher) of acute food insecurity. Already, 3.3 million people are in this stage of emergency.

Kenya Hope has already stepped into the crisis with practical, long-term help. Haley explains that one of the first things they do when they enter a community is drill a borehole well. They currently serve 17 distinct communities in Kenya. 

One woman recently told Haley she hadn’t recognized the effects of the water her family collected from local rivers and dams. 

“They didn’t realize how sick their kids were — waterborne illnesses like diarrhea and all of these different things,” says Haley. “But as soon as they had clean, safe drinking water, those health issues were erased.”

As part of Kenya Hope’s long-term maintenance of each well, local families contribute to a small fund to support the well’s upkeep.

“So their community is actively engaged in providing for the services to keep it ongoing and to keep it accessible for their entire community, which is really just a beautiful thing to see people participate in,” says Haley.

One particular community has always used this river as its source of water. They have never known anything different. Today, this community now has clean, clear water!
(Photo courtesy of Kenya Hope)

A well is more than just water. 

“It’s an automatic level of trust that you’re earning when people are just not sick anymore because of something simple, like water,” Haley explains. 

“Clean water really opens the door to education, food security, dignity for widows, and increasing income. And that all leads [to] or is the chance to share the hope of the gospel or living water.”

Would you prayerfully consider supporting Kenya Hope’s future well projects? Visit kenyahope.org to learn more. 

“When someone helps fund a well in Kenya, they’re not just giving water, but they are giving children a safer childhood and a healthier future,” says Haley. “It really impacts an entire community with just a few dollars.”

Kenya: Acute Food Insecurity Situation for January – March 2026 (left) and Projection for April – June 2026 (right). (Map courtesy of IPC)

Header photo courtesy of Kenya Hope.

In response, the European Union has pledged €250,000 in relief funds for Kenya’s drought-impacted communities.

One ministry working on the ground is Kenya Hope, which supports Hope Centers in Narok villages. Each Hope Center has a well for clean drinking water and provides meals and other community resources.

Bryan Haley, executive director of Kenya Hope, says, “This area really missed out on all of the rain and water that they rely on for the entire year. So a lot of…the communities that we serve are really dry and in drought right now.”

(Photo courtesy of Kenya Hope)

As the drought drags on, Kenya Hope is pivoting to meet people’s growing needs.

“We’ve increased the water supply that we are providing. Normally, we ask our centers to collect a small fee for water so that they can prepare for ongoing maintenance and things. But we’ve stopped that so that water is free and accessible to everybody,” Haley says.

“We’ve also increased the amount of…meals that we are providing so everyone in the community is still being fed during drought because obviously, without water, that means they can’t sell their livestock. A lot of their sources of income have dried up, literally, because there’s no water. So we want to make sure that people are cared for in the most essential way possible.”

Even as Kenya Hope responds to physical needs, Haley says the ministry’s mission goes deeper.

“The word hope in our Hope Center means so much more than just water. The Gospel is key to that as well…. We want to see the Gospel flourish in every area of life.”

(Photo courtesy of Kenya Hope)

As Kenya Hope meets peoples physical and spiritual needs, your prayers are an encouragement. Haley asks, “Pray for rain. The next rain season isn’t really until March, but we are praying for God to deliver water at any time and to sustain people during the drought.”

You can find ways to support Kenya Hope’s mission at kenyahope.org.

Header photo courtesy of Kenya Hope.

(Photo courtesy of Kenya Hope)

Kenya (MNN)—Kenya Hope exists to change lives in Kenya through the Gospel of Christ with a holistic approach to children, families, and communities. The single most life-changing thing Kenya Hope can do for the communities they serve, apart from preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, is providing a reliable and affordable source of fresh water.

“They’re dependent on the rivers,” Kenya Hope’s U.S. Director Steve Holman says. “Right now we’re out of that four-year-long drought, but only God knows how long we are. But what I saw during that period was these rivers are not fit for humans to drink the water, and it means that young girls and women carry loads of water great distances, couple miles or more, to the home, and that they just live with that awful water.”

Kenya Hope can help communities by digging wells, providing electric solar-powered pumps and storage tanks on their Hope Center property, with distribution points to go outside of their Hope centers, as well as building concrete water troughs for animals to come and drink. 

“It means drinkable water, safe water, is accessible to the same girls and women who would carry it from miles away from dirty rivers. It means it’s right there, within walking distance of their house,” says Holman. “It really is life changing.”

It also provides a bridge for Kenya Hope to reach people with the Gospel, by first showing communities that the ministry cares about them as people and about their most basic needs.

“It’s wrong to not proclaim the gospel,” says Holman, “but it’s ineffective to proclaim the gospel and ignore needs. They provide a bridge so that people will be inclined to listen. They will want to listen to the audio Bible put in their hands. They will want to come and see the Jesus Film. They will welcome teachers in their homes and settlements to talk about who Jesus was and what he claimed to be and that really the gospel is about the God of creation, and all those things they need to understand in order to call on the name of the Lord to be saved.” 

Providing water does come with challenges. The technology used needs to be made in a way that will last; it requires people who are familiar enough with the technology to properly operate it; and it requires security to keep parts from being stolen. 

So how can we be praying for Kenya Hope? 

Holman asks for prayers for personnel: “To raise up a person or persons that can be rapid responders, to keep all of our infrastructures going so it fulfills the use, why we spent the money on it. We can have all the money in the world, which we don’t, but we need people, and God always wraps his message in people as they live out and love and are faithful. And I’m speaking particularly and mostly about Kenyan brothers and sisters in Christ, that’d be the right ones to join the team and serve and make all these things happen.”

Photo courtesy of Kenya Hope.

Steve Holman with Kenya Hope explains that authorities saw last Monday coming. “The national government pretty much blockaded and closed down the centers of all those towns, and especially Nairobi,” he says.

The July 1990 protests called for a return to multi-party democracy, according to a report from Al Jazeera. Today’s unrest also reflects anti-government frustration, including deep concern over police brutality, as in the case of Albert Ojwang.

Clashes between rioters and police turned violent, damaging properties, injuring dozens, and resulting in more than 500 arrests. Kenya’s human rights commission reports that 31 people died during the July 7 marches nationwide.

Though the unrest isn’t over yet, Kenya Hope’s Nairobi-based national director, Reuben Kamau, viewed the July 7 riots as one-day events. Holman says Kenya Hope’s work among the Maasai people in Narok State has remained unaffected by events in the capital. 

“What happens there (in Nairobi) will not change their life (among the Maasai),” he says. “They’re already [in] a situation where, while money is given and money supposedly sent, the projects that you and I take for granted — like reasonable roads, public water systems, elementary schools — even though the money’s been allocated, it doesn’t reach there because of corruption.” 

What Kenya Hope needs these days is more gospel workers. 

(Photo courtesy of Kenya Hope)

“We have donations, we have programs ready to go,” Holman says candidly. “We just don’t have enough people to do it well.”

Young people in Kenya are searching for something — or Someone — to live for. Ask God to call young men and women in Kenya to serve with Him in His Kingdom.

“This is a new generation, and there’s a lot of university students who don’t have a lot to do, and they’re looking for a cause,” Holman says of the protesters. 

Header photo: Nairobi, Kenya July 2025 (Photo courtesy of Story Zangu via Unsplash).

Kenya Hope’s Steve Holman says, “The Gospel is widely known, but it’s more of a prosperity Gospel. The vast majority of churches are prosperity; it doesn’t matter what the label is.”

The Lord provided a strategic partnership between Kenya Hope and Emmanuel Baptist Church of Nairobi to help pastors get the training they need.

Last month, 41 pastors attended a conference organized by Kenya Hope and Ekklesia Afrika, a ministry of Emmanuel Baptist Church.

Representative photo
(Photo courtesy of Ekklesia Africa via Facebook)

“For the first time in our mission history, well-qualified Kenyans came to teach, and they taught a package of materials in a seminar format that laid the foundation for healthy pastoring and healthy churches,” Holman says.

“Out of that will come five or six pastors interested in being part of a formal program.”

Ekklesia Africa developed its Soma program to fill the training gaps held by many Kenyan pastors. As described here, the four-year program leverages cohort learning to expand leaders’ knowledge:

Soma is both a Swahili word meaning ‘to read’ and a Greek word meaning ‘body.’ The Soma program is divided into a four-year curriculum that covers key areas of study like Ecclesiology, Biblical and Systematic Theology, Pastoral Theology, Word-based Ministry, and Missions. Soma’s approach to learning revolves around cohort-based study and Socratic discussions. Each month, pastors in different cohorts receive a chosen book, accompanied by a study guide and report-writing guide, in preparation for a joint monthly cohort discussion. With cohorts comprising 6-12 pastors, these gatherings take place locally, allowing pastors to stay close to their homes and churches.

“If you’re being trained while you’re already on the job, it works really well,” Holman says.

“This is not a denominational thing. It is simply a good way to learn together.”

Strategic partnerships make it all possible. While Ekklesia Africa provides the training, Kenya Hope offers logistical support. “This was a test run, and everything we see indicates it’ll be an ongoing conference as the Lord provides,” Holman says.

Church partners in the US help through funding and volunteer work. “They partner with us for a specific place and period, and they help to establish a solid foundation for building Gospel bridges,” Holman says.

“When we’ve shown we care for real human needs, we get the opportunity to slowly, patiently, and systematically teach them the Gospel and call on them to put their trust in Christ in a genuine way.”

Contact Kenya Hope to learn more about church partnership.

Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Gracious Adebayo/Unsplash.

(Photo courtesy of Mueller family)

Steve Holman of Kenya Hope explains, “A year ago at this time, there was a decision made to go forward and open the school…. Going back two years, I wouldn’t have thought this was possible. But God really laid this on the heart of Dave and Joy Mueller, and that is why it’s an honor to name it after them.”

Mueller Memorial Academy opened in January, following Kenya’s national school calendar. It launched with three classes (PP1, PP2, and Grade 1) and a classic Christian curriculum in partnership with the Rafiki Foundation.

“The community has been very supportive,” says Holman. “We have these three classes [with] about 75 students. This means every succeeding school year, a grade will be added. And as, of course, grades are added, they have to add facilities for teachers because teachers are generally sent from afar.”

Mueller Memorial Academy’s official dedication will take place on May 7. The Muellers’ oldest son Ian, his wife Stephanie, and their young son are traveling to Kenya for the ceremony.

Mueller Memorial Academy isn’t just about academics. Kenya Hope’s long-term plan is to grow the campus into a full Hope Center — offering widow empowerment programs and sustainable agriculture projects. Already, the property has a strong start with cows, goats, and vegetable gardens.

Mueller Memorial Academy’s campus. (Photo courtesy of Kenya Hope)

“The ideal is that each Hope Center grows enough of its own food to feed its kids,” Holman says. “Wouldn’t that be awesome? We can make a big dent in it at the Mueller Memorial Academy, but not fully. So it takes wise leadership.”

Finding an on-site administrator is the next step. Currently, Kenya Hope’s national director, Reuben Kamau, manages the school remotely from Nairobi.

Holman says, “Eventually, as the school gets larger, there’s going to have to be a full-time leader there, rather than Reuben trying to administer the program from afar. You do have cell phone communication, but there’s nothing like being there!”

How You Can Help

Student sponsors with Kenya Hope. (Photo courtesy of Kenya Hope)

Child sponsorships are another significant need. For $40 a month, you can provide a student with a uniform, shoes, a sweater, daily meals, school supplies, and emergency medical care.

“In all the Hope Centers [with] all the students that go to class and are fed by us every day, not even 10% of them are sponsored,” Holman says. “There’s always a need.”

Sponsoring a student is simple! Just head to KenyaHope.org to donate, and designate your funds for “Child Sponsorship.” You also have the option to sponsor a specific student with Kenya Hope here.

As Mueller Memorial Academy finds its rhythm, Holman asks believers to pray that the school would grow wisely and remain stable through the early years. Ask God to provide for the students and their families, many of whom live in deep poverty. Pray also for a full-time administrator who can operate the school on-site.

Holman says, “Just having seen that brand new picture of the student body, it’s amazing. They are excited to be at school.”

Header photo: The first classes of Mueller Memorial Academy. (Photo courtesy of Kenya Hope)

Yet, even with access to an education, a teen Maasai girl faces another challenge: Puberty and her monthly period.

Kenya Hope serves in the Maasai community. Alexa Mueller with Kenya Hope explains, “For a Maasai girl,…she does not have access to menstrual supplies. So whenever she has her monthly bleed, very often, she’ll stay home from school and miss that time in class.”

Kenya Hope’s Girls on Mission ministry provides dignity bags to teen girls. (Photo courtesy of Kenya Hope)

It creates a compounding effect as a girl is absent from school each month.

Mueller says teen boys or men will sometimes buy a teen girl disposable pads, knowing how desperate she is for menstrual supplies. “The girl will receive it, use them, and be grateful for them. Then the same boy will come back and say, ‘Well, now you owe me.’ Well, the girl, if she says, ‘I can’t, I don’t have any money. I have no way to pay you back,’ they will ask for some kind of a physical favor in return.”

If a girl in Kenyan culture gets pregnant, she is automatically pulled from school. “Then you’re guaranteed that you will have FGM and child marriage and so forth.”

Menstrual supplies can be the linchpin that keeps Maasai girls in school and out of harm’s way.

Kenya Hope’s Girls on Mission ministry provides dignity bags to teen girls. (Photo courtesy of Kenya Hope)

That’s why Kenya Hope distributes “dignity bags” to these girls through their Girls on Mission ministry. Each dignity bag contains critical menstrual supplies that enable them to maintain their education.

“It’s amazing what a pair of underwear means to these girls – the soft cotton underwear, specifically! That is not something they have there,” says Mueller. “So these [are] coveted supplies of multiple reusable pads as well as underwear that is soft and wearable, and…laundry soap.”

Most importantly, Mueller emphasizes, “The Gospel is weaved into everything — that they have a Savior who loves them, that they are valued and precious and beautiful. [We tell them] they have a Savior who died for them and sees them. That’s life-changing!”

Pray these teen girls ultimately find true confidence in Christ.

Learn more about Kenya Hope’s ministry.

Header photo courtesy of Kenya Hope.

(Photo courtesy of Mueller family)

“Through the help of the Rafiki Foundation, it’s going to be classic Christian school,” says Steve Holman with Kenya Hope. “There’s already more than 100 kids on a waiting list. There’s already a faculty and headmaster hired. Year by year, we’ll be adding classes.”

The school will be opening with three grades in January 2025. Holman says much of the responsibility for establishing the faculty, the curriculum and the training for the school was on the local Kenyan director’s shoulders. 

“I’m really just amazed at what God has done,” Holman says. “But this was something that Dave and Joy really believed in, and it’s quite ambitious. It’s clear that God’s been in this.” 

Kenya Hope has a five-level strategy by which they partner with local communities. First comes clean water, the gospel, and audio Bibles. Then come community development projects, such as their Widows Might program and eventually a school.

“We had seven locations last year, but it looks like very soon, we will be involved in 12 ministry sites among the Maasai people. That’s a big step forward,” Holman says.

Mueller Memorial Academy campus (Photo courtesy of Kenya Hope)

The Mueller Memorial Academy campus is the first local property the ministry has owned. But Holman is quick to point out, “The human part is far more important — cohorts of widows [in the Widows Might program] and then the children coming to the school. [Then] the school growing each year and fulfilling its mission as a unique Rafiki Philosophy of classic Christian education, Kenyan style.” 

There are many ways Kenya Hope serves as the hands and feet of Christ. Connect with them at kenyahope.org or check out their Christmas Giving Guide to find your place in the story! 

“Start with our website and look at the opportunities there,” Holman says. “We need more partner churches — a church that takes a look at what we do and says, ‘We believe in that. How can we personally get involved?’”

Header photo of students from another school courtesy of Kenya Hope. 

Kenya Hope works with local Kenyan believers to support widows, community water and health initiatives, and empower families through their Hope Centers – all in the name of Christ. Last year, Kenya Hope had seven ministry sites among the Maasai people. But soon they hope to expand to 12 locations.

(Photo courtesy of Kenya Hope)

Steve Holman with Kenya Hope says, “Our board has approved an initiative of some major fundraising which will take the next couple of years. With all those new ministry locations, obviously there are infrastructure needs – practical things like classrooms and a dining hall or cook houses and faculty housing and things.”

Yet, with the sudden loss last year of their executive directors, Dave and Joy Mueller, Kenya Hope is in need of new leadership and looking for a new executive director.

“It would take a step of faith for any person to say, ‘I’ll be the next executive director of Kenya Hope,” says Holman. “We’re not looking to replace Dave and Joy Mueller. They were unique and irreplaceable.

“But we are confident that God’s hand is on this ministry, and we’re looking for a godly leader to have the skills to work with a multicultural team and have the ability to effectively present a compelling story.”

Ask the Lord to raise up a godly leader to the helm of Kenya Hope.

If you’re interested to learn more about opportunities with Kenya Hope, visit their website here!

Header photo courtesy of Kenya Hope.

Kenya Hope’s Steve Holman says, “One major part of our ministry model is partnering with local congregations across the United States. This church is Grace Community Church in Hudsonville, where we are, and this team includes Alexa and Forrest Mueller. Forrest is the middle son of Dave and Joy Mueller.”

Forrest and Alexa Mueller at Kibera Hope Center. (Photo courtesy of Alexa Mueller with Kenya Hope)

Dave and Joy Mueller were the former executive directors of Kenya Hope who were tragically killed in a car accident while on the Kenya mission field one year ago. Steve’s daughter, Julie Holman, also died in the crash.

On October 25th, the missions team started the morning in Kenya with a devotional, prayer, and remembrance on the anniversary of the loss of Dave, Joy, and Julie.

Steve says, “One purpose was to help our Kenyan coworkers and widows groups and people in the Hope Centers grieve with Alexa and Forrest over the death of Dave and Joy and to remember them properly.

“Another purpose was, now that we have so much infrastructure and locations, how are we managing all of this stuff? [They are] seeing how well the wells were drilled and the water systems installed.”

(Photo courtesy of Alexa Mueller with Kenya Hope)

The team is visiting all the ministry’s Hope Centers in Narok County. They started with the Kibera Hope Center for a memorial service. The team also distributed food relief bags to Kenyan families and Dignity Kits to teen girls.

Please be praying for the Kenya Hope missions team as they continue ministry this week.

“First and foremost,” Steve asks, “[pray] for safety as they travel around. Second, for sensitivity to the leading of the Spirit as opportunities arise.”

Learn more about how you or your church can partner with Kenya Hope at their website!

Header photo courtesy of Alexa Mueller with Kenya Hope.