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About Us
In the year 2000, Joe and AlyceJo Symmon, ministers of Believers Faith Church in Nairobi, Kenya, had a vision and a dream to help homeless and orphaned children from Nairobi.Their intention was to build an orphanage and school where they could house, feed and educate 300 children.
How KOP was Formed
In the fall of 2002 to mark Monique Boekhout's 50th birthday she decided to run the Chicago Marathon and raise money for a foreign mission that she could endorse whole-heartedly. She chose the Jubilee Children's Center as her mission to support. After raising more than $52,400, more than $2,000 per mile of the marathon, she decided that this could be a project that she could support on a long-term basis. At that point she decided to recruit others and create a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and she called it Kenya Orphanage Project (KOP). Today KOP operates with a board of 14 distinguished members. Our 501(c)(3) Federal ID Number is 30-0141928.
Mission Trips
In February of 2003 Monique led a group of ten board members and friends on a mission trip to Kenya with a main focus on building bunk beds for the children and welcoming the first staff and children. The second mission was in July of 2004 and the main accomplishments were dental exams for all children and staff, eye examinations, constructing part of an irrigation system, and painting and administrative accomplishments. That same year, fourteen members from Good Shepherd United Methodist Church, led by Rev. Talbot Davis, senior minister, went to the Jubilee Children’s Center in August. They exposed our children to their first vacation bible school experience. In February of 2006, 23 volunteers spent several days building and installing a playground for the children. During that trip, 12 of them also climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, raising money for the KEEP Endownment Fund.
Please click here to read about the June 2007 mission trip, which were with two teams providing dental and medical care, as well as constructing additional bunk beds and school desks.
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5 children waiting for eye and dental exams |
The Container
Kenya Orphanage Project collected items for the children for about 18 months and filled a 40 foot container with donated items such as clothes, shoes, school supplies, bicycles, toys, books, etc. and shipped it by sea to the Jubilee Children’s Center in Nairobi, Kenya. Irrigation material for crops to feed the children and a complete playground, both donated, were also shipped at that time. Due to Kenyan regulations on the shipment of used items and particular exemptions of duties that had to be obtained from various ministries, it took much longer than anticipated for the container to be delivered on site. But the container finally arrived at the orphanage in December '04.
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The KOP 40 foot container with our children |
Hearts Are Opened
Phase One and Two of construction has been completed and includes boys and girls sleeping dorms, eight classrooms, matron’s quarters, and a two bedroom guesthouse. Our 98 children have been rescued from the cruel life of the city streets and are benefiting from our efforts. KOP does not pay volunteers for their time and no KOP funds were used for the travel expenses and lodging for any of the missionaries.
You Too Can Make a Difference
Won’t you please join us in helping to support this worthy project to make a difference in the lives of the powerless street children of Nairobi. For more information please visit How You Can Help.
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