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Local pastor raising money for deaf school in Africa - Brattleboro Reformer
When Michael Gantt asked the driver to stop in western Kenya, he had no idea how it would affect his life.
Gantt, the pastor of the Agape Christian Fellowship, had been making annual trips to countries in eastern Africa for various humanitarian and church development projects since the early 1990s.
But it was a small sign in the rural town of Ringa, Kenya, that caught his eye and prompted him to get out of the vehicle he was riding in and investigate.
A few hundred yards from the sign was a small school for deaf children that operated under the auspices of Deaf Ministries International, an organization that oversees deaf schools and churches all over the world.
Seeing how small the facilities were for the 30 students, Gantt said he had to figure out how to help.
"Without an education these kids will end up begging on the streets of Nairobi," Gantt said. "It's tough enough with a country that has a 60 percent unemployment rate."
Working with friends he had made during his numerous trips, he set out to seek sponsors for students and raise funds to create economic development projects so that the school could be financially sustainable, he said.
Acting as an advocate for the school, he also sought out vocational training and emergency relief efforts on behalf of the school.
In the past six years, Gantt and his team of volunteers helped to raise money to purchase land adjacent to the school building so that the students and staff could grow their own food.
"The school now grows some fine crops which has helped to improve the diet of the kids and with the chickens they raise, another source of income," Gantt said.
In that time, the school's population more than doubled and there were countless success stories, he said.
One of the students, Evaline Atieno, is a gifted poet who writes and performs her own work, Gantt said.
Atieno, like many of the children, comes from a very poor family that can't afford any opportunities for their children. With the help of a woman in the United States, Atieno is able to perform her work which deals with the plight of the deaf in Kenya.
"Evaline is astute and understands her situation and is making the best of every opportunity she has," Gantt said.
Things were looking up until a few months ago when the property where the school and dormitories were was sold and the new owner demanded the students to vacate.
Instead of calling it quits, Gantt started asking everyone he could to figure out how to raise the $15,000 necessary to build a new school and dorms on the land they purchased a few years ago.
School is scheduled to start in early January, Gantt said, but it's going to take time to get the facilities built.
The students have been sitting in a building made from 60 feet of sheet metal with temperatures consistently above 100 degrees.
"Every day they don't have a place to go, the more likely it is that they'll never return," Gantt said.
As part of the fundraising effort, on New Years Eve at about 7 p.m., local musician Mark Braskie will be the featured performer at a benefit concert for the school, held at the Agape Christian Fellowship church on Canal Street.
Tickets are by donation only.
For more information about the school or to make a donation, visit Agape Christian Fellowship Kenya Development Fund - Home.
When Michael Gantt asked the driver to stop in western Kenya, he had no idea how it would affect his life.
Gantt, the pastor of the Agape Christian Fellowship, had been making annual trips to countries in eastern Africa for various humanitarian and church development projects since the early 1990s.
But it was a small sign in the rural town of Ringa, Kenya, that caught his eye and prompted him to get out of the vehicle he was riding in and investigate.
A few hundred yards from the sign was a small school for deaf children that operated under the auspices of Deaf Ministries International, an organization that oversees deaf schools and churches all over the world.
Seeing how small the facilities were for the 30 students, Gantt said he had to figure out how to help.
"Without an education these kids will end up begging on the streets of Nairobi," Gantt said. "It's tough enough with a country that has a 60 percent unemployment rate."
Working with friends he had made during his numerous trips, he set out to seek sponsors for students and raise funds to create economic development projects so that the school could be financially sustainable, he said.
Acting as an advocate for the school, he also sought out vocational training and emergency relief efforts on behalf of the school.
In the past six years, Gantt and his team of volunteers helped to raise money to purchase land adjacent to the school building so that the students and staff could grow their own food.
"The school now grows some fine crops which has helped to improve the diet of the kids and with the chickens they raise, another source of income," Gantt said.
In that time, the school's population more than doubled and there were countless success stories, he said.
One of the students, Evaline Atieno, is a gifted poet who writes and performs her own work, Gantt said.
Atieno, like many of the children, comes from a very poor family that can't afford any opportunities for their children. With the help of a woman in the United States, Atieno is able to perform her work which deals with the plight of the deaf in Kenya.
"Evaline is astute and understands her situation and is making the best of every opportunity she has," Gantt said.
Things were looking up until a few months ago when the property where the school and dormitories were was sold and the new owner demanded the students to vacate.
Instead of calling it quits, Gantt started asking everyone he could to figure out how to raise the $15,000 necessary to build a new school and dorms on the land they purchased a few years ago.
School is scheduled to start in early January, Gantt said, but it's going to take time to get the facilities built.
The students have been sitting in a building made from 60 feet of sheet metal with temperatures consistently above 100 degrees.
"Every day they don't have a place to go, the more likely it is that they'll never return," Gantt said.
As part of the fundraising effort, on New Years Eve at about 7 p.m., local musician Mark Braskie will be the featured performer at a benefit concert for the school, held at the Agape Christian Fellowship church on Canal Street.
Tickets are by donation only.
For more information about the school or to make a donation, visit Agape Christian Fellowship Kenya Development Fund - Home.