Graceland School - Kibera slums in Kenya

by Pastor Jerry Theckston

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These beautiful faces belong to some of the 130 students that are now in our Graceland School in the Kibera slums of Kenya!  Most are kids who have been invited off the dirt roads of one of the poorest slums in the World!

Principal Judy Mtulah left a wonderful job with our dear friends at the Kidstar Academy there in Kibera to gather up children who were left to wander in the slums with no place to go.  They love school, love belonging and really love lunch!!  For many it is their only meal of the day…

We have been supporting them with $1,000/ month for about 5 years and more recently 3 field trips/ year (swimming- a first for the kids and most teachers, the Zoo and City gov. offices). When they first began the school,  all the food and classes were operating out of Judy’s small cabin, but the enrollment has now grown to about 130 students and 8 staff!  It is a life-changing, Bible based environment and the kids have excelled in all the government required testing!

But as you might guess, the costs have also risen.  Life for everyone in Kibera is on a survival basis.  They have a number of volunteers but the paid teachers have their own families and some really good folks have left because they can’t survive on $130/ month, so have taken jobs elsewhere that will pay 200/ month.  Can you imagine trying to survive even on $200/ month (and gas is more expensive there than here)!

I have included Judy’s most recent letter, so that you can get a sense of the struggle…

Praise the Lord, my dear friend, Pastor

Jerry! Have you been able to bury mum Sue’s loved ones who passed on? My deep condolence to her again and pray for God's comfort and peace. 

I acknowledge receipt of money sent for the swimming trip. May God richly reward you. We did not go last week on Friday as proposed because it was fully booked, but we have a slot this Friday on 15th May 2026. This week has been raining heavily, we are praying and trusting God for warm weather on this day. He is well able.

PRAY with me It has been truly a trial for my heart to get a trained teacher for grade 5 since the year began. I got 3 who were very good, but all have left because Graceland was offering 13,000/= and they wanted 20,000/= so they have since moved to other schools. I know God sees and hears he will come through for us.   

Send alot of hugs and love to mum Sue, yourself and the team🤝❤️

P.S. money in Kenya is called Kenyan schillings (KS) and there is roughly 100 ks/$1