Naivasha, Kenya—At first glance, the little shop looks like many others that line the streets of Naivasha, Kenya. Once a shipping container, it has since been transformed into a small business. It is unique not for what is inside, but for what lies underneath.

Just a few months ago, 10 boys were seen emerging from the tiny gap between the shop and the ground each morning. They were living in a burrow under the container, sleeping on old cardboard boxes and working by collecting and selling charcoal.

Today, the boys are living in the Naivasha Children’s Shelter near Nairobi, transitioning from life on the streets to life as part of a family again.

The situation the children face is common in Kenya. They struggle to survive on the streets. They may be beaten, abused, become addicted to drugs, and sometimes go days without food.

The Naivasha Children’s Shelter seeks to reach out to homeless children with the light of the gospel. Director Kristen Sayres said the facility houses about 40 boys at a time, allowing them to stay for about one year while they prepare to return to a family setting. In that year, they’re engaged in sports programs, skills training, education and counseling.

“Our mission is to rescue children from the streets and provide them with the love, care, guidance and support they need to become productive and responsible members of society,” Sayres said.

To help with that, Sayres is reaching out to churches in Kentucky, asking them to consider a partnership that could allow the shelter to help more children.

Kentucky Baptist Convention Disaster Relief Director Coy Webb supports Sayres’ outreach to churches.

“I think that connecting this with the right churches could make a significant kingdom impact, as well as offer the compassion of Christ to those orphaned or abandoned on the streets of Nairobi,” Webb said.

Specifically, mission teams are needed to direct sports and discipleship camps, provide mentoring sessions and skills training and, more importantly, to share the gospel with the boys and their families. Churches also can get involved in sponsoring a boy to ensure his education and care in the home. It costs about $100 per month to provide care for a child at the home.

Contact the KBC’s Missions Mobilization Team at (502) 489-3399 for more information about how churches can join in this Great Commission task in Kenya. (KBC)