John and Dorcus Parit
John and Dorcus Parit are the founders of Lenkai Christian School based in the Kimana area of southeastern Kenya. This is a private Christian school with over 250 students ranging from Baby Class (Pre-School) to Class 8 (or 8th grade). Their vision is to offer a holistic education to local Kenyan children, equip them with the best possible education, and develop their individual potential while molding them into future leaders.
They are also the founders of Hope Beyond Transitional Center which cares for children from needy cases such as FGM, child marriage, child neglect, forced labor, human trafficking, and other abusive realities. The Center also offers non-residential support to orphans and other needy cases such as Albinism, within the neighboring community. Hope Beyond provides trauma therapy and counseling for these precious children.
John is the African Director of The Olive Branch Mission, a US and Kenyan registered nonprofit with diverse projects in Kenya, including the world-famous conservation program at Sidai Oleng Conservancy. This conservancy offers a wide spectrum of conservation of wildlife, water, and indigenous species of plants within a 7,000-acre conservation area managed by The Olive Branch. John is currently finalizing his dissertation for his Master’s Degree in International Management through the University of Liverpool.
Dorcus is the Volunteer Coordinator of the Water Filter Project by Just One Africa which involves training and distribution of the filters to communities. The Water Filter Program has seen the distribution of over 1,000 water filters to various communities within a 150-kilometer radius from the school with tremendous success and great impact. Dorcus is also an active leader within the local and national stage where she is serving with the Local Peace Committee. She is the Kajiado County Treasurer of the National Women Organization and sits on other local and national committees involved in fighting for the rights of women and children while advocating against FGM and other forms of child abuse. She is also passionate about empowering women and providing many sustainability opportunities for them.
Together they have 5 amazing children, 3 girls, and 2 boys.
Lenkai Christian School and Hope Beyond Transitional Center
John and Dorcus Parit are the founders of Lenkai Christian School, situated in the heart of Maasai Land at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro in southern Kenya. Lenkai is a school that was founded under a strong Christian foundation in 2013. It has offered educational services to the local Maasai people with the aim of transforming the lives of the community surrounding the school. The school is committed to offering high-quality education. The school is at its capacity with 300 students ranging from baby class to grade 8.
The Parits also run the Lenkai Rescue Center caring for over 50 children who have been exposed to early marriage, female genital mutilation (FGM,) and others whose parents were unable to offer parental care from the Maasai community.
In 2015, Just One Africa partnered with Lenkai to build a large multi-purpose building used for dining, musical productions, and community development seminars. It can also be rented out, bringing additional income to the school to cover other expenses. Just One Africa has also partnered with Lenkai to build a kitchen for the school lunch program and to prepare the meals for the rescue center. Another goal of the kitchen was to launch a bakery, which will bake bread for the students and rescue center children, to provide additional loaves to be sold for sustainable income for the school, and to provide jobs for a few local workers. One of the most recent, exciting initiatives is the drilling of a borehole as a reliable water source for them to use in agriculture, instituting other income-generating activities, and giving clean water to the students and kitchen for food preparation. This borehole will be a catalyst for bringing sustainability to Lenkai for years to come!
VISION: To be the center of excellence in providing quality education that ensures the holistic development of each child.
MISSION: We are committed to providing the best possible Godly atmosphere conducive for learning growth and development of each child to their full potential.
PHILOSOPHY: Train up a child in the way he should go and when he or she is old he or she will never depart from it.
Learn more about Hope Beyond Transitional Center at their website: hopebeyondcenter.org
Impact:
- Children at Lenkai Christian School: 250
- Children at Hope Beyond Rescue Center: over 75
- Community Development Center for Enrichment and Education
- Community Training to stop FGM (Female Genital Mutilation) and Early Childhood Marriage.
- Recycled Paper Bead Program – Providing education, income and clean water (Read More)
