St Paul’s, Castle Hill has partnered with child development organisation Compassion Australia to implement a life-saving venture: building homes for 25 families in poverty-stricken regions of Kenya. 

The church will raise funds to build new, permanent homes for families in Kenya through, among other things, the sale of Malacci’s Fair Trade coffee. Malacci’s is St Paul’s own blend and profits will go towards the project until all the houses are completed.

Together Compassion and the church will be improving the living conditions of 25 families, providing secure home environments and giving their children the continuing opportunity to regularly attend Compassion’s child development programs and classes at local schools.  

The 25 Kenyan families now live in temporary shelters and dilapidated homes on marginal land, and are vulnerable to natural events such as landslides, fires and floods. While the most pronounced effect of inadequate housing is on children’s physical health – children in inadequate housing are more likely to have respiratory problems and be at risk of infection – it can also threaten their mental health, social interactions and development, their ongoing education and ability to learn. 

“Because of St Paul’s support each of these families will soon have a safe, robust home, able to withstand the wet season’s torrential rains and the dry season’s baking sun,” said Paul Beeston, Compassion’s church and partner relations manager. “As well as providing for their physical safety, the homes will also help to restore the dignity and emotional wellbeing of these families. And with a better home environment, these children will be better able to learn, study and grow in their relationships.” 

Through Compassion, St Paul’s is supporting children living in poverty in other ways as well. Recently, the parish’s help allowed a well to be built to provide the Masai community at Olontoto, Kenya, with clean water. In addition, hundreds of church members sponsor children, providing them with education, nutrition, health care, safe places to play and, most importantly, the chance to know Jesus as their Saviour.

Mr Beeston said that, “through Compassion’s child sponsorship program children are embraced by the local church, given the chance to escape the cycle of poverty and despair, and the opportunity to step into a future filled with hope. All of which helps local churches introduce people to Christ and disciple them.”

In the years to come, St Paul’s aims to sponsor more than 1000 children in Kenya and to continue to show God’s abundant love to children and families living in poverty around the world.

The senior minister of the church, John Gray, said that as part of its global mission, St Paul’s hopes to “grow and deepen our commitment to the poor and respond to the injustice of poverty on a personal and corporate level, praying and working together, not only for the physical and emotional wellbeing of people, but also in the hope of seeing them become disciples of Christ”.

Photo: St Paul's parish member, Jenny Van Rees, visits the Kenyan community of the child she sponsors through Compassion.