FIRST MEETING
2005
Reverend Nelly, born in the Meru tribe, became a member of the Maasai after marrying her husband, Samson. As a dedicated pastor, she helped to spread Christianity to the Maasai people. In 2005, Ken Yockey, a Church Elder, traveled to Kenya to present the idea of ministering to children. "Children in Kenya are often taken for granted, so when I presented this, no one could comprehend what I was doing." Despite this, he, Rev. Nelly and Samson became instant friends.
THE START
2009
While Rev. Nelly was pastoring in Torosoi, she encountered many families in need. She took in two girls to help their families, and enrolled them in school. On another visit to Torosoi, six girls hid in her car as stowaways. When discovered, they said they too wanted to go to school. Before long, she was housing young girls who were singled out for early marriage. At this time, Ken reurned to present the child-centered approach again, and this time Rev. Nelly saw the potential. Ken shared his experience as a child, learning about the Bible and Christ’s teachings. Ken organized training for Rev. Nelly from the Child Evangelism Fellowship office in Nairobi, focusing on the best ways to communicate to children.
THE FIRST EXPANSION
2014-2015
By 2014, Rev. Nelly was supporting more than 20 children in her home, and was nearly broke. When Ken visited again, he offered to help raise money to fund food expenses and school fees.
Meanwhile, Rev. Nelly dreamed bigger. In 2014, she created the first ever Children's Rally in Kajadio. More than 400 children attended, while another 200 could not cross flooded rivers. It was a huge success! Three more rallies were held the following year, each attracting 600-800 children. What happened next was not expected. After the rallies, the children returned to their communities, sharing the songs, games and stories about the Bible with their families. Prompting many families to come Christ and start attending nearby churches.
THE CHILDREN'S HOME
2022
After three expansions on Rev. Nelly’s house to support the growing number of children for which she was caring, enough money was finally raised to construct a stand-alone Wadada Children’s Home. The new Home features dormitories for the children, bathrooms, a kitchen and dining areas, and education spaces. The Children's Home offers vocational learning, such as the sewing room and working farm, so children can learn skills to use once they are 18. With this facility, Wadada is able to house 60 girls and boys.
THE SUCCESS
2023
More than 1,600 children attended the three-day Children’s Rally in January. With such unprecedented numbers, Ken and Rev. Nelly scrambled to rent a tent, bring in additional foam mattresses and food to support the hugely successful event. These rallies also provide an opportunity for the Wadada children to use their leadership skills. They tell stories, lead games, cook, clean and act as leaders to the visiting youth.
Furthermore, the success of the Wadada program has elicited an incredible response from the surrounding communities. Parents, tribal chiefs and children’s services are amazed at the intelligence, poise and leadership from the “graduated” kids. We would love to accept more children, but we do not have the funding yet. And that is where Hope for the Hopeless was born, to raise money to support more vulnerable children.
THE FUTURE
As we continue on, we hope to expand the number of girls and boys able to call the Wadada Children’s Home their home. Goals include creating a larger fund for student tuitions, eliminating illegal child marriages and forced labor, and eradicating female genital mutilation. Please join us in our goal of providing a better future to these incredible children.
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