The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has donated a new learning center to Kibos Special Secondary School, which serves visually impaired students in Kisumu, Kenya. The donation was made in collaboration with the Kenyan Ministry of Education and the nonprofit Riziki Foundation, the church’s Africa Newsroom reported.
“Our message to the community and to our students is that we should share the love of Christ with each other and with those around us,” Kisumu Kenya District President Peter Akal said at the donation ceremony on January 16. “This spirit of Christlike love strengthens our unity as a community.”
The new learning center has 12 classrooms, each accommodating approximately 50 students, 18 restrooms with running water, and 150 desks. The donation also includes 20 Braille Bibles, 300 Braille picture books, and a new dormitory building.
The school’s principal, Joshua Ombayo, said: “We want to ensure visually impaired learners have access to state-of-the-art facilities.” “Learning in complex situations like this increases their self-esteem, increases their confidence, and improves their performance.”
Mr Ombayo said the school is growing and is likely to enroll 800 students within the next two years. This is four times the number of students the school currently admits.
President Akal told Church News that he was filled with joy when he saw the excitement and confidence on the students’ faces during the donation ceremony.
“One of the things that struck me was that Heavenly Father loves each of us equally and that we were all created in His image,” he said.
Kisumu Kenya District Presidency Second Counselor Martin Evans was also invited to attend the ceremony and help plant trees and cut the ribbon on the centre.
Prior to this donation, the Church supported Kilimanjaro Blind Trust Africa to establish an information and communication technology hub at Kibos School, complete with digital Braille learning equipment and training to enhance access to STEM subjects.
President Akar said continued humanitarian efforts are important because compassion can bring about equity and “eradicate poverty, restore dignity and improve the moral standards of society.”
