How do you make one of the worst schools in Kenya into one of the best? The answer is deceptively simple—you give each student their own book. Caso Upendo Primary School formerly had only one book per class. But thanks to all who sponsor children through the Education Ministry, the school now has a book for every girl and boy! That change has resulted in the school's average test scores jumping by a whopping 60%! And one student scored in the top percentile of the whole nation!

It turned out to be the most unusual—and the coolest—request I’d ever received for funds from the Education Ministry: a young man named Selvaraj, who grew up in an orphanage in Sri Lanka, just graduated from high school and wanted to go to vocational school to become a mechanic. But Selvaraj’s dream went further—and faster. He wanted to become a race car mechanic!

Just over a year ago, in response to a special letter from David Servant, many friends generously contributed to a primary and secondary school in the Mathare slum with conditions like no other I've ever visited. At the time, their test scores were in the lowest percentile of the whole country of Kenya.

Some days encouraging news seems in short supply, doesn't it? Well I'd like to share a brief, very encouraging letter that I received from one of our sponsored schools in Kenya.

As Netra Sharma left the prison for a second time, the police gave him permission to stay in their town on 3 conditions: (1) He doesn't preach the gospel; (2) He doesn't use any public well; and (3) He doesn't speak to anyone in public. Netra's crime: preaching the gospel. A police investigation proved that, but the Hindu radicals in Harinchara, India, wanted to silence him—and they controlled the police.

Can you imagine having to open a private school in your area because the government refuses to do so, only to discover that fewer than 15% of your students can afford tuition? This is the reality for many Christian schools we encounter in the slums of developing nations. But the kindhearted, Christ-like teachers who labor under these conditions cannot bring themselves to refuse these poor children an education.

Children at the Mathare Slum School happily showing off their new school books Dear Friends, You may recall that in May of this year David […]