In a small town of Ahero, Kenya, there was a time when the kids didn’t know where their next glass of water would come from.
The kids didn’t have a proper school environment to go to.
They couldn’t be educated for their future.
But thanks to the Heal the World Club, the people of Ahero have been able to get these necessities for their everyday life.
Former science teacher Kim Kerns said she has always been “passionate” about helping people, which is why she supported a teenage orphan in Kenya by sending her funds for food, necessities, and for her to go to a high school off site.
“I have a passion for helping girls get an education in areas where it is difficult,” Kerns said. “I’ve been doing this for over 30 years with different organizations, I’ve sponsored two in Haiti, one in Nicaragua, and one in Kenya.”
In 2017 Pastor Willis from Kenya came to the U.S. seeking funds for a new brick and mortar school for grades k-8.
“The old school was made out of sheet metal and was too hot for learning and the students got cuts from the metal,” Kerns said. “There is no doctor or hospital nearby so Pastor Willis needed a safer alternative.”
In addition to being the pastor, Willis is also the director of United Hope, which according to the website is “a Jesus Christ centered church, orphanage, school, and outreach for poor children, widows, and orphans in Western Part Kenya.”
While Willis was in the U.S., Kerns decided to have Willis speak to some of her science classes.
“I had him speak to my Biology classes about diseases like malaria affecting his orphans and students,” Kerns said. “He also spoke to my physical science classes about drinking water issues as animals live in the water they drink so they had to build a well which is very, very costly.”
After this visit from Willis, there was a group of students that were “so interested” in helping him, that they decided to form the club now known as the Heal the World Club.
Cathleen DeArville, the club’s current adviser, got involved with the club after Kerns retired in 2021.
100 percent of the funds that the club raises goes to Willis directly, which is something DeArville “likes about this organization.”
“There’s no middleman,” DeArville said. “So, when we send him 500 dollars at the end of the year, he can spend 500 dollars at his school. As opposed to some organizations that so much percentage goes to the overhead, which is fine. But not this organization.”
The money that the club sends to Willis goes toward materials for buildings.
“We send them the money and then they make these clay bricks,” DeArville said. “Then they build a building.”
Willis started the United Hope Orphanage through an outreach program of cleaning and disinfecting shallow wells and boreholes in different homes.
“Out of that [program] God laid upon my heart to bring in the suffering orphans that I came across,” Willis said. “I first adopted four and stayed with them in my house. Later on the number increased, and we had to establish a home for them that now has a capacity of 80 orphans.”
After the kids finish their schooling, the organization helps them find a job in order to live out in the world.
The club is always trying to think of new and creative ways to raise money.
“The candy gram thing is our big one right now,” DeArville said. “We have to prepare by buying the new meme cards, and cutting them up, and preparing to sell them. We’re always open to new members and new ideas and even new organizations. We could raise money for other things. The girls are looking at other organizations.”
But the club will always prioritize helping United Hope. Willis said another way they “sustain and support the programs” is through sponsorship.
“Therefore each [program] is sponsored by a family from the USA,” Willis said. “The support provides education, food, medical and clothing for each [child].”
Kerns has had a couple of favorite ways that the club has raised money for United Hope. One of them being a big yard sale at the high school.
“Many people donated over the summer and I stored everything in my garage,” Kerns said. “Many of the students bought items at great deals. Very thankful that we made $2,000. At the end [of the yard sale] a young boy and his family came and got all the leftover toys. The boy and family were very grateful and they appeared to be in much need.”
Kerns not only has supported the orphans and children by sending money that the club has raised, but she has also connected with them.
“I had a zoom call this spring with the orphan I support,” Kerns said. “I have had two different young ladies at United Hope. My first one is out of school. She spoke eloquently and was very joyful. She is studying in high school and hopes to be a surgeon.”
Kerns is passionate about making connections with these kids. She is also passionate about helping others find an important cause to help with.
“I believe that we should each find a humanitarian cause that we feel passionate about and find a way to help them,” Kerns said. “You get more out of helping than you can ever imagine.”
