Global Minds Education Centre

Breaking Chains in Nairobi

 

"How I just pray that the chains of poverty, illiteracy, negligence, stigmatisation, and other viles in our society will be broken through Global Minds."- Augustine Wanyama

Kevin Townsend of Broomfield, Colorado has formed a partnership with Global Minds Education Centre which is located in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya. The Director and Founder of the Centre is Augustine Mumia Wanyama. (Augustine and Kevin are in the above photo) The primary purpose of the Centre is to provide a Christian education for children who live in a nearby slum. Currently the school has a faculty of 9 teachers and staff and 125 students ranging in ages between 3 and 14 years. The Centre provides 2 meals per day, and classes for preschoolers, kindergarteners, and elementary schoolers grades 1-6.

The school was opened in September of 2021, and the rapid growth is a reflection of the leadership talent of Augustine and his team. It usually takes a few years for a new school to grow to a level of 100 students. The current plan for the next few years is to grow the enrollment of the school to over 350 students, and to expand instruction to include high school through graduation. In addition to the numerical growth of the school, they are also looking to purchase land on which they can have their own buildings.

Augustine has had a strong desire to educate his fellow Kenyans since he was a teenager. After he graduated from high school in 2001, he took in street kids and convinced the minister of his church to use their church as a school during the week. This led to the founding of Brine Academy which began with 3 students. Today the academy has nearly 500 students! In 2004 while Augustine was working at Brine he was recruited to serve as Headmaster of another new school, Candle Light School. It had opened with 6 students. Under his leadership the school attendance rapidly grew to 450!

In 2016 Augustine resigned from Candle Light School and began working with orphans and destitute children as a Country Director. He served in that role for 5 years and during that time he earned a Diploma in Child Psychology. When his contract expired in 2021 he opened the Global Minds Education Centre. In addition to directing the school, he also serves as the lead pastor of Hope Discovery Church in Nairobi.

The value of the education that the school provides for children living is the slum cannot be overstated. The education they receive as a result of attending this school greatly increases the opportunities they have to thrive in life, and to become contributing members to Kenya's future. 

Due to the health and nutritional challenges facing children living in the slum, the school wants to generate funds to help the familes of students meet their physical needs. 

The cost of one student attending the school amounts to about $30 per month ($360 per year). This includes the cost of food (2 meals per day), facilities, teacher and staff salaries, school supplies, and supplemental medical care.