Welcome to the Kakuma Interdenominational School of Mission (KISOM), a refugee initiated pastor and missionary training school in the camp. We dropped in on a class this afternoon and were quickly impressed with the hunger of the students to learn more from the Bible.

KISOM meets in this abandoned primary school in the camp. The buildings would be condemned anywhere else, but the pastors see them as a resource within which they can better prepare for the ministry.

IAFR has raised funding to help our refugee church partners build a suitable building for KISOM (3 classrooms, a large meeting hall and an office area). They are working on plans and a budget now. It will be the only school of its kind in the area and will serve churches both in the camp and in the surrounding host community.

Professor George Kalantzis from Wheaton College is with IAFR in Kakuma this week to offer a few days of intense theological instruction for the KISOM teachers. Jenny Hwang, from the Humanitarian Disaster Institute of Wheaton College, is also with us to help KISOM teachers gain a deeper understanding of trauma and trauma care.

By investing in KISOM we are strengthening church leaders in both the camp and surrounding host community to better enable them to do the heavy lifting of caring for their faith communities.