Archive for Media+News

New Chapel & Visitors Center

Praise be to God!

The new Rafiki Chapel and Visitors Center were completed this month and have now become a reality. The dedication and first worship service was held on Saturday, February 19th, 2022. Reverend John Nganga celebrated his 60th birthday with the first of many worship services in the newly built Chapel. What a gift this was for him!

Thank you Short North Rotary, Rotary Club of Marietta District 6690 and all of the others that have donated to this wonderful project.

The Rafiki Chapel and Visitors Center
Windows on the outside of the Chapel
Amos and Reverend Nganga proudly stand in front of the new Chapel
Reverend John Nganga inside the newly completed Chapel
Sunshine streaming through beautiful stained glass windows
Setting up for the first worship service to be held in the new Chapel
Set up for worship service is complete
No photo gallery would be complete without a photo of the Rafiki kids returning from school!
Reverend Nganga praising God for the gift of the new Rafiki Chapel!

Christmas at Rafiki

Thank God for all the local and international donors who made this a great Christmas at Rafiki. We wish you a blessed and prosperous 2020. Sharing our photo gallery of memories created below.

Rev. Nganga’s visit to the states

Rev. John Nganga recently returned to Florida for a month long visit and wishes to share some photos with you. He returned to Kenya and the Rafiki family on December 17th and sends blessings to all as we enter into 2020.

Farm Workers Church Donations

The Rafiki family received many needed donations prior to Christmas from one of Farm Workers Church. Many thanks to them for blessing us this Christmas season.

Dr. Davis visits Rafiki

Upendo Choir from Tanzania joins in the celebration.

Dr. Terry Davis recently traveled overseas for his annual trip to Rafiki and is delighted to report that all is well at the Rafiki Children’s Center. The weekend was a great celebration of multiple accomplishments of our founder, the Rev. Dr. John Nganga.

On Saturday, February 17, a service of Thanksgiving was held to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Founding of Rafiki, the 30th Anniversary of Rev. John’s ordination and Rev. John’s 56th birthday! And what a celebration it was, we also celebrated the renaming of the Academy to Rafiki Terry Davis Academy. We were honored that the Upendo Choir traveled to Kenya to join in the celebration and provide their own brand of spectacular music.

Cakes for the occasions.

Click here to read Dr. Davis’ full report and see more photos.

Terry Davis
Columbus, OH
February 2018

April 2016 Rafiki Update

  • By Dr. Terry Davis

It didn’t seem quite right to be at Rafiki without John Nganga, the founder and CEO of Rafiki whose original vision and constant “pressing on” for 18 years has Rafiki photo 1been the underpinning of the entire project. However, we are so grateful that
his health is holding up with the help of a skillful medical team, a dedicated wife and family, and the Grace of God. God willing, John is currently planning a return to Rafiki this summer. For this trip, John’s cousin Eston Kihara had been here for several days when I arrived, and represented John for the many events we had packed into a few days. Eston has just become a member of the US Rafiki Board.

Click here to download and read Dr. Davis’ full report.

Work Continues on the Clinic

It’s been a very busy summer at the Rafiki Children’s Center. Construction work continues on the clinic where the second floor is being completed. Upon completion, this area will be temporarily used for classrooms for the Rafiki Academy. See our progress in the photos below.

Upendo Clinic Outreach Reports

The medical providers along with members of Kikuyu Rotary Club. The Club helped support this medical camp by donating medications.

The medical providers along with members of Kikuyu Rotary Club. The Club helped support this medical camp by donating medications.

On Saturday, June 14, 2014, the Dr. Terry and Barbara Davis Upendo Clinic, in partnership with Family Health Medical Center, hosted a screening outreach event. The event was free for all women who participated. Over the course of the day, 80 women were screened. The majority of women had never been tested for cervical cancer before, making this opportunity both valuable and unique. Women with positive or abnormal screening results were referred to Family Health Medical Center for further assessment and treatment, extending the benefit of this outreach beyond a single day.

 

Patients registering for the free cervical cancer screening.

Patients registering for the free cervical cancer screening.

Volunteer lab technician helps distribute medications at the Nderi medical camp.

Volunteer lab technician helps distribute medications at the Nderi medical camp.

Earlier this year, on Saturday March 1, 2014, the Dr. Terry and Barbara Davis Upendo Clinic hosted a free medical camp. The camp was located at Nderi Shopping Center, about five kilometers from Rafiki Children’s Center. The purpose of the camp was to provide community outreach and health screening, as well as to promote the services offered at Rafiki’s Upendo Health Clinic. Services included consultation for chronic or acute health care needs, basic laboratory testing, and medications. The camp was a huge success as we were able to see 147 patients throughout the day. Specific outcomes and the breakdown of patient demographics are provided in the report posted below.

button-download-full-report

 

Nurse practitioner Grace Alpert seeing a patient in one of the camping tents used for examination rooms.

Nurse practitioner Grace Alpert seeing a patient in one of the camping tents used for examination rooms.

First medical camp in Nderi. The camp offered free treatment, basic lab services and free medications.

First medical camp in Nderi. The camp offered free treatment, basic lab services and free medications.

Check back soon for details of the August Medical Camp event!

St. Benedict’s Dancers Perform at Rafiki

St. Benedicts Dance Team visited Rafiki Children’s Centre in July and here they are performing “Because You Loved Me” for the children and summer guests.

2014 Marafiki Calendar

God Willing

January 14, 2014 Marafiki board meeting, Florida
February 20 – March 12, 2014 Kenya Winter Trip
April 5, 2014 Marafiki board meeting, Columbus, OH
April 6, 2014 First Community Church Fundraiser, Columbus, OH
July 29 – August 8, 2014 Kenya Mission Trip
August 2, 2014 Service of thanksgiving: Partnership between Marafiki, First Community Church and Rotary International
September 6, 2014 Dr. Terry & Barbara Davis Marafiki Golf Tournament, Foxfire Golf Club, Lockbourne, OH
December 13, 2014 Rafiki Children’s Center Christmas Dinner

Have a blessed Christmas and a Prosperous 2015!