Wednesday, August 6, 2008

INTRODUCTION

Joy Valley Children's Home is a Charitable Organization based in Kayole, Nairobi. It was founded in 2005 by Pastor Jared Otieno Ogutu and his wife. Later other members of the community joined to give them support and voluntary services.

Joy Valley is a three-in-one dimension Centre whose target is giving shelter to the homeless, education to the less fortunate, and spiritual nourishment. In other words, it is Joy Valley Children's Home, School, and Church which operates under one Ministry.

Pastor Jared is a born again Christian aged 37, who was called by the Lord after undergoing terrible moments in his life both physically, mentally and emotionally. He was born in 1971. In the year 1990, he lost his left hand and now he is an amputee. He burnt in a burning charcoal jiko. He married one year after this accident and since 1991-1996, he was a total drunkard, a great robber and prostitute, whose main aim was to walk from one bar to another. He later ended up as a street boy, leaving his children and wife staggering as though they were orphaned. Thank God a year after the death of his father, the late Jonathan Ogutu, being an orphan and drunkard and vagabond, and having been abandoned by wife and children because the terrible life, one Sunday morning, the year 1997, he heard a call saying: "Jared, Jared, Jared, I want you to serve me by comforting the wounded, broken-hearted and giving hope to the hopeless and let them know from your testimony, where I picked you from and what I can do for them if they depend on me wholeheartedly."
Pastor Jared (left above) Baby Joy Colin Bond (right below: her right hand scalded accidentally by boiling water)







He served the Lord as an Apostle and a Missionary taking the Gospel around Kayole and different parts of Kenya. From 2005, He called me again in a new Ministry, which was to minister to the widows, disabled, HIV-infected and street children. And from there he was called again to give Home to the Homeless and Orphaned he had ministered to, and a holistic ministry to the less fortunate.

The first plot was offered by the Area Chief who was touched to see Jared's life had changed; a friend build a self-contained for him, and he later joined disabled hawkers at the City Centry where he merged to build two rooms plus the support of the same friend, Colins Bond. When people were rending the two rooms, the call was too strong and he was forced by the supernatural power and the compassionate heart for the needy to remove the two tenants and from there Joy Valley Children's Home was borne with six orphans on 30th March 2005. Now the population has risen to 90 orphans living in the Centre and 210 day scholars, totaling 300 children.

The Centre has now expanded to Form one to Two (Grade 9 and 10). The secondary students learn/study from external centres. But we are trusting God for our very own secondary section.