Lauren Scharstein- March 2021 Update

Kenya

The Rev. Lauren Scharstein is Deputy Director for Mission with the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA). Lauren began this call in Kenya in 2017 when the PCEA leadership invited her to serve as a lecturer in theology and biblical studies at the Presbyterian University of East Africa. During the same period, she was invited to come alongside the PCEA Mission Department in ministries of compassion, empowerment, and evangelism.

In early 2019, the PCEA leadership asked Lauren to accept a new position as the Deputy Director of Mission for the denomination, and she officially began this role in June 2019. The PCEA Mission Department has responsibility for PCEA mission schools and rescue centers, sustainable water projects, evangelism, church-planting, and global partnerships. Lauren has been particularly involved in ministry with vulnerable women and girls, providing training, administrative leadership, and program development for schools and rescue centers. She recently shared this update:

Naretoi Women’s Co-op Update

“Naretoi” means “a place of help” in the Maasai language, and the Naretoi Women’s Co-op is a group of Maasai women who came together to help and support one another. These women live in a semi-arid area of Kenya where the main economic activity is livestock herding. Men can leave for weeks or months at a time with their cattle to look for water and pasture. The women are often left alone to care for their children without any income or support. In one another, the women of Naretoi have found fellowship and understanding, as well as the courage to improve their lives and the lives of their children.

In 2015, the women of Naretoi Co-op started a small beading project where they each pooled 100 Kenya shillings (around $1) and purchased beading supplies together. They began to make beaded jewelry in the Maasai style to sell for weddings and other celebrations in their community. As their project generated some income, the women of Naretoi were able to support the basic needs of their families, including food, medicine, and school fees. 

In 2020, the group was given two acres of land for farming at their local church, and the women began farming a small piece of that land, growing onions and kale. Recently, The Outreach Foundation supported the construction of their first greenhouse which greatly expands the capacity for growing crops in a semi-arid environment. The women of Naretoi have planted tomatoes, spinach, and cabbage in their greenhouse and plan to harvest their crops in the coming months. The greenhouse initiative is a sustainable way for the women to transform their lives and the lives of their children. Because of the vegetables produced, they will have better nutrition and food security; their children will eat vegetables that they cannot afford otherwise. Through the sale of extra produce, the women will generate income to continue supporting the education of their children. Their sons and daughters will go to high school instead of dropping out for lack of school fees. The Naretoi Women’s Co-op has become a place of help and transformation for the community it serves.

Grateful for your partnership,

Lauren

Read more about Lauren Scharstein’s ministry HERE.

THE NEED
The Outreach Foundation is seeking gifts totaling $10,000 for support funds for Lauren. You may make a gift HERE or by sending a check to our office.