Lances Deaf Orphans- Campus Development

In 2022 Deaf Child Hope was able to complete the construction of a new dormitory and classroom building near Kissi Kenya where there are around 30 deaf orphans living full-time at Lances Deaf Orphans (LDO). This project really changed the quality of life for so many and we want to share with you just how much.  This blog is about the LDO campus from the start to the present and even our hopes for where the campus will go in the future.

This project really changed the quality of life for so many

A Colorado man, whose name is Lance, visited Kenya around 14 years ago while on a mission trip. Lance is deaf and while he was on this trip he witnessed firsthand the huge struggle that deaf children in poverty face in Kenya. Ultimately he felt called to do something about it and went back with the intent to build a home for the orphaned deaf children he had met who were living without families or a home.  They started from scratch, purchasing land and building temporary dormitories and other structures by hand. Fundraising every penny used to purchase the land itself and the materials to build a new campus.

Years later when Deaf Child Hope got involved, DCH worked to get these deaf children sponsored and a steady stream of critical revenue was started through the deaf child sponsorships. Eventually, DCH took on all operations from Lance’s team, and now DCH is fully fiscally responsible for all of the children, staff, and operations of the campus.

The campus changed over time. Initially, there were some dormitory buildings but the children didn’t have much for clothing, shoes, beds, and other necessary items. Then a kind donor purchased beds and mattresses for all of the children and shoes, clothing, school clothes, and other needed items. Initially, they did much of their cooking outside and through the years an indoor kitchen was built and later a second improved one. Similar situation with the restrooms and the in-ground toilets. A new temporary dining hall was built. All labor at LDO is done by hand and the children help where they can. For years the children and staff would walk half of a mile each way to get the needed water for LDO from a spring. Then in 2018 a big campaign was launched to fund the building of a well, a pump, and a tower for the water tanks to store water. The pump for the well runs on solar power which helps manage the cost of increasing power rates.

Also that year the funds were raised for a new front gate. The improvement was remarkable and so much hard work and labor were put in to make it happen. We all feel much better about the safety of those living on campus now that the entrance is secure.

Perhaps the biggest project of all was also the most recent

Perhaps the biggest project of all was also the most recent. Mentioned at the start of this blog was a new building that acts as boys’ and girls’ dormitories and classrooms. The building has electricity, tile floors, and indoor plumbing. The children have showers and toilets for the first time ever! We can’t begin to thank everyone who made the funding of this project possible.

Our staff started the year 2021 with a plan to complete the fundraising for this new building, hoping the fundraising would be complete in the 11 remaining months of that calendar year. Within only six weeks almost all of the funds had been raised. We were all shocked and without words. I guess God wanted us to hurry up our timeline! The new building also has a new concrete walkway and solar power is being installed this summer to power the entire campus.

Within only six weeks almost all of the funds had been raised

If God has stirred your heart while reading this then maybe a trip to LDO is in your future! DCH leada a mission trip each year to Kenya to visit and love on the children who live at LDO. This travel and the relationships made with the LDO family are so important. For an orphaned child in Kenya, who is deaf, to know that a stranger in America cares about them enough to visit them… well most of us may never fully understand the impact of that.

Only God really knows the future of the children who live at LDO and the campus there. At this time we feel like He is telling us it’s time to expand LDO to be able to care for more deaf children who desperately need safety, an education, to be loved and accepted, and to learn about the love Jesus has for them. The neighboring property is undeveloped farmland that we could expand the LDO campus onto. We have approached the current owner and asked if they would consider selling to us. We have not heard an answer from them. Time will tell and we need prayers from all of you for the owner to agree to sell us the land. Then, if the owner agrees, we would need to raise the funds to purchase it!

To experience life on campus a little you can check out the below videos

• What Christmas at Lances Deaf Orphans is like here.
• 360 degree view of Lances Deaf Orphans Campus here.
• The LDO children fingerspelling their names for you here.
• Day in the life at Lances Deaf Orphans.
• Lances Deaf Orphans First Trip: Day 1
• Lances Deaf Orphans First Trip: Day 2
• Lances Deaf Orphans First Trip: Day 3