The Kijani Five
OUr five pillars
Everything we do at Kijani Farm flows through five areas of focus. Each one reflects our belief that lasting change — spiritual, physical, and economic — happens when the whole person is cared for. Together, they form the framework of our ministry in southern Kenya.
Education
The Maasai are a people group that are greatly disadvantaged within Kenya. Historically a pastoralist community, they face real prejudice from other Kenyan tribes, and the government offers no programs to help them access basic resources like affordable education. At Kijani Farm, we believe every student, parent, and family deserves the chance to thrive — for generations to come.
That belief drives everything we do in education.
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Six schools, feeding programs, and literacy programs form the foundation of our early childhood education work.
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Our feeding program provides two meals a day for all of our students. For many families in the Maasai community, consistent nutrition isn't a given. These meals make it possible for kids to show up, stay, and learn.
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High school term fees place a heavy burden on many Maasai families. Kijani Farm's high school bursary assists students who attend tutoring each term. The amount available varies based on the number of qualifying students and what our organization is able to raise, but even partial support makes a significant difference for families who have fallen behind on payments.
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For students who excel in secondary school, the Kijani Farm Scholars Program opens the door to a university education. We work to pair each student with an individual or group who will support them both financially and prayerfully throughout their time at university. Todd and Emeris Rhines lead the work of matching students with sponsors.
Faith
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Every week, Kijani Farm hosts men's and women's Bible studies — open to anyone and everyone. These gatherings create space for people to read Scripture, ask questions, and learn more about Jesus. We pray that they lead to genuine spiritual transformation in the lives of our friends and neighbors.
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Faith isn't only shared in a formal setting. Living in community alongside the Maasai people means building relationships day by day. Together, we build the kind of trust that creates space for honest conversations about God, purpose, and hope.
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Kijani Farm actively supports local Kenyan pastors who are already doing the work of ministry in the Maasai community. We see ourselves as partners in a much larger story of how Christianity in Africa grows by going beyond programs to build deep, sustained relationships.
We believe the primary reason Kijani Farm exists is to share God's love with the Maasai people. As Christians, we believe every person is made in the image of God, which means every person has value and purpose. That conviction is the heartbeat of everything we do.
Work
Economic opportunity is one of the most practical barriers facing young adults in the Maasai community. Without access to marketable skills or job training, many are left without a clear path forward. Kijani Farm's Hire 2 Disciple program is designed to change that.
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Hire 2 Disciple recruits young adults and trains them in real, marketable skills. Current training tracks include construction, welding, and hospitality with plans to expand offerings as the program grows. Discipleship is woven directly into the workday, shared alongside a cup of chai.
The goal isn't just employment: it's forming people who are skilled, grounded in their faith, and ready to contribute to their community for the long haul.
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Kijani Farm actively tries to create jobs in our areas of ministry so that people with different skill sets have chances to be employed.
Water
Access to clean water in Kenya — especially in rural, underserved regions like Maasai territory — is one of the most pressing and overlooked challenges facing communities today. The government provides no infrastructure to help, leaving families to travel long distances or rely on unsafe sources.
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Because of our Community Water Project, Kijani Farm now has reliable access to the water needed to grow food. We're investing in agriculture projects that aim to provide meals for our feeding program and give back to the broader Maasai community. Sustainable, locally grown food is the next step toward a feeding program that doesn't depend on outside resources.
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Kijani Farm's Community Water Project (CWP) is one of the most tangible clean water projects in Kenya working at the community level. It provides clean water access for families within walking distance of the farm, powered by a borehole that produces 24,000 liters of water an hour — enough to share generously with the surrounding community.
For the Maasai people, this kind of reliable, local clean water solution changes daily life. It means children aren't walking hours to find water. It means families aren't getting sick from unsafe sources. And it means our team can focus on the other work of the ministry, knowing one of the most fundamental needs is met.
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In the next five years, we aim to install boreholes at each of our school sites, expanding our clean water solutions in Kenya to reach every student right where they learn.
Consistent access to water has also made it possible to begin developing our agriculture projects, which we hope will eventually support our feeding program.
Healthcare
Healthcare in rural Kenya is hard to access and often unaffordable. For the Maasai community, that means serious medical needs frequently go unmet.
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Kijani Farm facilitates visits from short-term medical teams and provides transportation to Kenyan hospitals for community members who need care beyond what we can offer on-site. Community Care Visits also allow us to respond when individuals or families face serious medical situations that require outside support.
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In early 2027, Kijani Farm and MeMa plan to launch a community clinic that will provide affordable, accessible healthcare to our neighbors. This has been a long-held goal for our team, and it represents a major step toward sustainable, on-the-ground medical care for the Maasai community.
Over the next five years, a functioning clinic is one of our most important priorities.
Community Care Visits
The Kijani Five represent five distinct areas of focus, but they're deeply interconnected in practice. A family struggling with school fees may also be facing a medical crisis. A student without enough to eat can't learn. Agriculture is only possible with clean water. Faith runs through all of it.
That's why Kijani Farm's Community Care Visits exist. These one-on-one visits allow our team to meet directly with individuals and families facing extraordinary needs, such as a serious medical situation, food insecurity, or exorbitant school fees. No single pillar covers every circumstance, and Community Care Visits make sure no one falls through the cracks.
When a need goes beyond what our regular programs can address, the Kijani Farm Compassion Fund is there to help. It's a separate fund dedicated entirely to these special cases.