The vision for the International School For Champions is inspired by director and founder Catherine Omanyo. She and her husband and co-founder Pastor Daron Kendrick aim to offer unique opportunities for needy students embodying a keen awareness of social issues and actively participate in charitable work throughout the region.
Catherine’s Story
My name is Catherine Omanyo and I was born and raised in Busia, Western Kenya, Africa. I was raised by a dying father. 27 yrs ago, I lost a champion. My father fought a disease for six years and finally gave up the fight. The pain of losing him cut across my spinal cord. The deeper I hurt, the deeper I healed. The layers of trauma turned into wisdom.
I was the forth born of ten, raised by a poor widow. My immediate concern was how to protect my mum and my siblings. It is traditional practice that after the head of the house passes on, the clansmen pass over the widow to a brother of the deceased. That did not go over well with my mum. She refused to be inherited and that was the beginning of our trouble. We were beaten up and thrown out of our home. My mum defying the norm was an abomination and immediately she became an outcast. No one came for her rescue.
I used to sneak into school, and the teacher would beat me and throw me out of class for lack of school fees. I was poverty stricken to the core. But Faith in me was unshakable. I believed it would be well some day. My family clung together many times in a shanty house, but we were thrown out many times for lacking rent. I grew up witnessing very distracting and unbearable incidences in my life that i still wonder today how possible it was to make it to the other end. Only God has that answer.
I had no electricity and no running water, but I stuck on the promises of God.
Mark 11:24 - Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted to you.
I locked that scripture in my mind and believed.
I planned with a pencil and thought through how I would get myself and my family out of poverty. I started washing clothes for people during the weekend and offering tuition to pupils and students who had a problem understanding their teachers. It helped, but the area I was offering tutoring to was facing similar problems I had. I planned to go to an affluent estate to seek to be a house manager so I could earn a living from it.
It worked, but the money was too little - $20 a month. I noticed how young adults in the slum were idling due to lack of school fees and I thought of starting free tutoring there. I started with five students, and in a meek of time, I had over 50 students. But the devil does not rest in seeing anyone figure out how to be part of the solution to issues affecting God's people.
During my free tutoring, county government officials came and almost jailed me for running an institution without a license. I thought I was just offering a free service. I knew the government would be happy for filling the gap where they couldn't but I was wrong. Many times where you are hit the most is where your treasure is. It is where you finally have gotten something going right in the kingdom of God. I never relented. I persuaded the police to give me two weeks to put everything in order. I ran around, knocking all relevant doors to register my school - and that is how I started a high school.
Impreza Academy, now International School for Champions went from shanty building to owning land and building up structures for learning. I offer tuition to young adults who are unable to continue with school due to lack of fees. Some students are from dysfunctional families, and some students defy getting married off for exchange of cows. I have always remembered what my late dad used to say - “When you can, do it. Even if you think you can't, try it.”
Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.Benjamin is a ravenous wolf' refers to Paul, who was a wolf to the wolves and snatched all souls away from the evil one, and 'in the evening he will divide what he seizes', that is, at the end of the world he will rest with a reward greater than his labors. - Genesis 49:27
Many times as Christians, we focus on giving hope. Where I am, it is doubly hard, due to ignorance and poverty. But I know God knows why I was born here.
Little is known about this village, but we are determined to fish more people into the kingdom of Christ. Together with my husband, Bishop Daron Kendrick, we started a church, Living Rivers millennial church. We focus more on empowering poor widows, sponsoring young adults (from 12 yrs to 21 yrs) into high school and colleges, and pastoring all who care to listen to the Word of God.
-Catherine Omanyo, Director/Founder