Partners For Care
 

 

Beat the Drum / Kathi's House

Beat the Drum Children's Home was birthed out of very sad circumstances - which were the intersection of Partners for Care founder Connie Cheren discovering 5 children infected with HIV / AIDS within other children's homes operated by Glory Outreach Assembly; and co-founder David Gruber losing his beloved wife Kathi to cancer June 5, 2007. This is a special place, designed to meet the special needs of these precious children infected with HIV/AIDS, and orphaned as a result of the disease they were born with.

Kathi's House was the first home to be built at Beat the Drum. This home is dedicated to the memory of Kathi Gruber, whose heart for children, passion for Christ, and love of mission work could not be extinguished by the cancer which took her away from us far too soon. Kathi's family and friends have grabbed onto the vision for meeting the needs of these precious children, and urge you to get involved in this special ministry. 

 

Immediate Needs

The following are needs which can be easily addressed, with a nominal commitment of financial resources

  1. Build additional homes on the site.
  2. Purchase a vehicle for transporting the children school and to the hospital when needed.
  3. Increase monthly donations  committed to operational support.
  4. Build and outfit a roadside stand to contribute to self-sufficiency.

Click Here to Learn More

To donate online, click here.

 

Beat the Drum

Named for the award winning movie, written by David McBrayer to draw focus on the epidemic of HIV/AIDS within Africa, the Beat the Drum Children's Home was conceived by Glory Outreach Assembly - Kenya (GOA) in response to children living in other GOA Children's Homes that were found to be infected with HIV/AIDS. Partners for Care has been blessed to be one of the supporters of the vision for this special place for children. David McBrayer has also graciously supported Beat the Drum by directing some proceeds from the film to GOA to use in its Pillar of HIV/AIDS Awareness and Caring for the Infected and affected, which has provided funds needed to purchase the land for Beat the Drum.

Beat the Drum is unique, in that rather than having dormitory style accommodations for the children, there are plans for 10 separate homes, in which only 5 - 6 children and a parental unit will live. Further, the entire complex is focused on serving those affected by HIV/AIDS. A community kitchen and care center is planned, which will serve not only the children of Beat the Drum, but also be an outreach to the surrounding community.

 

The construction of Kathi's House was completed in early November 2007, allowing it to be dedicated during a gala celebration on November 11, 2007. The dedication was led by GOA's Bishop David Thagana, who provided the nearly 100 attendees with the inspiring story of how Beat the Drum came to be - and delivered an impassioned message of following  Nehemiah's model of prayer and partnering when trying to accomplish a feat for God that is impossible to accomplish on our own. Pastor John also shared his story - of how he came to Maai Mahiu in response to God's calling to serve those impacted by HIV/AIDS in the community - only then to be called upon by Bishop David to serve the precious children now living at Beat the Drum with him and his wife Mary. During this time, Pastor John revealed to all the heart of a man clearly seeking God's will for his life.

The website for Beat the Drum is available here. For more pictures of Beat the Drum and Kathi's House, click here. To view slide-shows of the dedication day, click here.

Two of the children living at Beat the Drum are highlighted below. Dika and Rebecca are pictured as they appeared when first tested for HIV by Partners for Care, and how appear after becoming part of the family at Beat the Drum.

Dika and Rebecca

Status and Plans

There are currently 12 children living at Beat the Drum (in addition to Pastor John and Mary's four children), and there are additional children waiting to be moved to Beat the Drum, pending construction of additional homes. There are now 3 homes completed - with 5 children coming to live in the home soon. The addition of these 5 new children will require considerable increase in monthly support from donors to Partners for Care.

Learn more about Beat the Drum and other GOA operated children's homes, by clicking here.

Near term plans include:

  1. Build additional homes - totaling 10, to allow Beat the Drum to support 50 children
  2. Bringing electricity to the property.
  3. Build a community kitchen and meeting room for the families of Beat the Drum.