Susan chose Kaptembwo because the political unrest of 2007 and 2008 had torn through Nakuru, leaving families broken, displaced and grieving, and children with nowhere safe to go. The need there was greatest, and her first focus was the women left with no income, who were illiterate and unskilled, so she started a sewing school to help them rebuild their independence and dignity.
Susan asked Christopher to leave his job as a teacher and social worker to begin this journey with her, without being able to promise what they would eventually achieve. Christopher said, 'I have faith in you,' and that was all Susan needed: someone else who believed in what was possible.
Together they turned a rundown house into classrooms, bought pedal sewing machines and coal irons, and found a woman to teach sewing alongside English and maths. Next door, an old garage became a preschool classroom.
Over four years, Gabriel’s taught more than 120 women to sew and 80 children through to primary school, all funded by the small but growing group of people who had begun to hear about our work.
In 2013, after countless fundraising activities, donations, and a lot of commitment and hard work, we built our own school on our own land. Alongside the school, we also built an orphanage. We could have built with mud bricks and a galvanised iron roof, but we chose to build something that would last for years to come, giving our children, who live without hope, a centre with strong foundations and a lasting presence of strength, stability and peace.
Construction of our centre was completed on January 8, 2014. Doors and windows are painted in bright, welcoming colours, and our orphanage opened in July 2014, giving 50 children a safe refuge and a family environment.
In 2017, we opened our second home for boys and a volunteer homestay, both located on our farm just 20 minutes from the school, welcoming those from all over the world who also want to be part of a child's story.
In 2021, we made available two homes for our older students over 18, serving as halfway homes whilst completing their education in college or university.
In 2024, through a new government policy, we combined our primary school with our Junior High, incorporating a new curriculum including science, computer, music and home economics. We finished all our classrooms and now teach up to Grade 9.
By 2025, it had become clear that free medical care was no longer optional, it was essential. Too many in our community were going without treatment simply because they could not afford it. We were fortunate to find a benefactor for this project, and now have the Gabriel Medical Clinic, which has been an incredible game changer, not only for our own school children, but for the whole community.
From that first day with 20 children in 2008, we have grown to 400 students, some of whom began with us all those years ago and are now graduating.
We embrace family values, welcoming children from 42 Kenyan tribes, including those with disabilities, those in extreme poverty, and those who feel forgotten.
Our story doesn't stop here. We continue to grow, ensuring that wherever we can, a child is given hope where there was none.
Gabriel’s is a place where everybody is somebody.
