From The Field
01.22

Happy New Year! As we step into 2026, we wanted to pause and reflect on what you helped make possible in 2025 through locally led leadership across Africa.

Last year alone, African Leadership partners walked alongside more than 10,000 individuals and families in their communities.

Each number represents a real person and a local leader choosing to stay, serve, and build in their community.

Keep Scrolling to see how you helped impact communities across Africa!

Impact Stories From 2025

Sylvia, from the poorest slum in Nairobi, was recently scouted to be on the national rugby team in Kenya!

Learn more

Once a child soldier herself, Jennifer is using her past to bring healing to children just like her.

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Even in a war zone, Jeremie is leading his team to bring support, healing, and encouragement to his community.

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FEATURED STORY

Meet Peter Ochiel
📍 Mombasa, Kenya

As we step fully into this new year, we are reminded that God often births the greatest works from places of hardship. The story of Blessed Camp - and the lives being transformed there today - began long before the camp itself ever existed.

It began with a boy.

A Vision Born from Poverty

Peter Ochiel, the founder of ACTION Ministry, was born in 1980 and raised in a small village in Western Kenya. He grew up in extreme poverty, where even basic education felt out of reach. Though academically gifted, financial hardship cost him the opportunity to attend a prestigious secondary school. What could have been the end of his journey became the beginning of a calling.

His church and community - people who themselves had very little - came together to support him with school fees, uniforms, and supplies. Peter walked nearly ten kilometers each day to attend an alternative village school, persevering through years marked by hunger, interruptions in learning, and uncertainty.

Those difficult years shaped his destiny. Through the sacrificial love of others, God planted a vision in Peter’s heart: to one day break the cycle of poverty and restore dignity to those who had been forgotten.

After high school, financial realities forced him to postpone further education as he worked to support his siblings and parents. While working at a small restaurant, Peter became deeply involved in ministry to orphans, widows, and street children. Compassion took root.

In 2002, Peter moved to Mombasa. There, the sharp contrast between wealth and devastating poverty stirred his spirit. Surrounded by luxury hotels and affluent neighborhoods, he also encountered families living in slums—hungry, sick, and unseen. He realized that compassion demanded action.

In 2004, that realization became ACTION Ministry.

From Rejected Camp to Blessed Camp

That same year, Peter met an elderly man begging on the streets of Mombasa - not for himself, but for school fees for his children. When Peter visited the man’s home, the journey took him over 60 kilometers away, to a remote village near the Indian Ocean.

What he found there was heartbreaking.

Over 30 families affected by leprosy had settled on land near a hospital that had since closed. Though treated, they lived with recurring wounds, disabilities, illness, and deep social stigma. Rejected by society and family alike, the settlement was known as Tumbe Village - meaning “a place for rejected people.”

Yet Peter sensed that God had brought him there for restoration.

The first act of transformation was simple but powerful: the name was changed from Rejected Camp to Blessed Camp.

Under a cashew nut tree, Peter and volunteers began gathering the community—sharing the Gospel, reminding residents of their worth, and building family where rejection once lived. A church was born. Soon after, a school began under that same tree so children—once denied education by poverty—could learn.

Medical care followed. A simple clinic addressed wounds, infections, and hygiene needs. A feeding program began for malnourished children and sick adults. Volunteers joined. Hope grew.

Transformation had begun.

Lives Being Restored Today

Today, the fruit of that early obedience is seen clearly in the lives of families at Blessed Camp.

Mama Esther, a respected leader among the community, is now watching her grandchildren thrive at Baraka (Blessed) Academy—determined to break cycles of early school dropout that once affected her own children. Through education sponsorships, her son became a certified teacher, and her niece now serves as a nurse.

Mama Neema, who once arrived at the camp during a moment of crisis with her child on her back, has experienced remarkable transformation. Through ACTION Ministry’s compassion programs, she now owns a home, her family has been restored, and her daughter is in university through student sponsorship.

Beksubi, once abandoned and physically challenged by leprosy, found family and purpose at Blessed Camp. Through education sponsorship, his children have progressed through school—his daughter Mwanajuma excelling nationally and opening doors to a bright future.

From One Step of Obedience to a Growing Community

What began under a cashew nut tree has grown into a vibrant, life-giving community. Today, ACTION Ministry at Blessed Camp includes:

A thriving church
Baraka (Blessed) Academy
Medical services and referrals
Educational sponsorships
Feeding programs
Community empowerment initiatives

Each solution has revealed new needs. Each challenge has become a stepping stone. And through it all, God has remained faithful.

Thank you for standing with us - past, present, and future - as we continue to see lives restored, dignity renewed, and communities transformed at Blessed Camp.

Give Today

Pray With Us

Pray for peace, wisdom, and stability.

Uganda has recently concluded its January 15 elections, extending President Museveni’s leadership into a seventh term amid tensions, a heavy security presence, and reports of post-election arrests and restrictions on civil society. Pray for calm, justice, and protection for all citizens as the country navigates this period of transition and heightened sensitivities.

Continue to lift up Jennifer’s health journey, asking for healing, strength, and clarity from scans and appointments ahead. Pray also for clear direction and discernment for leaders as they seek God’s guidance for the year.

🇺🇬 Uganda

Pray for peace, protection, and continued recovery.

Give thanks that Uvira has recently been retaken by government forces after a period of rebel control, and pray for lasting peace, the safety of civilians, and the restoration of stability in South Kivu.

Lift up ongoing ministry and community resilience amid shifting regional dynamics. Pray for wisdom, endurance, and resources for leaders and refugees, and for God’s presence to bring hope and reconciliation.

🇨🇩 DR Congo

Pray for continued health and harvest!

Give thanks for recent graduations among students and the success of swamp rice harvests that are helping pastors provide for their families.

Pray for peace, provision, and clarity as leaders and communities continue to serve well in challenging contexts, including food insecurity!

🇸🇱 Sierra Leone

Pray for stability, provision, and protection.

South Sudan continues to face ongoing instability, including power shortages, limited connectivity, and growing fear as rumors circulate about a potential election in late 2026. These challenges are placing added strain on communities, leaders, and refugee populations. Pray for peace, clarity, and restraint amid uncertainty.

Lift up leaders serving refugees - especially those from Darfur - as demand for training and spiritual support continues to grow while resources remain limited. Pray for provision of materials, safe travel for leaders visiting camps, and strength and courage for persecuted believers to stand firm and lead faithfully in a difficult environment.