THE HISTORY OF NLAI
Our journey for the past 30 years
1994
Susanne & Leif Madsen move to Kenya with their five children as missionaries from Betania Church Centre in Denmark. They visit different tribes within Kenya, preach the gospel and teach about AIDS, hygiene and nutrition.
1995
Susanne and Leif team up with Pastor David and Eunice Ford in the Filadelfia Church in Nakuru. The church has a feeding programme for street children, where they provide free meals three times a week under a big tree by the church.
1996
The feeding programme extends to providing food every day. The children receive basic teaching in English, Mathematics and Swahili as well as classes in garment making, carpentry and leatherwork. A class for illiterate adults is added in the afternoons.
The programme begins to take the shape of a school for street children, now known as New Life Africa International.
1997
It becomes evident that the street children need housing. The first seven boys move into a simple wooden home. The boys build their own beds in the carpentry class.
1999
15 boys live at the home. Every afternoon approx. 100 children gather for basic teaching and 35 children are supported in public schools.
2003
NLAI School is approved to teach children from Preschool to grade 8.
NLAI Girls House is established in rented buildings.
2004
Susanne and Leif visit the dump site and are shocked to see the great need for help. NLAI rents a house in the area and establishes a small church gathering, an informal nursery and schooling for illiterate adults.
2005
NLAI School has its first national examinations of grade 8 and students can now receive examination certificates from the school.
NLAI becomes one of the organisations to receive funds from a Danish charity telethon in benefit of orphans in Africa. Because of the funds, NLAI is able to open a permanent crisis centre and preschool at the dump site in 2007 and 2008.
2006
A crisis centre at the church compound is opened to shelter vulnerable and abused women and teenagers who live on the streets and work as prostitutes.
The centre is in collaboration with Filadelfia Church and the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) applied through International Aid Services.
2007
The girls move into a newly built house: New Life Girls House is established with room for 60 girls.
The crisis centre Tumaini Jipya (New Hope) is established at the dump site.
2008
NLAI Tumaini School is established at the dump site and teaches and feeds 60 children in Preschool.
2010
100 children live at the Children’s Home and 560 children attend NLAI School and youth are supported in higher education.
2011
A Jewellery production called KiooLulu begins and employs women from the crisis centre to produce jewellery using glass beads.
A container from Denmark arrives with furniture for the school.
2012
Opening of a wedding gown rental shop: “Bridal Collections – Brides with a heart”. The shop sells bridesmaids dresses, African outfits, items made at NLAI’s Garment Making School and jewellery from Kioo Lulu.
The first two students, Mary and Erik finish their university degree.
2013
A new building with restrooms is ready for use for the children in school. The building project of a new school begins.
2014
The new school building is inaugurated with a big celebration together with officials from Nakuru and guests from many countries.
2015
NLAI’s Rugby team go on a tour to the UK for an international competition.
2016
Danish TV makes a programme about NLAI (TV Midtvest, 21 August 2016)
The work begins with building a new house for the boys at the Children’s Home.
2018
The boys at the Children’s Home move into their new house with room for approx. 80 boys. A new drilling pump is installed to provide enough water.
2019
Susanne and Leif Madsen celebrate 25 years anniversary as missionaries.
A fire destroys some of the top floor of the newly built Boys Home. It is renovated during 2019.
2020
Because of the corona virus and the following restrictions, NLAI begins distribution of food to approx. 750 families that the NLAI School is in contact with. It continues for 18 months with support from the government of the Faroe Islands.
The old building for the Boys Home is renovated and turned into an activity house.
2021
A 13 metres high water tower is built to heighten the water pressure, and a water filter is built and installed under the tower.
The young people from NLAI begin the group Mentorship Movement, which reaches out to help street children.
2022
The Girls House is undergoing a major renovation, which finishes in 2023.
2023
NLAI School is approved by the government to have a Junior Secondary School according to the new national school system.
The Garment Making School is approved as an examination centre to facilitate exams for in house and external students.
