Volume 25 issue 1

The Lord Almighty is with us; The God of Jacob is our fortress . . . 

Psalms 46:11

We are gathering at Cornerstone Community Church this coming Monday 1/20/2025 at 7pm to pray for our New Dawn Communities Ministry. We are asking for God to reveal His heart and mind concerning His plan and purpose in 2025.  We will also be interceding for  the people impacted by the California Wild Fires and our Country’s Presidential Inauguration.

New Form 1 (Freshman) students arriving in January to the Tanzania Campus for the new school year.

Join us in person at 7pm
Cornerstone Community Church
702 Avenida de la Estrella
San Clemente CA 92672

If unable to attend in person you can join us via zoom using the link below:
New Dawn Communities Zoom Meeting

Volume 24 issue 9

The Lord Almighty is with us; The God of Jacob is our fortress . . . 

Psalms 46:11

Thanks to donors like you, New Dawn Communities has made a real life-changing impact in 2024.

Since 2009, over 600 orphans have graduated from a New Dawn Community school to go on to higher education and vocational training to become world changers in their own communities. These opportunities are the direct result of your generous donations!

On behalf of our directors, staff and the youth that we serve, we thank you sincerely.

A Message From A Student Reporter

As in the past few months, a member of our journalism club has submitted a report to update us about what is going on at the New Dawn Tanzania campus. As always, we are leaving the article completely unedited and as written by the student reporter.

By Nancy Daniel
Reporter
New Dawn Secondary School

Summary:

Each year after the form four national examination we always celebrate the graduation ceremony to say goodbye for the graduating class. This year was so wonderful to have a great graduation ceremony in our school which was attended by many people from different places.

On 30th day of December there was a graduation ceremony in our school. It is our
culture to have graduation every year so as to say goodbye to the form four who have
completed their studies. This year our graduation was very amazing and very interesting. The guest of honour was the Deputy minister of health Dr. Godwin Mollel who gave a good speech by thanking New Dawn Secondary school for helping in creating a bright future to the children from humble background.

For the form four who were represented by the former students’ president Sebastian
Maduhu, they thanked so much the Sponsors for the support they have shown since they
began their studies in 2021. They recognized the contribution of Pastor Ron Sukut, Mark
Luce, Stanton Herpick and other sponsors who have been contributing their money and even coming at school to make sure that the school doing great. The form four class thanked the board of directors and the school manager Dr. Stephen Mshomi for being with them since the beginning up to this point of time. They didn’t also forget the efforts of the school administration and all staff members for guiding them as their parents.

We will always remember the form four class for great things they have done which
have brought honour in our school. They performed well in the Academics, sports, in singing to mention but a few. The students were advised to copy good things from form four so that our school may go higher.

The Third graduating Class of New Dawn Communities Tanzania

Jackline Shemndolwa receiving a certificate of leadership after being a Deputy Prime Minister 2023-2024

We have been impacted by inflation which has raised our costs, not only for the existing students but also for the new students just arriving.

With the 2024 year-end giving season coming to a close, we simply ask “are you able to help fund a student and give these precious orphans an opportunity to live, learn and dream at our NDC schools”?

It costs $125.00 per month for us to provide the basic needs of food, shelter, clothing and school supplies. This allows the students to address their deeper personal need for affirmation and belonging, subsequently freeing them to focus on academics, character development and spiritual growth.

Will you pray that all obstacles opposed to God’s will for New Dawn Communities be removed? Is there room at your table this year for a New Dawn Orphan?

Help a Student

• $125 One student for one month
• $1,500 One student for one year
• $6,000 One student for four years

Are you able to support New Dawn with a special end of year donation for operations and/or capital projects?

Donate

We are now in the planning stage for our next ministry trip to Tanzania in July 2025. Please contact us if you are interested in being part of this opportunity to visit the NDC campus and meet the students on a personal level, it is a life changing experience!

Contact Us

If you would like to help in another very effective way, Please Pray for us.

We regularly pray for our New Dawn Family members like you. May we pray for you and your family as we enter the Christmas season? Please send us your prayer request via email here – Contact Us – or give us a call at 949-409-7597 and we will add you to our prayer request list.

Volume 24 Issue 8

As in the past few months, a member of our journalism club has submitted a report to update us about what is going on at the New Dawn Tanzania campus. As always, we are leaving the article completely unedited and as written by the student reporter.

By Nancy Daniel
Reporter
New Dawn Secondary School

Summary:

In every year in New Dawn there is a general election which is done to elect new leaders. It is always done so as to find new leaders because the form four leaders are completing their studies so they are not able to continue with the leadership.

It is said that, “everything that has a beginning has an ending”. Today was a good day of a farewell for the old student’s leadership and welcoming the new student’s leadership. The new leaders took the vow led by our director Bishop, Dr. Steven Mshomi who led the inauguration event. The leaders read the vow and promised to work hard to bring positive changes in the school and the entire community. 
        
The event went also with praying for the new leaders to ask God to guide them in their new responsibilities. The new leaders were advised to use well the opportunity given because it is a talent which might help the to grow and be big leaders in the future. They have to be faithful servants in the positions they have because if they become faithful in this little, God will make them rule over many things .

The taking of vows marks the beginning of the responsibilities for the new leaders. For now, the new student’s leadership is led by president Sharon Maeda, vice president Daniel Simeon, prime minister Nancy Daniel, deputy Thomas Zabron, minister of education Anna Emmanuel, deputy Frank Godson, minister of health and environment Sophia Petro Mollel, deputy Dickson Omary, minister of sport and games Ebenezer Said, deputy  Gertrude John, store keeper Jacob William, time keeper Obed Laizer, ministers of home and resident Andrew Makorani and Praise Abraham, minister of agriculture Aloyce Fredrick, deputy Hawa Kilagani, minister of information Emmanuel Felix, deputy Charity Lamech and minister of food Avon Steward and Simon Paschal .

Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) was founded in 1979 by Billy Graham and other Evangelical leaders to enhance trust in Christ-centered churches and ministries through its annual accreditation of organizations based on the Seven Standards of Responsible Stewardship, drawn from Scripture.

New Dawn Communities USA has received updated and confirmation of accreditation by meeting the high standard of financial integrity required by ECFA to ensure trust, accountability and best practices being better stewards of Gods-given resources.

Two of the most distinguishing assets of an organization are governance and leadership. Over the years, New Dawn has been led by an amazing group of men and women who have exhibited the highest standards of selfless sacrificial service and integrity.

We all recognize that living things grow over time, and what grows changes. During the last few years, New Dawn has experienced some significant leadership changes, and we thought many of you might be interested to know how our organization has transitioned.

New Dawn began as a ministry of World Christian Outreach in 2001. One of the most dedicated WCO board members at that time was Jack Klaer. He was a very successful Orange County contractor who brought much wisdom, insight and experience to the ministry. Sadly, Jack passed away in October. He remained engaged as a significant supporter and leader until his final days. He served for nearly 24 years, and he will be greatly missed.

Another loss our ministry suffered recently was with the passing of one of our most committed volunteer staff members, Steve Pitchford. He owned and operated a successful printing and business development firm. He helped produce many of our recent publications and inspired us to keep things simple and pure. Steve was passionate about the kids at New Dawn Communities and this loss leaves a huge void.

Another very committed board member has been Ian Dyer. Regrettably, he recently retired from his board position yet remains an ardent supporter of our mission. He is all about marriage and family. As a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist, Ian has a passion for mentoring youth and uses volleyball as a vehicle to reach young people. In 2006 he brought a volleyball and a net to our Community in Kenya and led a training clinic with our students. To this day, Volleyball remains a favorite sport for our students.

Another former board member and unquestionably the most effective corporate secretary we have ever had was Tom Slatten. He and his wife Teresa travel around the country and world helping ministries in very practical ways. He retired from our board a couple of years ago to dedicate his energy to a wonderful school and church ministry in Ghana. I doubt that anyone could ever replace him or will measure up to his standard of excellence. We miss him dearly.

With the sad losses, there have been some encouraging additions. So, we are excited to welcome three new board members onto the team:

One is Winston Wardwell, the Family Pastor at Cornerstone Community Church, and Recovery Pastor at Joshua House, both in San Clemente. He and his wife Kristen dedicate themselves to providing foster care for young children in strained family situations. In April, he went with a team to visit our community in Tanzania and made a significant impact on the ministry there. He drew a crowd of kids and youth everywhere he went. He is an anointed minister and brings many gifts and talents to the mission.

Another new board member is Ernesto Hernandez, who is husband to his wife Corina and father to their two adult children. He oversees El Buen Pastor, a Spanish Congregation in San Clemente. Ernesto is a retired US Marine and applies his amazing skills in civilian life with a growing electrical contracting company in Southern California. He has made many trips to East Africa with us and has been involved with New Dawn since the early days.

Our third new board member is Russ Henderson, who has been serving as one of our dedicated volunteer staff members. He is a devoted husband and father of two, who embraces his wife’s parents into their household. He invests much of his time and energy, helping strengthen and guide businesses and ministries to efficiency and effectiveness. His diverse experience and skill set is a tremendous addition to the team.

Although so many amazing people have shaped New Dawn over the years, none of the growth and fruitfulness would have been possible if not for the years of wholehearted commitment of our founders, Stan and Damaris Herpick.

And finally, another profoundly influential board member and supporter comes to mind, Ron Birtcher. Ron was a dear mentor and a tremendous guiding force from the inception of New Dawn. Although he has passed on, he remains a perpetual inspiration to us all. His legacy continues through the generosity of the Birtcher Family Foundation.

We look forward to receiving another 36-40 orphaned freshman students in January 2025. If you are looking for a practical way to show some gratitude this Thanksgiving season, would you consider sponsoring one of our students?

• $125 One student for one month
• $1,500 One student for one year
• $6,000 One student for four years

We also have a need for safe and reliable transportation for our championship sports teams and nationally acclaimed choir.

• $60,000 40 seat Tata Bus

Our next capital improvement to our campus is a much needed and long overdue Administration building.

• $95,000 Structure, equipment, fixtures and furniture

If you would like to help in another very effective way, Please Pray for us.

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. . .

Colossians 4:2

Volume 24 Issue 7

A member of our journalism club has submitted a report to update us in the area of Sports at the school. As always, we are leaving the article completely unedited and as written by the student reporter.

By Nancy Daniel
Reporter
New Dawn Secondary School

Summary:

In New Dawn Secondary School, the students love sports. We usually have the friendly matches. This friendly matches help to create good relationship with other neighboring schools, also helps the students to exchange different ideas, skills and knowledge with other students.

On the 16th of August 2024 in our school there was a friendly match between New Dawn secondary team against Mighara secondary school which is a neighboring school found in Njoro Ward. There were games in Netball for girls and Football for boys in both schools. In netball the New Dawn secondary girls team won by fifteen (15) goals and the opposing team had just two (2) goals.

On other hand for the side of boys the football match was very tough and exciting. Both of the football teams were good and they had a good preparation for the match, we thank God that our school team was the best and became the winner by three goals (3) and Mighara secondary team had two (2) goals. The goals in our school were scored by Ebenezer Said, Elia Mmary and Hussein Mdabali.

The teachers from both schools encouraged the students to add more efforts in sports so that we have best team which will compete in the next year competitions of secondary schools. We do believe that our teams of football, netball, volleyball and athletes will continue doing great.

Among our top priorities at this time are the sponsorship of our 36 new Form 1 students. Our budget for their education and mentoring support is as follows:

• $125 per month per student (the cost of dinner out with your family)
• $1,500 per year per student
• $3,000 for two years, half the cost of their diploma
• $6,000 covers all the four years of their home and education expenses to graduation

New Dawn Community in Laikipia, Kenya was Founded 2005 as our first secondary school for orphans. The community was managed by a dedicated indigenous staff and a Board of Directors of local leaders and Pastors from the Laikipia area.

Over the last 18 years we have been blessed with generous donations from our dedicated stakeholders and have witnessed GOD’s blessing for the continued growth in these student orphans being given the opportunity to change their lives and become world changers in their community.

We are excited to announce the 2024 New Dawn Kenya Board of Directors recently elected to manage the community into the future. Four of the newly elected members are New Dawn Community school alumni who have returned to give back. Below is 7 of the 8 members following the election and a brief background.

THOMAS THUO KAMAU (BOARD CHAIRPERSON)
Thomas is a retired teacher who has worked at various private schools across the country and was once the principal of New Dawn Orphan Secondary School. Thomas also serves on several other boards in the Laikipia West constituency. His experience will play a critical role in nurturing the young New Dawn Alumni who are joining the board and hoping to take future leadership roles.

ANTHONY NJOROGE KINYANJUI (BOARD VICE CHAIRPERSON)
Anthony, a teacher by profession and He is also a pastor with the Full Gospel Churches of Kenya. Besides his valuable contributions in the academic areas, Anthony will be responsible for spearheading the policies and decisions around bible study, devotion, fellowship, and spiritual matters at New Dawn Orphan Secondary School.

JOHN KARIUKI MWANGI (BOARD SECRETARY)
John has worked at New Dawn Orphan Secondary School for about ten years. He is a teacher by profession (graduated with a bachelor’s of education from Mount Kenya University) and is currently the principal at the institution.

BONIFACE MWANGI MUTHONI (BOARD TREASURER)
Boniface is a 2010 New Dawn alumni and a graduate from Dedan Kimathi University of Technology with a bachelor’s degree in financial accounting. As a professional accountant and financial analyst (CPAK), he handles the school’s finances, budgets, and financial transactions. Boniface is also involved in day-to-day activities at New Dawn.

DANIEL OTIENO JAOKO
Daniel is a 2009 New Dawn alumni and a graduate of Musinde Muliro University of Technology, where he pursued a bachelor’s degree in information technology. By introducing modern tech-enabled devices such as management information systems and internet services, Daniel will play a critical role in transforming New Dawn from an analog paper-based institution to a high-tech facility.

JANE MAYAKA
Jane is an investor in the education sector and owns a private preparatory school in Machunguru. Her experience will come in handy, especially when transitioning from the current education system to the new format rolling out in 2026. Jane will also help navigate legal matters, especially in streamlining the relationship between private learning facilities and government policies.

EDWARD KAMAU WAIRIMU
Edward is a 2009 alumni and currently runs a printing business in Nairobi. Edward is passionate about New Dawn and is the only person from the previous board joining the new team. He has previously contributed to various New Dawn projects and will be crucial in streamlining the documentation and filing sector.

LUCY WAIRUMU NDERI
Lucy is a 2010 alumni and a graduate of Kenyatta University, where she studied Bachelor of Arts in English and Sociology. She currently works as an administration officer with the National Employment Authority. Lucy is passionate about New Dawn and will help the board adhere to administrative requirements, especially in areas related to employment laws.

Volume 24 Issue 6

A member of our journalism club has submitted another report for us. As always, we are leaving the article completely unedited and as written by the student reporter.

By Nancy Mushi
Reporter
New Dawn Secondary School

Summary:
Being among the best schools in the Kilimanjaro region with almost 340 schools, New Dawn secondary has received a certificate of appreciation from the District commissioner to recognize the nice performance in the national exams.

Early this week on Monday there was a district educational meeting which aimed to evaluate the educational development in Same district. The meeting was attended by the heads of school, education officers, education stakeholders and district commissioner who was the guest of honor. The meeting was held at the Joyland girls secondary school where they discussed the strategy to develop the education sector in our district of Same and to appreciate the schools which have done well in the previous exams.

The district commissioner KASILDA MGENI who was the guest of honor gave thanks to all people who have been responsible in building the education sector in Same district and she appreciated the best schools by giving certificates of appreciation as a motivation for performing well.

New Dawn secondary was among best school also received a certificate of appreciation from the guest of honor due to having good education results in both form four and form two in the national examination. Speaking of better schools in the region, you cannot forget to mention New Dawn Secondary school because since it started, the school has been doing well. This is because of the hard work and commitment from the staff and the students.

The appreciation from the district commissioner means a lot in our community and we believe that through the pillars we have (spiritual formation, academic development, character development, vocational training and community service ) we shall continue to do great.

This is the type of thing that your support has made possible

Your support not only provides food, shelter and a secondary education, but one of the best educations you can get in the nation!

Volume 24 Issue 5

Gabriel was an orphan and was fortunate to be able to live with his grandparents near Kilimanjaro Tanzania. He helped his elderly grandparents with the difficult tasks of farming and caring for the livestock. There was not many options to continue his education as the government sponsor school support ends after children complete middle school, usually around the age of 13.

In 2023 – wearing his school uniform, Gabriel was invited to visit the Tanzania Parliament as part of the country’s acknowledgment of the New Dawn Communities – Tanzania’s high scholastic success in 2023.

Gabriel with USA Ministry Team that visited the school campus with some of the school staff in 2023.

As medical student in 2024 in his “scrubs”, Gabriel is at the top of his class with a 4.0 GPA. He sent the following personal message along with the photo above.

“Thank you so much our lovely Father may God also uplift your eyes and give you visions that will be the solution to the problem to many people in Jesus’ name amen.”

~ Gabriel Lazier, New Dawn Kenya Graduate 2024

Because of your support orphan students like Gabriel are given hope and an opportunity to turn their lives into their country’s future Christ-centered leaders.

Together with you, our supporters, we have been able to establish two “Communities”. Each one is built on over 50-acre parcels with school, dormitory, church, administration and farm structurers to provide a safe and welcoming environment for students and indigenous staff.

• • • New Dawn Communities in Kenya and Tanzania have graduated over 600 orphan students since 2009. On average it costs $125.00 per month to provide a secure shelter, feed, cloth and teach the student.
    • 80% of New Dawn graduates qualify to go on to a university. Because of their high GPA-top 10% in their nations, most earn government scholarships.
    • NDC teachers are among the best in their countries, so it’s no surprise other schools try to lure them away with higher wages elsewhere. Prevent this from happening by helping pay their teachers a worthy salary. The annual salary need per teacher is $8000.00

“We New Dawn graduates will continue investing in New Dawn Schools. It is not payback. I want to teach a class and sponsor two orphan students. It is the greatest satisfaction I could ever have.”

~ Boniface Mwangi, New Dawn Kenya Graduate 2010