Get To Know Us (All Over Again)
Founder Shelby Neese, along with wife Mary.
A Brief History
Ten years ago, our founder, Shelby Neese, engaged a group of friends in Mississippi who shared his love for the people of Northern Kenya. Together, they founded Global Concern Incorporated (GCI), a Mississippi non-profit dedicated to providing sustainable community development in some of the most desperate places to some of the most forgotten tribes of Kenya. Though Shelby’s accident was a devastating setback, the newly formed GCI regrouped and has continued serving the people it was created to serve. After seeing a recent article about GCI in Mississippi Christian Living Magazine, a former volunteer commented, “I didn’t know that GCI was still going.” Well, we are, and we are looking forward to the years ahead!
PEOPLE > PROJECTS |
PEOPLE > PROJECTS |
People > Projects
You’ll often hear us say, “People are better than projects” however, our projects are specifically designed to help the people we serve move toward health in all areas of life. If you haven’t been following us, here are a few of the projects we have engaged on behalf of the Rendille Tribe in Kargi and Kurkum in the last few years.
Shelby’s Well and Kurkum Well completed, providing life-giving, clean, reliable water to thousands of people in these two communities.
Kargi Piping Project (3 mile project) completed, saving women and young girls miles of walking while carrying heavy water on their backs.
Agricultural Pilot Projects started to grow vegetables, trees, and grasses
Education (E.S.L.) Projects in various schools
Job Training Pilot Projects (Plumbing)
Dress Making Ministry
Feminine Hygiene Products (project currently underway)
Water and Sanitation Hygiene Training
Medical Clinic Restoration - The first step toward Kurkum having its own healthcare clinic operating reliably and regularly
All of the projects share a common thread of restoring hope, dignity, and strength to whole communities. While we may serve the needs of individuals as necessary, our goal is to help entire communities thrive by focusing our attention on projects that are good for everyone. In a land where dreaming of the future feels risky, your support has allowed so many to begin dreaming for the first time!
Where Do We Go from Here?
While the past several years have focused on meeting the ever-present need for clean water, we are excited to look ahead to 2023! Water will always be part of our work in this region and we anticipate completing more water projects next year. As water becomes more reliable, it paves the way for other projects in healthcare, agriculture, education and more. We are exploring the best ways to come around these needs while helping our partner communities own their future. We will engage in projects that provide the biggest ripples into other areas of need and will ensure that the community representatives are involved every step of the way.
How The Work Happens
As many of you already know, working in other countries takes resources - human resources, financial resources, and prayer resources! While we recruit volunteers to do much of the work, we must also raise funds for larger projects like well drilling, and for materials to help with the many other projects. This year, you can be part of the team by making a financial donation to support the work. Like most non-profits, GCI generates a significant portion of its financial resources during the last two months of the year so the work we do in 2023 will depend largely on these year end tax deductible donations.
Get Involved
There are many ways you can participate in the work of GCI so we’ve listed a few of them below.
Donations
Checks: Global Concern Inc.
P.O. Box 5124 Brandon, MS 39047
Online: Donate once, or better yet, become a monthly partner.
AmazonSmile
Visit smile.amazon.com and select Global Concern as your charity of choice. A percentage of all eligible purchases will go directly to the work of GCI.
Keep Up With Us On Social Media
In addition to these ongoing ways to give, look for other opportunities throughout the year.
