Peter Ndungu

 

Rev. Peter Ndungu grew up in the Kibera slums of Nairobi.  When he was age 11 his mother died and his father left for the countryside leaving Peter to fend for himself. From this very early age Peter had to face the challenges of life on his own.  He began visiting a nearby Lutheran church because they had a lunch program which allowed him to get one daily meal.  He was befriended by the Lutheran pastor of that church and eventually, with the help of the pastor, received a World Vision grant to attend school.  Peter not only finished primary and secondary school, but he went on to attend seminary in Kenya and become a Lutheran pastor.  His perseverance has been the essential element in creating and developing the Ngong Road Children Association and Friends of Ngong Road organizations.

 

In 2003, Peter was selected by Bishop Kahuthu of Nairobi to attend graduate school in the U.S.  In 2005 he completed a Masters of Arts at Luther Seminary and returned to Kenya to become a pastor at Nairobi Lutheran International Church.  On the suggestion of Pastor Sue Tjornehoj of St. Paul he met Paula Meyer who was traveling in Nairobi in 2006.  During their meeting Peter shared his vision of creating a program to help some of the thousands of AIDS orphans who live in close proximity to the Nairobi Lutheran International Church located on the edge of the impoverished “villages” of Dagoretti in Nairobi.  

 

After this first meeting and the subsequent founding of Friends of Ngong Road and Ngong Road Children Association, Peter began to shift from congregational ministry to ministry focused on the children of Nairobi who have lost one or both parents to HIV/Aids.  Today, Peter serves as the Executive Director of Ngong Road Children Association. The organization is now supporting over 240 children.  Together with the US Board of Friends of Ngong Road, Peter designed and implemented the program in Nairobi.

 

Peter also continues to minister as a volunteer on a monthly basis to two rural churches.  He drives three hours into the countryside to conduct services in areas too impoverished to afford a pastor of their own.  The parishioners are deeply grateful to Pastor Peter for the three-hour services which are always full. Peter then drives back to Nairobi to spend the rest of the day with his family. While not part of his regular duties as Executive Director of Ngong Road Children Association, Peter’s continuing involvement with these churches is representative of his engagement with a wide range of people.