The Church of the Nazarene in Kenya is showing love to its neighbors in a unique way by helping combat the dangers of snakebites through a snakebite prevention program.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports 81,000 to 137,000 people will die from complications related to snakebites annually, and many will continue to struggle with ongoing complications from the bite. That’s where the snakebite prevention training and the Kenya West District come in.

Kenya West District Superintendent Julius Omondi was contacted in 2023 by Jonathan Twining, a professor emeritus of biology from Eastern Nazarene College. Twining was working with the nearby Upendo Conservation Area to create a wildlife preserve in Kenya.

Twining said that’s where he was introduced to snakebite prevention, and the preserve created a snakebite prevention and awareness team. Twining reached out to Omondi to see if any of the local Churches of the Nazarene would be interested.

Omondi says he accepted the initial invitation from Twining with some hesitancy. However, the information was helpful, as the training includes general education about snakes, their habits, and even benefits to their presence, such as rodent and pest control. Multiple pastors felt this information would benefit their churches.

Two of these churches, Ndakaru and Kisoko Churches of the Nazarene have created training teams that travel to give training in the local market areas to help reach the most people. Omondi estimates that 600 people have been reached by these trainings in seven different markets so far.

Omondi says it has given the local church a chance to achieve its objectives of more outreach.

“By reaching out to the community, the church is now seen as caring and compassionate,” Omondi said. “Those who might have thought that we had no impact on the community are now [able to] see it.”

Pastor Andrew Balongo of Kisoko Church of the Nazarene says these trainings have also opened the doors for more evangelism opportunities.

“The community sees how much we care about them,” he said. “And as a result, we hope to win many people to Christ.”