Third Lens - Annual Report 2023

2023 Annual Report

As we wrap up the end of another impactful year at Third Lens, I am thrilled to share with you the tremendous achievements and progress we have made, thanks to the unwavering support and dedication of our donors, volunteers, and partners.

2023 has been marked by remarkable milestones that have significantly advanced our mission of providing construction and design services to Christian non-profits and churches around the world. Your generosity has played a pivotal role in enabling us to make a positive impact on the communities and organizations we serve.

With your support this year, we successfully completed construction on 9 projects between our US and international teams, and launched an additional 27 projects into their capital campaigns. Our team is currently managing over $287 million in development costs between our 43 active projects. In the past 3 years, Third Lens has grown six-fold and our staff now bolsters 17 talented team members who work their tails off providing marketplace services to the mission field.

As we reflect on these achievements, I am excited to announce several upcoming initiatives that will shape the future of Third Lens and broaden our impact in the coming years.

1. Expanding Operations to Kenya: We are thrilled to share that Third Lens will be formalizing our existing operations in Kenya with the formation of two new entities: Impact Studio and Impact Construction Management. Impact Studio will be a full-service architectural design studio, while Impact Construction Management will provide project management and owner’s representative services. Both will be led by Kenyan staff, and create opportunities to train and educate local professionals on cutting edge technology and industry best practices. This expansion will enable us to reach more communities in East Africa and strengthen our commitment to making a difference throughout the African continent.

2. Architectural Studio Launch: This coming summer, we will be launching a teaching architectural studio with a focus on training and mentoring young design professionals in impactful design. This strategic move will not only enhance our in-house design capabilities without replacing our existing design partnerships, but also allow us to take a more holistic approach to our projects, ensuring a seamless integration of innovative design and construction solutions.

These initiatives are solely made possible by the support of individuals like you who believe in our mission and understand the transformative power of well-designed and constructed spaces for ministries and churches.

We are deeply grateful for your continued support and partnership. Your generosity has been the driving force behind our success, and we look forward to achieving even greater milestones together in the coming years.

Thank you for being an integral part of the Third Lens family. May you and your loved ones experience the joy of the Christmas season and the blessings in the New Year.

With sincere gratitude,

Brian P. O’Neil President, Third Lens

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Designing + building environments of healing, empowerment, and redemption since 2009.

Meet eduKenya

eduKenya was started as the Kenya Children Project by Adam Gould in partnership with the Believers Centre Mathare Church and Life in Abundance International. Adam had been in Kenya after graduating from college doing a one year internship with a Kenyan church when he was exposed to the desperate situation of many children living in Nairobi’s sprawling slums. He noticed many of them were not in school, leading to a number of questions and conversations that eventually led to visiting the Believers Centre Mathare Church - a small, rough structure running a makeshift daycare in Mathare. After many more visits and meetings with parents of the children and community members, Adam realized this was where he was supposed to be and asked to be released from the internship, and wrote a proposal for the Kenya Children Project, which launched in January 2017.

Seeing the success of what they were doing, Adam asked Bob Kikuyu, a Kenyan pastor, friend and mentor to co-found eduKenya, a 501c3 organization that could take the Kenya Children Project and grow its influence and reach. Edukenya was officially launched in January of 2010 as an outgrowth of the Kenya Children Project. Over the years, eduKenya continued to grow with the original class, and focus on transformation for each student and family they worked with. In 2015 eduKenya had its first primary school graduates (8th grade). Following this, eduKenya launched it’s boarding high school in January 2016 and had its first graduating class in 2019.

Learn More About eduKenya by scanning the Code Below To Watch Their Video Testimony.

Your support in 2023 has allowed us to grow to a higher level of impact. That growth has brought new opportunities for long-term impact and empowerment as God is calling us to lay foundations in Kenya, and build upon the groundwork we’ve already established in the U.S. We can only accomplish this through your generous, prayerful support over the closing of this year and the beginning of the next.