MORE CHILDREN, MORE JOURNEYS

Tumaini team’s interaction with children and their families.Every child needs a family!

As we came to the end of June, 160 children had been rescued and reintegrated with their families in 2017. Most of them have been followed at home at least once – 320 journeys and counting! Below is just a taster…..

Meet smiling 14 year old Ken, in class four at Narumoru Primary School. His head teacher as well as his class teacher said he needs a lot of help with his studies. A vendor at Muthurwa market, Nairobi introduced him to Tumaini Team because he wanted to go back home and report to school. His restoration process began that day on the streets.

His mother shared with Tumaini Team recently that Ken needs a role model because his father works late leaving Ken with no guidance.  We hope that close monitoring and future discussion on the expectations of good parenting will help his parents.

Joe M’s story: After 10 years, this story encourages TKW team to go for another child…. Joe was rescued in 2007 after disappearing from an approved school and ended on the streets. We traced his family through the directions he gave us and he was enrolled back to school. Joe completed school and is now a working young man. He manages his own small business of motorcycle taxis to support his family.

Petro has a dream that almost died on the streets…. Six months ago Petro was in Joshua High School but dropped out due to lack of school fees. He ventured into the streets where he got a part time job of cleaning kiosks in the market hoping to earn enough money to go back home to help his single mother.He also wanted to go back to school.  But the harder he worked, the more he realized that his was a lost cause, whatever he earned only gave him food and a place to sleep. He did this for several months before Tumaini team took him back home.

Today Petro is at home with his mother and other siblings but hope of going back to school is proving to be a steep mountain to climb. He prays to God for an opportunity to fulfill his desire for education by going back to high school or to do a vocational course.  He is interested in mechanics, driving or welding courses.  20,000Kshs is enough to pay for any of these courses.Will you partner with Tumaini to enable Petro to venture into his dreams?

Alex’s grandmother struggles to raise her grandson. His mother is mentally challenged which meant that the responsibility for Alex {pictured here with TKW Team member, Maggie) fell on his grandmother.  Unfortunately, in 2016 she became very sick and could not take care of Alex anymore and he ended up on the streets. The streets became his home until Tumaini team rescued him and restored hope. A little support was offered to his grandmother to enable her to take care of him. His grandmother who suffers with diabetes and hypertension is on medication and she is looking better now. Tumaini team has followed Alex several times and he has settled in school(class three) and he is looking forward to better days ahead. We continue to walk alongside this family to provide stability for Alex.  Will you join us to empower this sickly grandmother?

Yet another grandmother carries responsibility for her granddaughter who is in transition to teenage…. Jackie is a twelve-year old girl and who lives with her grandmother while her mother works as a bar attendant in Nairobi. Jackie has been affected by negative peer influence,and she often goes for a whole day without notice and responds rudely to her teachers. Since her mum is absent, her teacher attributes this to behavioral adolescence stage as she faces identity crisis and looks for identity from her peers.

Tumaini team found her, rescued and reintegrated her with her grandmother. Jackie is back to class six in Mairi Primary school. She needs someone to understand, accept her in her mother’s absence.The guidance &counselor teacher in her school agreed to walk alongside her. There is also good news that Jackie’s mother has been in touch with them recently to say she will be visiting. ‘This call has brought positive change in Jackie,’ her grandmother says. We pray that Jackie will settle smoothly at home.  There is great hope for Jackie.

Kevo W’s story summarizes the cry of every child to have a place to belong: Kevo’s parents separated and he was left under the care of his grandmother. He has found it difficult to fit with extended family since his reintegration from the streets, but his extended family are helping him to feel accepted and giving him a sense of belonging by engaging him with the family’s activities.

His uncle is giving him guidance as he is back in school.  When Tumaini team visited him recently, they found that he has been attending school regularly but has not yet caught up with the syllabus. His parents have not yet been found.

Erick Muchiri – children should be listened to as well as seen

Erick was upset when his parents asked him to repeat class 8 after he attained marks to join high school. His parents could not afford high school fees and felt that another year would give them ample time to save toward Eric’s high school fees. Eric decided to join the streets where Tumaini team found him and reunited him with family.

Tumaini team feel that parents need to consult their teenage children when making major decisions because this decision by Erick’s parents almost destroyed their son’s life and future. Eric is now in Form one through a government fund which met his school fees. He solved the grievances with his parents and today he is focused on his education.

Martin Mo –Who shall support this family?

When we met Mo on the streets of Nakuru, he explained, ‘I came to streets because I wanted to be in school but my mother was struggling to feed and educate us. Furthermore, my father went to Nairobi to look for work but didn’t come back.’

When Tumaini team met Mo, he had had enough.  He had faced many challenges on the streets and wanted to go back home and back to school. We discussed with his mother about school when we reunited Mo with his mother but during first follow up he had not yet joined school due to lack of funds. His mother promised to take him back to school soon when funds are available.

13 year Chris left his home because there was not enough money to feed all 6 siblings and pay school fees. He felt he was being a burden to his father and decided to go to the city to find a way to change their situation. He became one among many children living on the streets of Nairobi: sleeping out in the open, forced to beg for food and to make ends meet.

Thanks to Tumaini team support, Chris was reunited with his family 2 months later after they met him on the streets feeling hopeless.  He is in class 6 and making the most of this opportunity.  His dad is doing his best to keep his children in school but needs continued empowerment. Tumaini team is working towards seeing every child in a functional family.Chris says, “I don’t want to go back to the streets. I would like to help support my family”.