9 years old Hilary Kiprono, had a difficult childhood. He grew up in Nakuru County before his family disintegrated after his single mother’s death. He stayed there with minimal help from relatives and later was moved to his maternal grandmother who has since fostered him together with his 2 older sisters aged 15 and 16 years.

When TKW team met Hilary on the streets, he mentioned to them that his two older sisters lived on the streets too but in a different town. ”Please I want to go home but could you also rescue my two sisters too…they live on the streets of Nakuru town, when we get there I will take you where I used to stay with them…” these were heart wrecking words from little Hilary’s love for his sisters. He yearned for a new life out of the streets but also wanted his older sisters to be part of this too.

 

As the team got to Nakuru, Hilary rushed them through the town to where the sister had a makeshift polythene room inside the streets… “this is where my sisters live…” Hilary pointed at a polyethylene made room… Seeing their youngest brother they hurried and embraced him but quickly the team took over and introduced themselves and why they were with Hilary. “Yes, we would want to go back home too and back to school…life in the streets has been challenging… running from the police to fighting for territory with street gangs… For you to get something here, you have to steal or do some real bad things, and the chances of you getting caught are great”! Hilary older sister commented…

The two sisters added to the story that Hilary had told the team and narrated their predicaments that led all of them to the streets…”Our grandmother is old, and after our mother’s death she struggled feeding us and it was also very hard for her managing to pay our school requirement…After a while it became apparent that we all had to drop out of school, as we could no longer afford it. We knew by then that our grandmother was growing old and needed us to support her. We were neither strong enough nor able to do so and we wondered about the future. Our mother was a strong woman and she continued to manage the home and care for us with the limited money she had but after her death things turned from bad to worse… …”We left home because the streets created a good outlet to pull us out from the lack we experienced at home…It was not easy to see our grandmother struggling to provide for us and thus we wanted to create a new environment for our selves’’…Hilary sisters narrated

This was a true communication that though Hilary was the contact child to TKW team, his heartbeat was connected to that of his sisters: it was time to go back home…No matter the challenges at home the three siblings had made up their mind; “when you know you can make an honest living by persevering that is what really drives you, even though it may be difficult”…

The journey home to their grandmother was swift and interesting…Hilary and his two sisters enjoyed each other’s company…the TKW team hearts pounded with great anticipation…”How will we find these siblings grandmother?…Will she accept them? Will she be able to support them after we have reunited them?”…The discovery was not far from the truth…The grandmother was at home and her first gaze on the three children made her visual appearance overcast and to the TKW team this meant a lot: the burden on her shoulders again?!… After a time of listening to Hilary’s grandmother, it was clear that her troubles have been many since the death of her daughter… “They had dropped out of school in June 2013, since I could not pay their school fees, or buy them uniform and books which are key school requirement… they were being sent home every other day from school and it was weighing me down! My body is not strong enough to hustle like young people…these children are my blood but I fail them…” the grandmother narrated painfully…

“I had a good farm in north rift but due to post-election violence we were evicted from our own land to this place we live now as IDPs (Internally displaced people). Life is not easy but I am glad my grand children are back home thanks to friends like you. They have been growing older on the streets and now they seem they could help with manual work to support each other” theGrandmother concluded.

As the reintegration day was ending, the TKW team managed to go to Hilary and his sisters’ former school to request for re admission on behalf of the children’s their grandmother. By God’s grace, the head teacher was gracious enough to accept and promised his support toward the three siblings. Hilary and his two sisters will be in school but there are requirements to be met i.e. basic needs (food and clothing), uniform and school fees. These are BASIC needs for every human being…Would you become God’s channel of provision? Partner with us in seeing Hilary’s family united and self-dependent!

 

 

 

 

 

“Where will you be five or ten years from now?” One of the team members asked. The class 8 girls at Dr. Aggrey Primary School lifted their hands up to respond to the question. The session was to encourage them just before sitting for their

KenyaCertificate of Primary Education. From the pupils’ response, they appeared confident, well-informed and focused. The TKW Team spoke of dreams and how to achieve them.

 

We can all play the role of big sisters or big brothers to the younger generation in our society. A mentor can make a lasting contribution to someone else’s life as well as their own lives. TKW school outreach program helps the children develop communication skills, feel valued and explore opportunities.

 

After the session, teachers and the pupils had this to say: Amina, a class eight pupil commented after the session, ”I have to practice these things I have learnt and one day I will also come to talk to young people like me in this school…thank you for talking to us today, I am happy!”

“We really looked forward to this weekly visit to our school and were happy to hear how much the children enjoyed the session as well,” Mrs. Ochieng, the Deputy Head teachers remarked as she received footballs from TKW team.The pupils are so excited!! These sessions are very important. I have seen them lift the spirits of many children involved and I believe this will improve their attendance at school,” Mrs. Wainaina, Peter Chege’s class teacher. (A boy TKW rescued from the streets this year). 

 

It is a very rewarding experience and a great way to make a difference in a young child’s life. It is also a unique opportunity to contribute your time and effort to a great cause and give back to our community. Thank you” Mr. Gichuki, The Headmaster concluded.

A TKW team member added, ”It was a great opportunity of interacting with class 8 candidates at Dr.Aggrey School in Nairobi County. I liked the confidence they had that they were going to pass their exam with flying colours! They looked well prepared as our team shared tips on how to handle questions, the issue of drug abuse, and as we discouraged the pupils from listening to the lies that taking certain drug was going to help them recall what had been taught.”

What is the key motivation behind TKW school outreach mentorship program? The need in the communities we’ve visited.  As we visited different communities for the first time we found a huge group of school going children who were not in school. With our support, most of the children got their first real chance to education. But when they start, many of them especially those who have been on the streets for a long time are several years behind their peers. Without extra support, these children might not get back on track. This is where TKW school outreach mentorship program kicked in. It has given the children a real chance to catch up with their peers in school.

TKW school outreach mentorship program needs volunteers of new and existing partners to engage with us. Partner with us and dedicate one hour a week to the children in our local primary schools.  It is a great way to meet the children, see them learn and hear them shouting “Education is my friend.” It will most certainly make you smile. “We believe we can achieve this and together we will.”

 

 

Erick lokampi is a Turkana boy born 13 years ago at a small village in the plains  of  a locality called Lenget , Kampi ya moto.

He is a short, dark coloured chocolate boy who is so much outgoing .He is a friendly, warm hearted young man with a potential to achieve much in life at his age.

The boy would want to go back to school so that he can achieve his dream of becoming a teacher. He left school two years ago at class two to fend for himself .They are six children in their family under the care of the grandmother. Both parents have passed on and in this case, one would not want to imagine what goes on in  the mind of the grandmother when she finds that she cannot meet the needs of her grandchildren. This condition must have made Erick feel like a man who is meant to be a provider ,he has to move out and look for survival ways which could also help him chip in the family kitty and lessen the grandmother’s burden. Just like any other man, he must have heard stories about life in the cities which is painted as glamorous with a lot of opportunities to accommodate everybody. I am imagining how Erick was dying with anticipation to grab those opportunities. I am seeing him trying tooth and nail to look for information which could free him from the sting of poverty. To his amazement, he realizes finances are required to facilitate him from point A to B but he is too young to get an employment which could enable him to earn enough to embark on his journey. He results to use unorthodoxical means to achieve his aspiration. This opens a door for him to look for items which has been left unattended so that he can sell and get money. He finds himself becoming a petty offender not out of choice but circumstances beyond him push him into it.

The circumstances back home are pathetic. The grandmother sleeps on the floor of her house ,on makeshift bed taking the comfort of an improvised mattress which has been made of sacks .Her presumed mud walled room accommodates even chickens some of which are hatching eggs. The presence of other siblings and scramble for food  might have made him feel out of place because they appear to be a tribe. This and other unforeseen issues must have made Erick feel ,there must be another better life than what is being encountered. Through thick and thin ,he decides to embark on a journey to the unknown hoping to strike it rich. Once away from home,  he finds himself immersed in challenges bigger than his mind can handle at that age .He discovers that the only way to survive is to look for food in the garbage pits and sleep on the hard floor of the veranda of buildings inside a sack to keep warm. This he discovers that it is much more than he had bargained for. The urge for comfort under the roof, warmth in a house,  encouragement and sense of be valued in a home setting rang  a bell in his mind. The idea of children playing in a learning  environment at school triggers his wanting to join the pack and be counted among the number.

It dawns on him, East or West home is the best. He also discovers that unrestricted freedom can be very dangerous. He also notes that better the discipline at home with love than what the world gives without mercy He yarns for home and like the prodigal son goes back home down hearted wondering whether he will be accepted back. Once he sets his foot back home,he is received with open hands and lot of jubilation He settles back home with a lot to share with his peers. Rebellion has taught him afew lessons in life he will live to tell .He immediately embarks on his dream which is resumed by joining school.

A new start: hope, pray and go

[one_third] [/one_third] [two_third last=last] Years of wasted life – heavy and dirty jacket, hard life, hopelessness, describes Paul’s life on the streets. He looked like an old man and dejected when we first met him on the streets.  We soon discovered that he had been on streets for two and half years, and his appearance reflected it.

Paul’s story is no different from many other children we’ve meet on the streets:  parents separated, a broken family and a grandmother picks up the pieces.  As much as Paul loved his hard working paternal grandmother who opened her home without parental authority and guidance, he ran away from school to the streets in search for a better life.

As we met with Paul regularly, slowly but sure, his self-esteem began to grow.  We began to see signs of hope, of change and transformation.  Paul now looked his age, 14 years old.  One day Paul expressed a desire to go back home and plead with his grandmother to receive him back.  Paul said he was ready to face his grandmother and apologize for past mistakes. The team assured him that they would plead his case with his grandmother about his past mistakes.[/two_third] Parents’ separation often causes much damage to many children like Paul, driving them to the streets where their lives and dreams are wasted.  Paul has a dream of becoming a teacher, which cannot be realized on the streets.   We are glad that Tumaini Kwa Watoto team is on the streets and in a position to reach such children like Paul.

Paul’s turning point came when we rescued him from the streets on 14^th November 2012 and thus begun a journey of restoration.  We rescued him from the streets and reunited with his grandmother.  When Paul’s mother heard that he had come back, she sent a message requesting Paul to visit her.  Paul went to visit his mother during the school holidays, a few miles from his grandmother’s home.  The visit went well and Paul decided to stay with his mother and go back to school.

When we visited Paul after seven weeks, we could hardly believe the change that has taken place. Paul’s hopelessness had gone and he has begun to blossom. Paul has gone back to school and the evidence of restoration can be seen all over his life.  He is finally home where he belongs with his mother.

 

February 1 2013.