Mabatini

Greetings from Mabatini!

Greetings from Mabatini Center! We have had a great second term of the year and would like to share some of the highlights with you. Thank you for your support and partnership as we work to transform lives through the love of Christ.

Jackline Gaithuma
Head Teacher, Mabatini

Hope Transforms: A Success Story

After Philip’s* parents divorced, his father died, leaving Philip’s mother to care for her five children on her own. With no formal education, she could only work as a casual laborer and the income was not enough to support the family.

Philip joined our Mabatini Center in kindergarten. He was a wonderful student. He enjoyed being in class. The assurance that Philip would receive two meals a day before coming home after school was very satisfying for her. Philip sailed through his primary and secondary school education with MOHI until he graduated.

However, during the COVID-19 pandemic when everything was shut down, Philip got involved with a wrong peer group and started using drugs. His demeanor shifted, he frequently argued with his mother and neighbors. Our social workers reached out to involve him in MOHI’s Mnara program, an after high school program that equips graduates with skills to navigate life after school. However, Philip refused. The social workers and his mother never gave up on him. They were determined to help Philip get back on the right track.

They would pray and counsel Philip regularly to encourage him to go back to school and not to get sucked into a life of drug abuse. It was a long and hard journey but in September 2023, Philip had a change of heart and willingly accepted to attend university. With the assistance of a social worker, Philip enrolled at the university where he had been accepted.

Philip's journey is an excellent example of how timely interventions can help young people overcome life's challenges and reach their full potential. Philip's decision to drop out of school would have had dire consequences on his future, but the intervention of a MOHI social worker, with regular counseling, helped him turn his life around. Philip is now in his second year at a local university in Nairobi, and he is excelling in his studies and personal life.

We give God all the glory and we wish Philip the very best in his journey.

*Name changed for privacy

Term Highlights

• We are proud to report that our music team was able to participate in both sub-county and regional levels of the Kenya Music Festival competitions. Our team managed to scoop the third position. Congratulations to our talented students.
   
• Our students participated in soccer, basketball, netball and volleyball at the Kenya Primary School Sports Association sub-county level competitions. From there both our boys and girls soccer team qualified for the regional level competitions. 
  
  
• We also had our students participating in Kusoma (Reading) Day and our language teachers were trained by Storymoja Book Club. Our students had a great time sharpening their reading skills.

Partner Connections

• We were pleased to have Sherwood Oaks Christian Church, who held VBS with our students from kindergarten to Grade 8. They also visited some of our community members in their homes.
  
  
• We were pleased to have hosted Central Christian Church, who held VBS with our kindergarten to Grade 4 students. They also shared a special lunch with all the staff members at Mabatini, got to know them, and encouraged them.
  
  
• Eastside Christian Church visited community members affected by the flooding that we experienced after the heavy rains. They donated beds, beddings, boxes, and food to affected families bringing so much hope back into their lives after a traumatic experience.

Prayer Requests

• Pray for our nation that God will give our leaders wisdom as they lead the nation.
  
  
• Pray for our parents. We hope that they will be economically empowered to provide for their students.
  
  
• Pray for the families affected by the floods experienced at the beginning of the term. Thank God for the help that they received and pray that they get back on their feet soon.
  
  

How was this update?

Let us know what you think of this community update in this one-minute-long survey. Thank you! Fill out the survey here.