Nyeri

Greetings from Nyeri!

Hello and praise the Lord. We are grateful for this term. The term has been full of activities and we would like to share with you the highlights. Thank you for your continued support and partnership as we transform lives through the love of Christ.

Bobby Olang’ Atang'a
Head Teacher, Nyeri

Hope Transforms: A Success Story

Meet Abraham*, known as "Abu*" by his friends and everyone in his village. Abu is 11 years old and lives in Majengo, one of the six neighborhoods our students come from. He lives with his single mother and five siblings after his parents separated, though his father is still a part of their lives.

Unlike most kids his age who are in 6th grade, Abu is in 4th grade. He started school on time but got sidetracked for a while, setting him back a few years. He used to skip school regularly and preferred spending his days collecting scrap metal at a garbage dump to sell for some spare change. Eventually, Abu became very good at this job and would miss school for weeks at a time. He even stopped going to church. Several attempts by social workers to bring him back to school proved unsuccessful.

Abu was in a dilemma. Though he knew he was meant to be in school, the extra income helped his mother and siblings stay afloat. His parents were initially reluctant to insist that Abu go back to school. Life in the slum can be hard, sometimes making it difficult for parents to feed their children. It's not uncommon for children to find work early to help with the cost of living.

Eventually, consequences began to catch up with Abu. He was informed that he could lose his place at our Nyeri Center. However, his social worker didn't want to give up on him. Abu's social worker informed the area government representative about his situation. The government representative didn't hesitate to help. The MOHI social worker was also able to convince Abu’s mother to insist that he return to school. Together, the three of them were able to encourage Abu to make different choices and return to school.

Today, Abu is a role model for other students both in school and in the village. He regularly attends school and is quick to report any cases of truancy among his peers. Though he is behind his age group, he is making improvements and getting back on track. His mother has also become a reliable and engaged parent and attends parent meetings. She operates a mobile cafeteria selling tea and mandazi (fried bread) and has taken on Abu's old business of collecting scrap metal for some extra income.

Abu's transformation is truly remarkable and serves as an inspiration to students and the village at large. He dreams of becoming an attorney to advocate for the rights of the underprivileged and help others avoid the path he once walked.

*Name changed for privacy

• A good number of our community members  joined one of our local partnering churches for a three day crusade. Staff members, students and their families went to evangelize to the community and it was a great success. Glory to God.
   
• We are thankful to God that, despite the devastating floods that affected many families across Kenya, our community was spared. No families or students we serve were directly impacted. No homes were swept away, and no lives were lost. Our students remained safe, and everyone returned to school without incident. We thank God.
  
  
• We are so proud of our parents who have given us so much support this term. We are very proud of their active participation in transforming the lives of their children. We thank God for the community here in Nyeri.

• Eastside Christian Church visited our center and offered dental services to our students, staff, and community members. This is always a blessing, as dental services are very expensive and not many people can afford them. We thank God for their service to our community.
   
• Real Life Church also came for VBS. They interacted with students for three days through crafts, music, games, Bible study, and snacks. Their interaction left students with fun skills like kite-making. They were also nourished spiritually through Bible study and gospel songs. They visited and prayed with three families and interacted with the community during a visit to one of the neighborhoods our kids live in.

• Pray for the well-being of our students, their parents, and our staff. Pray for good health and protection.
  
  
• Pray for the transformation of parents in our community. We serve a community where the child neglect rate is quite high. The children lack proper parental love and care. Pray for our parents as we teach them about caring for their children.
   
• Pray that more of our students will receive sponsorship. We still have a large number of our students who are not sponsored. Pray that the Lord will provide sponsors for all our students.
  
  

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