Return 35 street-children from Kibera to school

Each child in transition class is unique and progresses in their own way. Today, Judy, one of our teachers told me about two of the children who are benefiting from the Turning Point Project.

“Dennis is 13 and is in class 6, he was a street boy before he joined the class,” says Judy, “at first he was really struggling with reading, he feared reading in front of the other children. He was also quite anti-social not wanting to play with the other children. During break you would just find him studying and not interacting with the others.”

But Dennis' natural inquisitiveness has helped him to overcome his shyness and take part in activities. Everyday our project pastor spends time with the kids sharing stories from the bible.

“Dennis is always so keen in listening when Pastor comes to teach the kids, whenever Pastor invited the children to ask questions Dennis will raise his hand and asks for prayer. Now I've seen Dennis becoming more social, enjoying the other kids company and not always staying alone. He is also so persistent and his reading is improving. He even now has his dream school, he wants to go to Shadrack primary.”

Judy also told me about Evelyn, another class 6 girl,

“Evelyn is someone I can see being a good leader in the future, she shows many leadership qualities and is a very hard worker. Though she has many issues at home she always turns up to class, sometimes tells me she has not eaten at home for days and the only food she is getting is the food we are providing.”

Both Dennis and Evelyn are due to return to primary school in January. Thank you to all who have donated towards the Transition class, you are helping to give these children an opportunity to overcome their current situations and develop their skills and talents to build a better future.

Links:

• Turning Point Website
• Turning Point on Facebook

Thank you to all those who have given towards our Transition class, we have 40 students now in the class working jolly hard to return to primary school. We have very exciting plans in the pipeline for Transition Class as we prepare to launch the second class in a new area of Kibera called Laini Saba. Through extensive research we have identified this village within the slum to have a particularly high number of children wandering the streets during the day rather than attending school. In response, we will be opening a Transition class in the village close to a playing field where many of these children congregate.

We have heard reports of girls in this area turning to prostitution as young as 12, we hope to reach out to such girls in particular through our trained Social Worker. Offering the opportunity to go to school and two good meals everyday will be a positive alternative for these girls.

In Kibera homes are small and shared by many family members, most homes do not have electricity, as such many students have little space and light to study in. We also plan to open an after-school homework club at the new centre with a small library so that kids can focus on their studies in a conducive environment. This will be for children who have passed through Transition class and are studying at local Primary schools.

Again, we want to thank all those who have enabled us to support so many children back to primary school. Please do consider giving towards the building and equipment we need to launch this new centre, by doing so you will offer kids in Kibera an opportunity to take their lives in a new direction.

Links:

• Read more updates on our blog