Miss Eliza

It is with great hesitation that I write this post.  I do not take the stories I hear from the children lightly, and sharing them is not easy.  For one, it is not my place to do so without asking permission.  Secondly, these stories are not intended to simply make us feel better about our lives.  They are real.  They happened.  People lived them.  It is easy to hear a story, feel sad for a few minutes, and then go on with life.  But that’s not the point.  The point is to be changed.  The point is to let a child’s words affect you to a point of action.  One of the biggest challenges of living here is remaining sensitive to each child’s story.  Not becoming numb to them.  I cannot allow them to become the “norm,” just because they surround me.  I pray these stories continue to touch me, bring me to tears, and move me to action.  

And that is what I’m doing right now. 

I want to tell you about my new friend, Eliza.  

I have known Eliza for a few weeks.  She is quiet and shy, but very polite.  She is around during the day (when most of the children are at school), so I see her often.  Our conversations have never gone beyond the surface.  Until last Friday.

It was a slow day at the center.  I saw Eliza sitting on the bench, so I joined her.  We talked for several minutes, and I could tell something was bothering her.  

“What’s on your mind, Eliza?”  I asked her.

“I am so bored.  I just want to go to school,” she told me.  I asked why she didn’t go to school, and she said “There is nobody to take me.”

Immediately I understood: there was no money for her.  Once the children pass class 8, they are ready to enter secondary school (high school).  However, they must have a sponsor.  There is no other option.  Either you pay, or you stay home.  Unfortunately, the CYEC is too low on funding to sponsor all the youth who are of age to attend high school.   

To lift her spirits, I asked her if she would like to help me with some of my work: I was doing a needs assessment on the Zawadi Shop that day.  I wanted to hear more about her school situation, but I can’t just expect these children to trust me unless I invest in them.  So as we worked, I asked what she liked about school.  “Without an education, you go nowhere in life,” was her simple answer.  And when I asked what she enjoyed learning, her face lit up.  I wish you could have seen it, it was so beautiful.  “Chemistry!” she exclaimed.  She told me that she dreams about being a nurse.

“You will be the kindest nurse in the world,” I told her.  

We finished our work and sat on the front step outside of my room.  “I want to tell you my story,” she said.  I braced myself.  This gentle, shy girl had decided to open up to me, and I had no idea what to expect.  

Eliza was a young girl when her father murdered her mother.  She witnessed the entire thing.  Her father was sent to prison, and Eliza was taken in by a family friend.  This woman provided for her and paid for her education until the middle of Eliza’s 5^th school year.  Eliza was faced with two options: find money or drop out.  She decided to leave home briefly and find work.  She only needed 500 shillings (equal to 6 US dollars).  It took her 3 weeks to earn that much.  When she returned to school, money in hand, the teacher turned her away, saying that she was not serious about her education.  (She didn’t understand that Eliza had missed school in order to earn the money required to pay her school fees).  Soon after, Eliza’s caretaker asked her to leave: she was no longer able to feed her.  Eliza moved in with her uncle’s family.  Her uncle was a kind man, but after he died, Eliza was thrown out of the house by the aunt and cousins.  She had nowhere to go.  She moved to the streets, and slept on the sewage drains.  One night, she tried to end her life.  She had no reason to live.  No family, no one to care for her, no one to love or appreciate her.  Her suicide attempt failed, and the police found her.  They threw her in jail, and she lived in a cell for several months.  She was then moved to a children’s home, where she was able to finish class 6, 7, and 8.  She came to the CYEC in 2011.

 

Eliza’s story brought me to tears.  How can any child survive that?  She is now 17 years old, and a beautiful girl.  Each night she can be found in the library, studying with the other children.  Despite her traumatic past and her current situation, her hope remains.      

Eliza told me that she lays awake at night, wondering if she’ll ever be able to attend high school, leave the CYEC, and have a family of her own.  I told her not to worry anymore and that I would help her figure something out.  She hugged me, and told me she loved me.  “You are the kindest friend I have met,” she told me. 

And all I did was listen to her. 

 

Will you pray for Eliza?  And will you also pray for my efforts to find her a sponsor?  Before I leave in August, Eliza will be able to go to school…that is my goal.  After everything she has been through, it is her turn to be taken care of.  She deserves it.   

At the least, she deserves the very thing that I have taken for granted my entire life: an opportunity for an education and a chance at a better tomorrow. 

love,

-br

     

"What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead."  James 2:14-17

                                                          

Wants vs. Needs

On Monday, we opened the Zawadi Shop for the first time.  Finally!  We only opened it for 30 minutes, so about 15 children got to come in.  We are trying to figure out the best way to serve 90+ children’s needs while still maintaining order (the shop is not very big…not nearly large enough to hold that many little bodies). 

That thirty minutes was one of the best and worst experiences I have had in Kenya thus far.

The children had only been earning points for one week, so naturally they didn’t have very many.  Definitely not enough to buy their essential items and a toy.  I was so nervous.  After all, what child would choose to spend their hard-earned points on a bar of soap over a new stuffed animal?  In fact, there has been a lot of discussion around this very point.  If we don’t distribute these items (i.e. soap, toothpaste), how will there be any guarantee that the kids have them?  And with the  widespread occurrence of scabies, this is a very real health concern.

I shouldn’t have worried.

Joseph was the first boy to walk through the store.  He walked straight to the “school supplies” section, picked out a brand new BIC pen, paid his points, and walked out with the biggest grin on his little face.  I teared up.  Of course.  When was the last time I was that excited about or as appreciative of a pen? 

Dennis was the second boy to come in the shop.  He walked in, eyes wide at the brand new store before him.  He immediately picked up a deck of cards, worth 50 points.  He turned them over in his hand, studying them closely.  Then he hesitated.  “Points?  How many I have?” he asked in his broken English.  “You have 50,” we told him.  He looked back down at the  deck of cards, slowly returned them to their place on the shelf, and walked away.  He picked up a bar of soap and a ruler, and he quickly left the shop.  It was as if he couldn’t stand to look anymore.  My heart was broken.

Not one child bought a toy or a book that day.  Not a single one.  The most popular item sold was soap.  I was both proud of them and extremely sad for them.  And here I was, doubting their ability of self-control…

Of course they know how important it is for them to buy soap. 

Of course the know that a new pen offers the ability to take better notes at school, which leads to a better future. 

These kids know what they need.  And they definitely know the difference between wants and needs. 

I am so thankful for these children and their simple ability to teach me life-changing lessons day after day.

With gratitude,

-br

He dies for lack of discipline, and because of his great folly he is led astray.  Proverbs 5:23

Project I

Hi, friends! 

First, I want to thank you all for the sweet comments on my blog.  They have been a great encouragement to me.  

I want to take this opportunity to inform you of one of our projects we have been assigned for the summer.  The staff has given us two main projects.  The first is the Zawadi Point System, which I am dedicating this post to.  

The Zawadi System is a point system that circulates around the CYEC, through all the children and each department.  It has been in place in the past, but failed for several reasons.  We have spent the first few weeks here remodeling the system.  We have studied the reasons it failed before, we have had countless meetings with various staff members, and we have determined the goals and functions of the system.  After nearly 3 weeks of work, the system is finally in place.  This project has been my baby, and I am one proud mama!  :)  We have created and implemented a program that will change the way the CYEC operates.  

Essentially, the Zawadi System is a mini-economy, central to the CYEC.  Rather than being based on currency or money, it is formed around the use of "Zawadi Points."  Each child has an account.  When there is work to be done, staff members can submit job requests, which are then posted bi-weekly on the center's announcement board. The children can look at the job postings and decide if they would like to apply for anything.  If so, they must take the initiative to go apply for the job with the person who requested help.  After they have completed the work, they are paid in Zawadi Points, which can be redeemed in the Zawadi Shop.  We actually spent our first few days here completely remodeling a building into a cute, fun “general store” type shop.  We cleaned the building floor to ceiling, painted child-friendly murals on the wall, and sorted through donations.  The store is filled with toys, books, school supplies, personal hygiene items, clothes, and shoes. 

The Zawadi System has two main functions:

1.     Practicality.  The children now have a place where they can purchase items for themselves, whether they be essential to daily needs, or fun (i.e. books and toys).

2.     Teaches lifeskills.  The staff wants to implement the idea that nothing in life comes for free.  The youth at the center live and eat for free, and they are getting very accustomed to being given everything.  They are not learning how to be accountable for themselves.  As we know, freebies can be very debilitating for people.  These children need a movement from dependency to self-sufficiency.  This system will require the kids to save their money and create personal budgets.  It will also teach them the concept of working toward a goal .  For example, if they see a nice shirt that they want to purchase from the shop, they must properly allocate their money so they can still purchase the essentials (weekly soap, toothpaste, etc.) and still have enough money left over for their “splurge” purchase. 

One of the challenges we predict is the lack of consistent donations and/or support for the shop.  Some items (i.e. soap, toothpaste) are already in the center’s budget.  However, nearly every other item in the shop (toys, books, clothes, shoes) come solely from donors, either international or local.  During the summer months, there is an abundance of donations from all the volunteers (like us) who bring extra stuff over.  But during the “off season” there is no continuity or stability, which is very concerning.  If we want the children to stay motivated to work, the shop needs to be full of items that are worth working for. 

I am so very excited about this project.  It has the potential to make a huge difference in the lives of these children. We will spend the next few weeks implementing all the last-minute details, and working on the loopholes, which are appearing daily.  We are on somewhat of a trial-and-error basis these first few weeks.  We want to make this system the very best it can be for everyone involved.

thanks for reading,

-br         

In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.  Proverbs 14:23

Maureen

Meet my baby, Maureen!  This picture was taken during the first week at the CYEC.  She enjoyed helping me help paint the Zawadi Shop (which I will explain in a later post).

take care,
-br

Barefoot Babes

A few nights ago, 25 children received new shoes.  You should have heard the noise!  We could hear their shouts from inside our room.  The day before, a large number of kids had been sent home from school because they didn't have proper footwear.  The schools require black shoes worn with socks.  How many pairs of socks do you own?  If it is more than one, count yourself lucky because so many of these children are deprived of that basic clothing item. 

There have been several times during the last few weeks that we have seen kids walk through the CYEC gates during school hours.  When we ask them what they're doing home early, their replies often sound something like this: "I didn't have socks today" or "Someone stole my shoes last night and these ones aren't the right color." 

It breaks my heart that education is used as a punishment for not owning the right color of shoes.  And it is a punishment...these kids love going to school.  I have never heard one of these children complain about having to go to school.  Each night I ask the kids if they had fun at school, and I make them tell me one thing they learned.  They always have great answers.  I remember my dad used to ask me this question every day while growing up.  “Did you learn something new?” he would ask.  I’m sure there were countless days that I replied with an ungrateful answer.  How humbled I am by these children.  They appreciate their education. They know what an education means… it means a future; it means hope; it means opportunity.  They take nothing for granted.  Not even a pair of new, black shoes.

love,
-br 

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights.  James 1:17

Quick Update

Okay, so now for a brief (and practical) update on some things that have happened in the last week.  We do not have internet at the CYEC, and we just found the internet café in town. We hope to come into town at least once a week, so I’ll try to upload a few posts at a time.  

We flew into Nairobi last Friday evening and stayed there until Monday.  We spent the weekend with Paul and Chris.  Paul is the director of the CYEC and is a truly incredible man.  He is an inspiration to so many people.  He walked us around the city and introduced us to some great cafes, bars, and restaurants. Chris is a student at one of the universities in Nairobi.  He was one of the first youth to be at the CYEC.  He is a “success story” and everyone at the center is so proud of him.  We were pleased to hang out with him and become such great friends in a short time. He is coming into Nyeri this weekend, and we are so excited to hang out with him again!  We also had the chance to visit a giraffe park, a museum, the Bomas of Kenya (a cultural learning center), and several other interesting and educational sites.   

We were very fortunate in that we left Nairobi just a few hours before an explosion went off at a facility three blocks away from our hotel.  Some are suggesting that it was a terror attack.  

After the 2.5 hour drive from Nairobi, we arrived at the Center.  I was crying within the first 2 minutes of getting out of the van…go figure, ha! ;)  The way the children greeted us and were willing to love us so quickly was overwhelming.  

I’m running out of time…but will post again soon about the work we’ll be doing this summer.  

Love you all,

-br