Gitathuru

Term 3, 2022

Greetings from Gitathuru Centre. It’s been another amazing term and we are grateful to God for the transformation that we are seeing here in Gitathuru. We would like to share with you some of the activities that happened during the course of the term. Thank you for your continued support.

Blessings.

Gladys Musili
Headteacher, Githathuru

Total Enrolled: 743

Total Unsponsored: 310

Peter* is 17 years old and recently graduated from our Githathuru Center. He was born and raised in the Gitathuru area in Mathare. During recruitment his family was dysfunctional; the parents had separated and his mother became the sole breadwinner of the family. Basic needs were hard to come by, this made Peter skip school to try and make a living for himself. While he was away from school, he would collect scrap metal and sell it.

Peter used to wear his school uniform in the morning as if he was coming to school, but somewhere on the way, he would change into civilian clothes and begin loitering. Other times he would come to class, but would sneak out of the school during recess.

Social workers decided to take a new approach to address his behavior. Their strategy was to connect with the child before they could correct him. They identified a group of boys who had similar behavioral issues such as drug abuse. Together they started group counseling, the group was called “ The Transformers Club”.

The club aimed to transform these boys so that they could be role models and transform others. They started with just going out to play soccer together so as to create a bond, then at the end of the game, the social workers and the boys would sit down and allow the boys to talk about the issues affecting them. “We first created a safe space for the boys to open up,” said a social worker. The social workers also asked some of the male teachers to talk to the boys every Tuesday evening when the Transformers Club would meet.

Eventually, the boys began to open up and their mindsets began to change. When Peter was in his final year with us at Getathuru Center., he had become a peer counselor. He could openly talk to other pupils in school concerning drug abuse and obedience to parents and teachers. Peter would share his experience with the students. He would advise them that they will gain nothing from getting into drugs or being disobedient to their parents and teachers.

At the same time, the social workers reached out to Peter’s parents. They began constantly sharing the word of God with the parents and praying with them. The parents’ relationship was restored and today they live together again as a married couple. Peter and his family are grateful for MOHI and the effort made by the staff to not only educate the child, but empower the family.  Peter successfully completed his primary school education and is currently enrolled in MOHI’s Ndovoini High School.

*Name was changed.

• Nine of our learners participated in the interschool football (soccer) games and qualified up to the county level and two of them continued to qualify to compete at the national level.
• Our grade six students went for Angaza Discovery Camp in Kilifi. The pupils were very excited to share with their parents what they learned from the camp. We saw great transformation in the learners, they gained better communication skills, grew spiritually, and gained stronger Christian values.

• Claire, an American college student, came to intern with us as a social worker. She prayed for parents in the community and now sponsors one of our pupils.
• A team from a church called Via Love came to visit. They prayed for God’s provision and grace upon our Center.
• We thank God for visitors from the Butterfly Collaborative Medical Team who held preschool screening for malnutrition, anemia, eye, and ear infections, and dental care among others.

• Thank God for the provision of resources as we complete the third floor of our school building. We are trusting God for more resources to complete the fourth and fifth floor, together with setting up the computer lab and library.
• Thank God for the sponsorship of 65 learners from our school and also pray that the remaining 310 unsponsored pupils get sponsors. 
• Thank God for the peaceful elections that we had in Kenya. 
• We pray that our grade six pupils transition well to junior high school.