Mathare North

Term 4, 2021

It is our pleasure to get another opportunity to share this term’s highlights with you our friends. Indeed we are so grateful for your support and partnership as we continue working together to transform lives through the hope of Christ. God bless you

Blessings,
Selina Gathura,
Headteacher, Mathare North

Total Enrolled: 993 students
Total Unsponsored: 598 students

*Jane (16years),*Paul (14years) and *Joy (12years) are siblings who have gone through a lot at the hands of their stepfather. The three were very young when their father died in 2012. Their mother got married again and in her new marriage, she gave birth to two more children *Cassy (7years) and *Ronald (1year). 

The social worker learned about Jane and Paul while following up on Joy who had been missing from school for two consecutive weeks. During the follow-up visits, we learned that Joy’s chronic absenteeism was due to the traumatizing condition at home. According to her mother, Joy’s stepfather is very violent and whenever he comes home drunk or under the influence of marijuana, he becomes physically and verbally abusive to the family. The mother says that her husband selectively directs his violence to her and the three stepchildren and refers to them as liabilities who are there to suck his small earnings and make him poor. At times he refuses to buy food in the house and sarcastically tells the three children to go and wake their dead father to feed them.

Due to the violence at home, Paul had sought refuge at a distant relative’s house and he had dropped from school. Jane on the other hand had been given out to her mum’s friend in their rural home who promised to take her to school. The friend later blocked her calls and she had no way to reach out to her and enquire about her daughter’s welfare. She desperately needed our help to have her child back since her instincts told her that her daughter was not well. After some time, a neighbor to the mother’s friend traveled to the village and she saw Jane. She confirmed the mother’s suspicions about her daughter’s wellbeing as true. 

The family social worker accompanied Jane’s mother to the local authority’s office where she was assisted to file a complaint. After several visits and follow-ups to this government office, Jane was finally rescued and taken to a children’s home before later being reunited with family back in Nairobi.

We then recruited both Jane and Paul into the center and started the process to have them moved to MOHI’s boarding program. This is now complete and the three siblings will now move to Joska and Ndovoini come next term – away from their abusive stepfather. Their mother has also identified a relative from their father’s side who is willing to stay with them during school holidays. 

We thank God that these children can now have peace of mind and also that with this opportunity, they can make something good of their lives.

**Names changed

• We had a successful cultural day with our grade three learners. They showcased their different cultures through aspects like; traditional dances, different cultural foods, and traditional attires. It was really beautiful.
• We are glad to inform you that the renovations of our school building officially started and we are hopeful that by April we shall go back to our premises and enjoy working from our beautiful building.
• We are delighted to let you know that our grade six girls got an opportunity to go to the Angaza camp. They really had fun and Jesus worked wonders in them as 40 of them accepted Him as their personal Savior. We are so proud of the transformation realized through their participation in the camp.

• Pray for our pupil Ramuel Daniel Kimanthi who was diagnosed with Leukemia in July 2021 and is even now still admitted at the hospital.
• Pray with our grade eight candidates who we are preparing to sit for the national primary school exit exams in March 2022.
• Pray with us for favor from government officials as we pursue to have our school registered as an examination center.