After a week-long break from classes,
schools re-opened this week. It is still raining cats and dogs and the mud is
now up to ankle high while other places are experiencing floods but still, we
are doing well and the kids are geared up for this semester of classes. This
month, we were reviewing the progress report of the kids for the past term and
also presenting the kids report cards. We were quite pleased with their
progress for this term and we hope that this will continue through this term.
Beginner’ class:-
 |
| Moses Ndungu |
 |
| Dennis Amufa |
They have not yet caught
up with the classroom atmosphere but are slowly getting used to it. They were
only tested on three examinable tests i.e. Mathematics, English and Bible. This
time we had Moses Ndungu and Dennis Amufa topping the class and are showing
tremendous improvement in their progress. Most of the other kids were
performing averagely while a few of them are still trailing, but we have added
more classes during farm time so that they catch up with the rest. We are happy
with Michelle Saumu and Paul Njane who, when they came in were very low in
their English levels but with both Hellens’ help, they are slowly coming up.
 |
| Eugene Kariuki |
Intermediate class:-
This time round,
young Eugene is the one turning heads. He has only been in this class for a few
months and he worked his way to the second position. With his great progress,
we think that in the coming termly exams, he might just top the class. This
time round, their progress was average as compared to last year where they did
so well by covering the class two and part of the class three curriculum in
just one year. We decided to combine the beginner’s and intermediate classes together so as to have more healthy competition in the class. The new class
will have nineteen students.
Middle class:-
 |
| Paul Njane |
Peter Simala is still
working wonders in this class by getting an average of 80% which is a clean
‘A’. This progress is so good that we decided to move him to the advanced
class. We also had Joseph Mbugua, Alex Mwangi, Ian Thiga, Eunice and the new
Rehema Mishi improving their grades from last time. Rehema is new in the class and she is really
doing well even though when she came in, she was really shy.
Advanced class:-
This time round, Jane
Wanjiru improved with 17% in her average mark, from 54% to 71%. This is a great
improvement from last year. The whole class is doing very well with only one
two student getting below average mark and for one of them, Fauzia Hama, it was
because she was coming to terms with the death of her father. For Brenda, it
might be because she is new in the class. With this kind of progress, we think
that they might be ready to be registered for the national exam next year.
Fast track:-
The class is still having a slow
progress. Now we have twelve kids in the class with five of them from the
advanced literacy class and the rest from the skills program. The kids will be
registered for their national exam next year, so we still have time before next
year. This class has Caleb Nthiwa topping this class and also the advanced
class. He is one of the student who is both in advanced and fast track class.
Catherine, who is new in the program is also doing very well in this class and
was the second student in this class.
That is just what I happening this term and
the progress of the students in class.
Tuesday we spent most of the day in Eastleigh, a poor part of
Nairobi, although there are many shops and businesses among the piles of
burning trash and waste. I have seen
slums in Mexico and Guatemala and this easily rivaled or exceeded the size and scope
of those. Mathari is a huge area next to
Eastleigh that is in worse condition; it is basically housing made of sheet
metal, wood, cardboard, or anything else the people there can find. Many street kids go from Mathari to Eastleigh
because there are more businesses and more people with money. We walked on trash and mud most of the day,
travelling with the MITS crew to “bases” or areas where street people
congregate. We prayed with some of the
groups and just let them know that God loves them. I prayed over a young man who had committed
to staying off huffing glue so that he could work part-time for a woman that
owns a fruit stand. He had the shakes
like a heroin addict going through withdrawal from being off the glue. I really hope that he sticks with it; he
seemed encouraged by us. After seeing
the conditions there and how strong the influence to huff shoe glue, jet fuel,
or gasoline is for these street kids, I respect each one of the kids in Kamulu
even more. Sometimes when we are playing
basketball or working on the farm, I forget that some of them were like the
street kids with a bottle of glue stuck to their face, getting high all
day. They seem like regular kids having
fun, joking and talking with each other.
The power to break that kind of cycle can only be explained as the power
of God to change lives, and now I appreciate how he has changed the lives of
the kids at MITS even more. They are the
most courageous, brave, and smart kids I have ever met.
