Intern Report -Amanda Morgan

Amanda and Rapahel

Over the Christmas holiday, I had the blessings and opportunity to spend a month in Kenya at MITS. I arrived at the beginning of December and stayed through the beginning of January. I traveled alone and lived at MITS by myself for the majority of my stay. This allowed me to step out and spend time with the people of MITS. I lived next to the girls place and from sun up to sun down we were together. We shared bathrooms and showers when my water wasn’t working correctly. We went to local shops together, chapel, school, and shared every meal together. The girls taught me how to cook, we laughed and danced, we would sing and tell stories. I spent many hours playing with the sweet babies that live with the mothers at the girls place and got to just be a community with these girls. Living together, working together, sleeping together, and sharing meals together brings people together in a special way. I miss these children.

I miss these students. I miss the workers and staff and community at MITS. They became my family and we spent all of our time together. I learned so much from the students about life, love, and joy.  I learned that our past does not make our present or our future. The students proved to be smart, talented, loved, and hard working.  They have a purpose, a goal, and their eyes on the prize set before them. They know that God loves them and that He continually provides and takes care of them no matter what may arise. They taught me what it means to be blessed, what it means to love your neighbor, and what it means to speak the name of Jesus daily. His name was on their every word, every moment of the day.  I gained lifelong best friends in Kenya. Friends, who pray for me, communicate with me, check on me, and have a desire to be a part of my life.

Betsy, Anthony and Amanda

They know me in ways that not many other people do. Life was fun and exciting at MITS, but life was hard and required work and time and energy, also. But life is so much better than on the streets and the students know this. They remember back to a life of glue, a life of hunger, and a life of constant pain. This life is something they never want again and praise God for being rescued and loved. I praise God for their example of what it looks like to praise Him through good and bad, to trust in His plan, to be a friend, and to love without end. I am thankful that God gave me the chance to go to MITS and to share His love with the children that blessed and forever changed my life.

Another day of service

 Friday base visits have always been interesting and unpredictable. This particular Friday,  the team split into two as usual and proceeded to different bases. We begun our journey to a base located in Nairobi’s city center, Globe base.

With the recent changes in the government and plans to make Nairobi clean and safe, the Local County Council of Nairobi are on a mission to wipe out the street guys from the city's streets. So they keep moving to different spots to try to escape from the men in uniform. We finally locate them and the spot they are at is very pretty. It is by a very busy road, the grass in the area is green (especially since it is raining now). Nairobi river is flowing on the other end and they are seated under a tree. In contrast the people we find there are very high on aerosols, the clothes they are wearing are tattered and very dirty, most of the boys have all the clothes they own on and the smell there is not pleasant. They have their “best friends” bottles of glue and small pieces of material that are wet with jet fuel held close to their nose. Some see us and hide their bottles in their pockets while others are too high and don’t care.  There are also four women, two are asleep and don’t bother to even raise their heads from the ground when we arrive.  The other two are seated comfortably on the ground and we greet them as we make our way to where the boys are seated.

As Usual the boys are happy to see us. Their ages vary; there are older men here, teenagers and very young boys. I counted a total of twenty five. Anyway, we introduce ourselves and shared the word of God with them. As the team takes turns in giving them words of encouragement, my eyes look around at what is going on. There are three young boys, about 13 years old, on the east side playing cards and they have coins on the ground for whoever wins that round. I move to where they are and try to convince them to join the rest of the crowd but they are not interested so they move further away. Then I notice some boys crossing the road and go to the women seated on the ground, they give the women empty bottles and the women fill the bottles with glue. The business is done so fast that I didn't see the exchange of money but I am sure it can’t be for free.

The sharing goes on and I see this little boy, sitting alone. He is so precious and looks so innocent and helpless in his dirty clothes and a glue bottle in his tiny hands. I had seen immediately when we got here and had a short conversation with him before we started sharing with everyone else. He said his name was Waithaka (from kikuyu tribe). He is eleven years old and his mom lives in Thika, a town close to Nairobi. I asked him what he was sniffing, and he said it was glue. At this age I am sure he doesn't know the effects of that glue and other drugs that he will be introduced to with time. His face looks a bit clean and this makes me think that he is still fairly new in the base. All he is looking for is a place where his needs are going to be met and he will feel like he belongs. Little does he know that this place does not provide what he need but will give other longings that are far much difficult to overcome such as addictions and anti- social behaviors. 

We did our part and its time for us to head back to Eastleigh center. We said a prayer and give the boys buns we brought for them. As we depart my mind is still struggling with the fact that Waithaka, is left behind with those women who sell drugs to them and the older boys who will use him. And the cold and rainy nights that he is going to have to endure. I quietly wish that he will begin to come to Eastleigh programs for young boys so that he may be able to join our boarding program some day. Or something will change and he will have a place to call home soon. 

Rep. by Irene

Two streets mothers making it work...

Helen is a mother of two kids a boy and a girl. Three years ago she as was at Mlango kubwa base. While in the streets Helen used to supply bhang -marijuan in Mlango kubwa base and Pangani area in collaboration with her husband. In late 2012 she joined Made in Streets mothers' program where she was willing to take an extra hour of bead work class. With being consistence in attending these classes, we learnt to know her better.

With a tough situation in her hands, she came out freely to share with us about her lifestyle. we  had lengthy talks informing her that the only solutions to her challenges is to change, positively. With her being willing to undergo the transformation process we took her through counselling which she included  her husband.

In June 2013 we took her to Imani training center to take a skill in knitting. Which she responded positively and even she became the best in her class. Her course took a period of six month which she has finished now. Currently she has a house at Mlango kubwa  area where she stays with her husband and the two kids. The husband is a night guard at  industrial factory. Now Helen is a transformed and a changed mother. She is able to send two of her children to school from the money she gets from knitting and bead making which she does privately.   

Salome is a mother of four children, two girls and two boys. She was at Lilliput base for five years where she used to smoke bhang, drink illegal liquor (changaa) and begging money from the passers by. In this situation the money she used to beg she managed to pay school fees for her daughter who is the first born and is in high school. Now she is in her final year (2014).Salome joined Made in the Streets mothers'' program in 2012, 

Every Monday we had several talks regarding what she hoped to engage in so as to be self-reliant. She thought of being a vegetable vendor, with our support, with capital  and some business advice she begun in a humble setting, now she runs a food kiosk in Eastleigh which is booming.

With this kind of achievements she is doing well with the family, being a single mother she has been very supportive like paying her daughter’s high school fees and providing other family basic needs. By the end of 2013 she moved from Mathare valley now she is staying in Eastleigh area. In November 2013 she was baptized in Eastleigh Church of Christ.

Story by Jane Abuti

Progress on Nursery graduants!

 Collins Odhiambo: turned five years last year on August he is in pre-unit at Unity Academy in Kayole and living with his mother (Lucy Akinyi).

•  Eric Mwenda: turned four in April- 5-2013, exited in August and went at Baraka Academy  He was position one out of 30. He is living with his mum (Cecilia Mwenza). He is in nursery.
•    Victor Ngatia: turned seven on January 5-2014.  He went to the United States in June for medical reasons, currently going at Grand Mark academy and in class two.
•   Khel Omondi: 5 years old going to Grand Mark academy, he likes the school and doing great.
•  Liam mutual: He is in class one doing very good especially in communicating in English, he is 6 years old went to DrumVale Primary School.
•   Kelsey Zawadi: almost turning four on 12^th march 2014 went at Jasper Academy at nursery and doing very well.
•  Steve Mathu: went to Learning Center and joined the Intermediate class, he turned twelve last year.
•   Mark Ngunjirii: went to Destiny Academy, turned three years on July 2013 she is at nursery and doing well.

 Those still with us are:
Trinity Gatabi she is 2 years, Silvia Ndungwa 3 years, in baby class, Dennis Omwega one and half years, Raphael Abduazak one and half years, Larry Mutolu five years old in pre-unit.
We also have anew born baby Taylor Muthoni 3 months old.

Good Start

It’s a new term. Students have moved up a class and others have left literacy and joined skills training. As a teacher it is always time to adjust because a new student in class sometimes changes the dynamic of how things used to work. Salim, middle class student, is quite the scholar. He likes to read books with fact, simply educational. For Him for example we have to find something that will make him interested in class. He will not read a book just for the fun of it. We therefore have to think about him as we plan for class and prepare the lesson in such a way that he will be alert the whole time and be involved and interested in what the rest of the class is doing. 

Onesmus Odero loves to draw. Right as we study the book of revelation his drawings of the images of the prophesies are the best. we try to find a way to help nurture this talent yet still learn what has been planned for class.

Onesmus Odero holding his drawing.

Rep from Irene Otalo

I recently got a new cap, the school librarian, and this to me meant that I have to bring the library to life. The final quarter of last year I was working on convincing the students that reading story books and checking books out to read during their free time can not only improve their performance an English, both written and spoken, as well as other subjects but also increase their general knowledge. To motivate them to read, the students who showed exceptional   in reading were awarded during the December, 2013 price giving ceremony. This month I have been filled with smiles when I see students and Team come to check books out. This month alone I have checked out more than 80 books and the library is coming to life, I am happy about that. In December we received a lot of books from Amanda stoops and this year Sue Dansby has sent sets of National Geographic magazines that we will use for research and we can have whole class projects.                      

End year Exit Students Report 2013

I would like to thank all the team members, sponsors and other partners for the support that they gave us in 2013. Without your support we would have not be able to do all that we had planned this year.
We start with a review of the goals that we had set out when we started this year and then look at what was achieved.

2013 goals:
Help our students doing KCPE exams get their birth certificates and also committal documents and lastly those needing IDs card.

1. Attachments/Jobs for Exit students this year we have
   

• Peter Mwangi:- Catering and Food production( ID, Attachment and then Job, housing) Possible opportunity at the Arte Caffe at the village market.
  
• Titus Musyoki:- Hairdressing and Barbering ( Attachment and Job, housing). Glad to say he has an opportunity a Narcisse salon at Sarit center.
  
• Cecilia Mwinza:- Dressing making and Tailoring(Job hunting, housing )
  
• David Mutimbi:- Auto-mechanics ( Housing, Job at 4wheeler Garage )
  
• Ken Owino:- Computer ( ID, attachment and then job hunting, housing )
  
• Florence Aoko: -Hairdressing and beauty(ID, attachment and job, housing )
  
• Anthony Githinji:-Auto-mechanic( attachment, ID and then job, housing)
  
• Joseph Nderitu:- Auto-mechanics( attachment, ID and then Job, housing)
  
• Mary Wanjiru:- Catering ( ID, Attachment and then Job, housing)
  
• Clinton Otieno:- Catering (ID)
  
• Joseph Mbithi:- Catering (ID)
  

3. Help those going for outside schooling, this year we have
   

• George Mwenda:- Computer Graphic and computer languages and then help out at MITS during weekends.
  
• Edward Muhea: - a part-time class KIPS and then helps Musa with beginner’s computer classes at Kamulu.
  
• Alex Atema:-2^nd year at Great Commission School this year which will be the last year.
  
• Lucy Akinyi:- still has 3 months hairdressing school and then job hunting.
  

4. Do more networking with other organization for the exit students and do a lot of following.
   
5. Reforms in the Boarding program in terms of supervision, food and communication channels with students like having suggestion box etc
   
6. Push for the implementation for some of the suggestion from the children’s dept e.g. improves security, education for our students, child friendly environment.
   
7. Continue with 4.30 Business classes, Saturday classes
   
8. Do more community programs like Sunday school and VBS this year.
   
9. Interact with skill teachers to better equip and pool ideas.
   
10. Improve our students recording system to comply with the government standard set.
    
11. Work more with relatives and parents of the exiting students as an integration process.
    
12. See how alternative cares with fit with MITS especially foster care.
    
13. Do more of the team building training for our team.
    
14. Improve on our certificates, letters for exit students.
    
15. Start our graduation program, to be held in October.
    

This is what was able to be achieved this year

1. We were able to help all the students that attained the age of 18 years get an ID but failed in getting them some birth certificates for some students sitting for KCPE though they were able to sit for their examinations.
   

2. Attachments/Jobs for Exit students
   

• Peter Mwangi:- Catering and Food production student; he was able to finish and graduate from MITS. He was also able to secure a Job in Naked Pizza place in Westlands/Parklands area and also get housing in Uthiru area staying with Ken Owino.
  

• Titus Musyoki:- Hairdressing and Barbering student; was also able to finish his schooling at Revlon school, do an attachment at Narcisse Salon and start work at the same place. He also exited and stays in Gachie area with Edward Muhea, George Mwenda and Alex Atema.
  

• Cecilia Mwinza:- Dressing making and Tailoring student; She also was able to graduate from MITS, get employment in Gikomba place and also get housing in Huruma area. She came to MITS through single mum program with Eric her son.
  

• David Mutimbi :- Auto-mechanics Student; we were also able to fully exit David this year who is working at 4wheelers place at the village market. They had put his employment on hold due to the election at the beginning of the year.
  

• Ken Owino:- Computer student; he was able to graduate from MITS and get a job at Sam’s Place for the deaf but he wasted the opportunity and now he does odd jobs so as be able sustain himself. He stays with Peter Mwangi in Uthiru place. We have plans near year to secure him a good job to sustain him
  

• Florence Aoko: -Hairdressing and beauty student; was able to graduate and secure a job downtown Nairobi. She also was able to exit and get housing in Huruma. During her exit, we worked hand in hand with her uncle who now follows up with her progress as part of her reintegration process with her relatives.
  

• Charles Kimani:- Woodworking Student; was able to graduate and secure a job as woodworking instructor at Sam’s place in Rongo. Sam’s place is a center for the deaf in Kisumu.
  

• Anthony Githinji:-Auto-mechanic student; due to his age not yet attained 18 years we scheduled him to exit in 2014.
  

• Joseph Nderitu:- Auto-mechanics student; reached 18 years at the end of 2013, scheduled him to exit in 2014
  

• Mary Wanjiru:- Catering Student; was able to finish and graduate from MITS, we were also able to secure two jobs one at Quick mart supermarket and the other in a restaurant downtown Nairobi but she declined both opportunities and we haven’t heard from her since
  

• Clinton Otieno:- Catering Student; was able to finish and graduate this year, we have scheduled him to exit in 2014. He was able to get his ID card
  

• Joseph Mbithi:- Catering Student; he was also able to finish and graduate from MITS. We are also glad to say that he also got a job at the ABC Place in Westlands Zucchini place working alongside Mary Waithera who is her supervisor there.
  

• Indale Guyo:- Tailoring and fashions student; was able to secure a job at Blue-skies place in Westlands a rock climbing place, plans are underway for him to exit next year and also attend a fashions school.
  

• Mary Wambui (konje):- hairdressing and beauty student; was able to secure a job at Narcisse Salon at the Sarit center. We plan for her to exit MITS in 2014.
  

• Fredrick Otieno: Auto mechanic student; for a while now Fredrick had a hard time getting a good job and maintaining it. We at MITS have continued helping him and we are glad to say that he was able to secure a job in a car wash place in Ruai that he feels he will maintain and enjoy working.
  

3. Those who were attending outside schooling,
   

• George Mwenda:- Computer Graphic and IT at Aviation college. He will continue attending this school until mid 2014 and then look for a job for him after that. He is performing well was able to participate in the college modeling and was able to be the runners up which earned him credits in college and also get a part time job in clothes and fashion company temporarily. We are supporting him with outside housing where he stays with Titus Musyoki in Gachie
  
• Edward Muhea: - Had part time schooling at KIPS but later on dropped out, had a difficult time maintaining classes, started job hunting and stays with Titus in Gachie too
  
• Alex Atema:-was able to graduate from Great Commission School, scheduled for job hunting in 2014 stays in Gachie too
  
• Lucy Akinyi:- Due to the recommendation from the doctor to change careers from Auto mechanics to something light like Hairdressing, Lucy was able to make that transition and study and graduate from Ayana beauty and hairdressing school with the money given out each year for Larry Hagerman’s church which is $ 500 with the support of her sponsor for her other basic needs that were not covered with that money. She graduated and go a part time job at a salon in Park road and later on land a more permanent job in one of the branches of Milele group of Salons where Mary Wangui (Koi) works. Lucy work at the South B branch while Mary works in Hurling ham.
  
• Patricia Wambui:- She was finish her KCSE studies in November 2013, but we still need to sit down with her and her sponsor and come up with a plan on how she will sustain herself and also support her child
  

Other Achievements
We were able to do more networking with other organization in referring children who were not able to be integrated in to this program. Some of the centers we networked with were the Children’s department, Missions of Hope in Mathare and Joska, Kwetu Home of Peace, Mukuru Kayaba Rescue place, Rescue Dada, Lutheran program in Eastleigh etc

4. We were able to implement some reforms in the Boarding program in terms of supervision, food and communication channels dorm classes and follow-up, student discipline
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   with having a dorm parent selected to head that, first Aid classes and Fire drill in case of a fire
   
5. Push for the implementation for some of the suggestion from the children’s dept e.g. improves security, education for our students, child friendly environment.
   
6. Continue with 4.30 Business classes, Saturday classes to give the student life skills that will be of benefit to them
   
7. We were able to do a VBS for the community Children whereby we had a total of over 90 attending and participating. Later on we took the Sunday school children n trips to Nakuru National Park and the Arboretum place. The theme for this year’s VBS was “Christmas in August”
   
8. We also improved our students recording system to comply with the government standard set.
   
9. Work more with relatives and parents of the exiting students as an integration process when the students are exiting from MITS.
   
10. We were able to hold some training for Sunday School teachers from 33 churches from all over Kenya
    
11. We were able to organize and host Business seminar with our student, former students and Business people that MITS associate with Bill Arnold and his wife.
    
12. We were also able to hold our first graduation ceremony here in MITS with 28 students graduating.
    

Graduates 2013

Updates on Students Affairs

As the third semester of the year concludes in December, we are happy to say that we are now through with the learning activities of the year and we now enter into the holiday period of third semester We are happy that God has brought us this far and He still continues to be a great part of our lives and our endeavors. These are just some of the activities that we have had this year.

Stella Wangari

New Staff:

Bilha Kamau

This year we were privileged to have Stella Wangari join us in the literacy program. She was selected to head the literacy computer class. She has also been helpful in teaching Swahili to the middle class.
Mary Mwende helps with the Sewing Department. She also help with supervison at the girls residence.
Bilha Kamau trains our salon and beauty therapy skill students.

Mary Mwende

Kenyan Volunteers:
This year we had Esther Michuki helping out from the beginning of the year until May when she had to go back to college. She then came back to help out in August until September when she again had to go back to school. She had the responsibility of teaching Swahili and social studies to the middle class and also helping Helen with the Intermediate class.





New kids:

This year, we were privileged to have twenty new students, eleven of them joining us at the end of the year in December. These were;-
1. Patricia Zuhura with her son
2. Ruby Abukuii and her son .
3. Phyllis Wambui.
4. Tabitha Wanjiru.
5. Beatrice Mbithe.
6. Sharlene Shiriago.
7. Angelina Kanini.
(11 new boys)


Runaways:

Kanini back on the streets

This year we were unfortunate to loose six students, most of them being girls.

extreme right is Shilene

1. Abel Ibrahim – he ran away on the 2^nd of August. His reason for running was that he was involved in some theft cases where he stole some stuff from a team members' house.
   
2. Tabitha Wanjiru and Sharlene Shiriago – the both ran away on the same date which was on the 16^th of August. Tabitha’s reason for leaving was because she had a hard time adapting to the environment and so influenced Sharlene to steal some money (Ksh.1000) and then run away.
   
3. Angelina Kanini – she was one of the students who did not spend so much time with us. She was only in the program for a few weeks before she took off.

Reintegration

Lucy Wairimu

1. This year, we had three students who really wanted to be taken back to their families and so they were re-integrated back. Mary Gathoni who was in Fast track, Sarah Wanjiru who was in computer skill and Lucy A Wairimu from Middle class.