Years ago, when I was teaching street children in Kenya, a little girl came into my class who had a particularly troubled look about her. She had sticks and weeds in her hair, as if she had just come from sleeping on the ground. She had torn clothes on, an unruly smile, and an undoubtedly empty stomach. Something about her was wild and different from the other children in the class, who were also destitute, but well accustomed to the daily exercise of our informal classroom. I learned then that … [Read more...]
‘May God Bless the Jitegemee Program’
I remember some years back when I was not in the Jitegemee program. My life was very strange because I was not going to school and I was very bad behaved. Now when the Jitegemee program was started I joined St. Mary’s Girls Primary School. But when at first I joined the school my mother told me that I had no right to go to school and I deserve to stay at home. I was very angry and noted into my heart that I would not step in the school not even a single day. One day I said that I needed to … [Read more...]
Trip Highlight: Meeting the Kids
This August, I flew to Africa to meet the children. When I joined the board of Jitegemee last year, I knew only what founder Farah Stockman had told me about Africa and the street children she had taught there. I spent a lot of time before the trip looking at maps of Kenya and reading about Machakos, the semi-rural town southeast of Nairobi, where Jitegemee runs a scholarship program for homeless and destitute kids. Of course, nothing could have prepared me for the trip I made this summer with … [Read more...]
Thank You for a Promise Kept
Five years ago, I made a promise. I was a volunteer teacher at an informal school for street children in Kenya. My students were orphans, homeless kids, former prostitutes, very poor kids, and children just released from juvenile jails. Yet every young face had one thing in common: the indomitable desire to learn. I told them: "If you work hard to change your lives, I will work hard to support you." This letter is a message of thanks to all of you who have helped keep that promise. Your support … [Read more...]
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