Mercy Update

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Mercy Wanjiru is a 15 year old girl who grew up in Kibera. Please see photo to the right. Her family had to flee for their lives during the riots and they lost everything. Now they live in Riruta.

We are really in need of a sponsor for Mercy. If you want to help this hard-working and responsible young woman to have a chance at a brighter future, please contact me at dmitchell@lahash.net

Mercy's father has serious health problems, and right now is almost paralyzed from a stroke. He's only recently regained the ability to speak. Her mother is only able to work odd jobs for very little money.

Mercy's parents are of the Gorino faith, a Christian denomination that believes men and women should keep their heads covered and does not sanction family planning. There are 8 children in the family. Mercy has 3 older sisters, none of whom has gotten past 8th grade.

When I visited Mercy in January, school had not yet started. She was supposed to begin the 8th grade at a public school in Riruta. The public school is supposedly free, but in fact charges many backdoor and hidden fees. We knew in January her family had not paid these fees, but did not expect the school to refuse to allow Mercy to rejoin when school began.

When I checked back with Mama Margaret in February, she told me that Mercy was not allowed to go back to school until she paid all the fees (less than $50, but way more than her family could afford). She also told me that Mercy's family was on the verge of being kicked out of their tiny home in the slums because they were behind on their rent (about $25 per month). Keep in mind there are 5 children (the 3 oldest have moved away) and 2 adults living in a tiny residence of iron sheet, that becomes hot as an oven during the day and can get quite cold at night. Here's a video of the approach to Mercy's home (Mercy is walking on the right):



Without intervention, Mercy's education was over and done with, completing only up to the seventh grade level. Even if she did return, the education she would receive was very low quality, especially a girl like Mercy who was way behind to begin with.

Why was she behind? Because she didn't receive the preparation a school like Tenderfeet provides. When she began public schools in Kibera in first grade, she could barely understand what the teacher was telling her (and the other 90 students in the class).

Mercy was expected to know basic English, the alphabet, basic arithmetic, and have a foundation of simple reading and writing. She had none of that because her family was too poor to send her to pre-primary. In primary school, there was no individual attention, and so she was confused from day one.

She never caught up and was forced to miss school for long periods of time because her family got behind on the fees. Here is Margaret at Mercy's home explaining "free" education in Kenya.



If Mercy missed the introduction of a topic, it was never reviewed or explained to her. So she attended school for 7 years like that, never comfortable with what she was learning because she had so many gaps. If she had attended Tenderfeet, which didn't yet exist when she was young, she would have been ready and could have even excelled.

So when it looked like Mercy's education was at an end in February, it was just another sad chapter in a tragic and pathetic experience. We decided to intervene and try to turn things around for this mature young person. She was evaluated by Bensesa primary school, a school that Tenderfeet partners with for children that have moved to the next level beyond Tenderfeet. The results confirmed our fears -- she was assessed to be at a 4th grade level.

We have decided to enroll her at Bensesa at the 8th grade level, but supplement her learning with large amounts of personal tutoring. Because she has a great attitude and work ethic, we expect her to make a lot of progress. Already, Mama Margaret is encouraged to see Mercy smiling and is so happy to have this opportunity. Mercy has explained the difference between the public school and Bensesa, and it is like night and day.

Margaret's niece Faith (an orphan who began living with Margaret last year) was very much like Mercy and received the same kind of catch-up tutoring. Faith was able to progress enough that she qualified for high school, and that is what we are hoping will happen for Mercy as well.

If you would like to partner with us to help Mercy, please become a sponsor and change this girl's future forever in a very positive way. We need about $40 per month -- which is very reasonable in Kenya considering the tutoring and education she is getting -- to pay for all of her educational expenses. If we could find two sponsors willing to donate $20 per month each, that would be great, too!

The email address again is dmitchell@lahash.net
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Special Children in Kenya

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Shadrack is a sweet young orphan boy who had a life-threatening brain abscess. Because of friends who joined together to raise the funds, he was able to have brain surgery in 2007.
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He has made great progress from the time before he had the surgery. But he has been diagnosed with mild retardation as a result of the effects of the abscess. His biggest challenge is short-term memory.

Shadrack is now at a special school for mentally challenged children in north Nairobi called Treeside. We are blessed to have a terrific sponsor for Shadrack -- a Houston youth group called Corby's Castle.

I was able to visit Treeside in January and saw what a wonderful environment it is for special kids. Mama Margaret had been telling me for a long time what a great job they were doing for Shadrack and how it is an excellent environment for kids like Shadrack. When I saw for myself, it was clear why she was so enthusiastic about it.

The teachers at Treeside know how to deal with children who are eager to learn but need extra patience and love. Whereas a regular school would scold Shadrack for forgetting, Treeside understands his situation and can work to improve his retention.

Here is a picture of Shadrack with some of his school friends.

Treeside is a government school, which means it gets funding from the Kenyan government. Unfortunately, the amount per student is woefully inadequate. To make up the difference, Treeside has to charge school fees to feed, educate, and board the students -- adding up to several hundred dollars per year. As you can imagine, these expenses are too costly for most poor families. Yet the school does its best to make sure as many children can attend as possible, and tries to work with families that struggle to pay.

The director of the school is also named Margaret. She is standing at left with some of the students


Yesterday, I spoke with Jennifer Cheserek, who is a blind woman that receives assistance through our sponsorship program. Jennifer has a 26 year old daughter named Sarah that is mentally retarded and has been since birth.

Jennifer was telling me the struggles her family went through trying to find a good place like Treeside for Sarah. Once, long ago when Sarah was young, the family managed to borrow and save 10,000 shillings so that Sarah could go to a special school in Eldoret. But the school was not patient like Treeside, and after about a month, said that Sarah could not continue because she needed too much extra attention. Imagine, a brand new student and they gave up on her just like that!

Sadly, like the vast majority of children with special needs in Kenya, Sarah never attended another school and missed out on learning the life skills that only can be taught by an educator with the specialized training needed.

That is why we are so thankful for Treeside, and how they are helping children become more independent and grow up to have a fulfilling adulthood as well as contribute to society. If you are interested in learning more about Treeside, please email me at dmitchell@lahash.net.

Here's Mama Margaret in one of the dormatories with a Treeside student.

Update on Mungiki Protests

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A quick update on the Mungiki problem. Margaret said that the Mungiki protests have evolved into protests from college students who are infuriated over the police killings of innocent fellow students. It seems, though, that the situation has stayed under control for the most part, thank goodness, and Nairobi is peacefull overall. Here is a YouTube clip on the matter.

Mungiki and Violence in Kenya

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What is happening at Tenderfeet this week? As I often say, life in Kenya is very hard.

In this case, the school is being affected by events in Kenya related to a radical group called the Mungiki.

The Mungiki is an organization that strikes fear into the hearts of most Kenyan citizens. This secretive group resembles the mafia in some ways, in other ways it is like a cult. They are said to achieve their goals through violence, extortion, and death threats.

The Mungiki control all the matatus (public transportation vans) in Nairobi through intimidation. All drivers must pay protection money.

Mungiki members and supporters argue that they are misunderstood and that the government and police vilify them for political purposes.

The government is ultimately to blame for organizations like Mungiki being so strong. Because of corruption and lack of basic services, groups like the Mungiki step in to fill the void. For instance, in some of the worst slums like Mathare, there is no police presence to provide security.

When the Mungiki show that they can provide a form of security and social services (which they do), even with all their drawbacks, they gain credibility and power. This is similar to how Hamas gained power in Palestine and the Sadrists gained power in Iraq.

The best way for the Kenyan government to reduce the influence of the Mungiki would be to do a better job of bringing real security and social services to the slums.

The Mungiki is a Kikuyu group. There is no Mungiki presence in Kibera, because Kibera is dominated by the Luo and Luhya tribes, which are hostile to the Kikuyu tribe.

Recently, the police have been cracking down on the Mungiki. Unfortunately, the police operate in such a heavy-handed way, they end up causing a backlash. The brutal way the police violently hunt down the Mungiki cause even those who don't like the Mungiki to resent the police.

As a result, protests were organized throughout the city of Nairobi (see photo) and surrounding areas this past Thursday. Public transportation was paralyzed and roadblocks were set up throughout the city. Areas like Riruta (where Mama Margaret lives and Tenderfeet has a school location) were very much affected.

In fact, Margaret told me the whole area is closed down. Shopkeepers were too scared to open their businesses, and nobody could get anything done. Many of the schoolchildren didn't come to school, and life overall came to a grinding halt.

Meanwhile, it appears that some police gunned down some human-rights workers who were involved in the protests, only inflaming the situation more.

Please pray that the situation won't get out of hand like it did last year with the post-election riots. Kenyans have a saying, "when elephants fight, it is the grass that is trampled." In other words, when these political forces clash, it is the poor, the innocent, and especially the children who are the real victims.

We hope and pray that this episode will be resolved quickly and peacefully.