Give needy kids life and hope through education

I loved listening to my sister’s stories after her weekend mentorship sessions with Sports for Change. She talked of great support from Sports for Change members, the facilitator from peak performance but what stole my ears for long was when she started talking about her other family, the other beneficiaries in Sports for Change. She talked about them so passionately I thought she had forgotten me as her real sister. “How are they like?” I kept asking her. Last Christmas she got a lot of cute gifts from her sponsors Dean and Lindy, she tell me a lot of stories about them.

Two years ago, I did my final year in primary school. I passed well but my parents could not afford to pay for my school fees. I had to repeat to give my parents time to get money. But after an year, I found myself in the same situation.

To tell you a little bit of myself.  I am a victim of 2007 post election violence. I witnessed women, men and children been beaten and killed. One evening, I heard our neighbors screaming. The mother was pleading with the attackers. But the attackers did not listen. They told them they are unwanted blood and tribe in that region. They were all killed. We were next, but my father managed to distruct the attackers and gave us a chance to run away and hide in the bush. We walked through the bush the whole night. We ended up in a church where we were given a place to sleep for a week. One of our church members took us to his place and gave us a small place to build a place to sleep.  That how Sports for Change found my family.

My mother decided to apply for my sponsorship in Sports for Change. But she said she cannot be lucky to have two daughters supported by one organization while there are so many kids who need help. I felt hope-less and cried most of the time. Why can’t kids from poor background have same rights as like the rest? This thought never left my mind until my mum got a call that she will have her second daughter supported. That is how I ended up in school.

Like my sister, I joined my other family during last school holiday. It was my first time in the city-thanks to Sports for Change. Everything was so different from village life. Tall building left me gazing. Women dressed in trousers and very short skirts left me wondering. There was water in the house and a toilet in our room. The food we ate was so different and delicious. We chatted and played the whole night, but there is no second I failed to consider myself blessed and lucky to be one of Sports for Change beneficiaries. I promise to work hard in school and help other needy and bright kids.

Without you Sports for Change and your supporters, I would be still be out of school. But I now have hope and dreams for my future. I can not thank you enough.

Sometimes in life even the worst experience can come with luck and blessings.

Last weekend -December 8^th and 9^th -was one of those weekends  that our kids treasure. They came to Nairobi (capital city of Kenya) for a mentorship program. A visit to the city is a dream to many kids from remote areas. Thank you for giving them an opportunity to travel, explore and learn more.

The mentorship program is done after every four months. Most of our kids come from very poor backgrounds that make them feel inferior. These sessions are geared towards improving self esteem thus improve their social and academic life.

Our facilitator selected topics based on how the kids had filled out their evaluation forms from August sessions which included:

• Purpose in life
• Strengths and weaknesses
• Study habits and academic performance
• How to achieve excellence
• Sex and relationships

“Seventeen year old Anne Wambui from Murang’a had this to say about the sessions:

“My body has been changing a lot and  I have my final exams next year, it was really great that Cynthia was able to break down how to deal with stress and change, Cynthia’s really cool to talk to, not like some of our strict teachers in school.”

All the kids who attended are teenagers and some will be doing their final exam (Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education) next year so they said topics were very helpful to them. The sessions were very interactive and the kids were able to learn a lot in a comfortable environment. The kids were also encouraged to share with their peers about how their year had been and the challenges they faced and later had an open discussion on how they could overcome these challenges.

We could not have managed to organize this program without your support. The kids could not have had this chance without you. Every single coin you donate means a lot to the kids. We appreciate YOU enormously.

Keep us in YOUR mind and heart during this festive season, as you pray think of us!

Merry Christmas!

Links:

• www.sports4change.org