From a little boy with a severe disability playing outside our school all day without supervision, to a beloved member of our school, Adrian Agalomba has embodied bravery and resilience as he faced the physical and emotional challenges that go with being stigmatized in the community for his disability, then undergoing major surgery and recovery. Today, Adrian, fitted with a prosthetic leg from the knee down, is able to keep up with some of his friends in preschool, as they run around playing hard during break times.
Adrian continues to face new challenges as he has struggled to keep up with other students academically. Mrs. Malombe, Adrian’s class teacher, has continuously encouraged him, taking extra time to talk, read and teach him the skills he needs to focus better in the classroom setting. She has also created a positive classroom environment in which Adrian gets encouragement and sometimes even a clap from his classmates whenever he answers a question. This motivates him and increases his self esteem, a very important contributor to his success in the classroom. Mrs. Malombe has also intentionally decided to grade his work with him so that he can understand where he needs to improve.
Adrian in turn has proven to be a naturally generous, sweet little boy. He loves to praise his teacher, complimenting her beauty and intelligence, and on occasion he brings a special gift of chapati (flat bread) for his teacher. Considering his family's extreme poverty, Mrs. Malombe suspects that it is most likely that Adrian saves some of his dinner at home and shares it with her the next day as a way to show his appreciation for her. Mrs.Malombe continues to strive to help Adrian fit in better with the other learners in his class by assigning him specific tasks like distributing pencils to his friends and involving him in all the group activities carried out. Adrian is also extremely considerate of his schoolmates and very kind to them. Despite his physical and family challenges, Adrian is a well behaved student who is filled with joy.
We thank God for the journey towards transformation that Adrian has begun, and the support that all our staff, especially Bobbins and Njenga provided that enabled him to join our school and get the medical care that he needed. We are also grateful for the role Mrs. Malombe has played, giving him the extra care and attention he needs to continue to grow academically. Lastly, we are grateful for each of you that pray and make the investment for children like Adrian to thrive. We pray that Adrian would be empowered to transform not only his life and his family’s, but also the community that has watched him take these steps towards that transformation.
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”