My name is Michael Maingi M’Thuranira and I am 26 years old. I was born and brought up in a slum called Majengo, Kamukunji district, Nairobi province, Kenya. Being a slum dweller life was harsh and cruel, as it was for other residents of the slum. But this didn’t stop me from working hard to secure a better future and positively impact my community. In 1995, I received an opportunity for sponsorship through Compassion International, who had recently partnered with our church. After joining the program, I was the first child to receive a visit from a sponsor. In the slum I came from, crime and prostitution was the order of the day. I had no role models and that made my life very hard, particularly academically, as the majority of the population was school drop-outs. As children begin to fend for themselves at a very early age due to poverty levels in their families and also parents’ negligence, many turn to crime. Most of my childhood friends are in jail, died in a life of crime, or have joined terror groups like Al-Shabaab.

I learned a great deal and realized my potential for teaching while volunteering with Compassion. I applied for a teaching course and was accepted at Meru Teachers College. I graduated from college in 2008 and was unable to secure a job immediately. As a way of survival, a friend helped me acquire a camera and I started taking photos in the slum at a small fee to meet some of my needs that my parents could not afford. After a few months, I heard of an interview at BELIEVERS CENTER KWA WATOTO PROJECT/SCHOOL and applied. I was shortlisted and had an opportunity to face the interview panel. It was my first interview in life, but I had the courage and determination to join the professional world and do what I believed I could do best. By the end of the day I received a call confirming that the panel selected me for the job. I was very happy that God had directed me to work in a similar environment to the one I had grown up in. I saw my job as not only a place to get my daily bread, but also a call by God to help deliver innocent children from slum calamities waiting for them in future.Working at KWA WATOTO was very easy and enjoyable, because interacting with the locals was not different from my own life’s experiences. There were aspects of life we shared in common. I worked very hard and by the end of the year I was rewarded as the employee of the year. This was very encouraging. In 2011, I was promoted to the rank of deputy head teacher, and became the head teacher of Kwa Watoto school at the beginning of this year (Jan. 2012). This is a position that has grown me so much as I strive to see the school grow day by day. Kwa Watoto has been a blessing and a place of life changing growth for its workers, pupils and the community. As the head of the school, I have found the academic year to be quite challenging, but fun. I have been working very closely with my colleagues – both the teaching and non-teaching staff, and this teamwork has been bearing very positive results. My colleagues and I look forward to working very hard to see that Kwa Watoto School emerges as one of the best schools in Kenya and that the vision of Believers Center Kwa Watoto Project in partnership with eduKenya is fully realized.Michael MaingiHead Teacher, Kwa Watoto SchooleduKenya Kenya Vision Team