Today is Presidents Day in the US. In 1789, George Washington once wrote to his young nephew George Steptoe Washington, who was said to be a wild and uncontrollable young man, “[A] good moral character is the first essential in a man, … your conduct here may stamp your character through life. It is therefore highly important that you should endeavor not only to be learned but virtuous.”
One of the many challenges we face in our work in Mathare can be the lack of familial support for the children in our schools. The brokenness that families experience living in extreme poverty due to alcoholism, prostituion, gang activity and unemployment mean that a large number of parents struggle to provide a conducive home environment for their children, resulting in various behavioral struggles amongst our students. Unlike George Steptoe Washington, our Mawewa students do not have the good fortune of a presidential uncle who can write reproving letters of discipline to encourage them to turn from a destructive path. Nevertheless, our children are not alone. To provide additional support to all our Mawewa learners, Mr. Maingi, eduKenya’s Head of Education, began a mentorship program at our school. He assigned each teacher a group of ten students with each group forming a “family” meeting every last Friday of the month. Within each “family,” learners have the opportunity for positive adult interactions and extra attention. During their meetings, the teachers not only follow up on the academic performance of each child, but they also lovingly and firmly correct any disciplinary issues. They also share what it means to pursue virtue as they emphasize biblical character through learning to love God and His word. Over time we have seen transformation happen within our Mawewa “family” groups. Our students have shared their struggles, celebrated victories and learned to love and support one another as they pursue God. We are grateful for the continual growth of the children within our care at the Mawewa School and pray that by God’s grace they will grow into adults who are, as George Washington encouraged, not only “learned but [also] virtuous.”
Proverbs 22:6 Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. (NIV)