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Joyce Njuguna (Center) with Kwa Watoto Teaching Staff[/caption]

Goodbye and God Bless, Joyce Njuguna!

As 2015 dawns, eduKenya and Kwa Watoto School (KWS) bids a fond farewell to one of its own. Joyce Njuguna, Class 1 teacher at Kwa Watoto School (KWS), is moving to live near and help her aging parents. Recently, after rereading her journal, Joyce says she is amazed at how much she has changed and grown over the past six years. She credits God and KWS for the woman she has become.Many years ago, after finishing her secondary education, Joyce completed a certificate course in Purchasing and Supply Management. Her parents wished her to go on to get a diploma in the same area of study, but Joyce’s heart longed to be a teacher. She studied at Kamagambo Teachers College in Kisii, Western Kenya. However, there were no positions available at the time of her graduation.In the interim, Joyce married, had a daughter, and lived with her small family in Embu, 2 hours from Nairobi. Her husband was well employed, but her lack of employment caused strain in their household. Joyce's self-esteem drained away, she became timid and mistrustful. She felt she needed work, so she moved with her daughter to Nairobi.Joyce found a teaching job with a school that offered room and board, but no salary; not uncommon in Kenya. Besides teaching, she chaperoned the students on the bus after school. After one year at that school, Joyce applied at KWS and began teaching in 2008. She also started an in-depth bible study and her life began to change. However, as God works to heal and change us for His good, life does not always get easier!At the beginning, Joyce found the rules at KWS too strict and thought they were choking the life out of her. In addition, because KWS experienced rapid growth, Joyce had to learn to make constant adjustments. In her new position, timid Joyce had to interact with parents, often about uncomfortable topics. Then, the new headmaster wanted KWS students to learn to communicate in English, an official language of Kenya. To make matters worse, computers came to KWS, and Joyce had to become proficient. Joyce felt challenged and overwhelmed because she was not well versed in English or technology!Now, as Joyce leaves KWS behind, she does so crediting it with helping her to become the woman God intended her to be. She is no longer timid, loves interacting with others, and has no problem speaking with parents concerning issues affecting her students. Joyce has taken to the English language and has learned to use the available technology; in fact, she recently bought her own laptop computer! Joyce has learned to shape children into responsible members of society and give them education as a tool to help them succeed. Best of all, she, her husband and their daughter are again living together as a family.Joyce loves teaching because she believes it is a calling from God, and wants to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, “the best teacher ever.” Joyce says she wants to continue transforming the lives of children in her new location and has applied for a teaching position in the Kenyan public schools.We appreciate Joyce’s years of service with KWS and wish her great success with family and career in 2015 and beyond!Kwaheri (Goodbye) and Mungu awabariki (God bless), Joyce Njuguna!