Home visit follow up
Volunteers Joelle, (in the photo) and Jenna escorted me this morning on my most recent home visits to check on some of the children of Mana OVC. Two families were doing quite well and although a third family is struggling on a widowed mother’s income as a day worker earning approximately seventy cents daily (we will make a micro loan to help with a firewood business) and has four of her seven children still living with her, 48 year old Mariam Juma has taught her daughters about the importance of hard work in school. 18 year old Fatuma is in Form IV and is ranked 15th of 180 students . . . (pole – sorry – Mary and Katy just returned from a visit to Mary’s Bibi, halfway up Mount Meru and stopped in to greet me. . . they are tired . . . and hot) . . . 16 year old Rahmajuma is 10th of 200 students in her Form III . . . 14 year old Asha, in Form I is ranked 7 of 200 students and baby Lucy, 12 years old is 20th of 110 students. These numbers mean something here, in a country where “learning” is most often a self-taught skill acquired through determination and discipline.
There are many, MANY problems inside the school systems here and only those children possessing an ability to reason, process and think for themselves will succeed and we must help those that can . . . Rahma is a member of Mana OVC already and we have helped her with school fees, books, supplies, etc., but we reached out a little farther and assisted Asha with her school fees also, ensuring her a chance at a successful year. The news recently announced that 85% of Form IV students failed their national examinations and so, without access to private educational options, their academic careers have ended. Raymond’s brother Robinson failed and so did Neema and Peter’s son Dula, for the second time, and so, we are forced to make some tough decisions and move on to help other children whose chances at success are greater. It’s a very tough process because, we know and care about, very much, many of these children, and we all understand the significance of acquiring an education, but the need here is so very great and many, many children simply don’t have what it takes – intelligence, discipline, determination and/or the commitment to pass and so we are forced to find the children who do and to give them the very best opportunities our resources will permit.
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