I have not written much in a long while, but that is because the work in serving the poor is just busier leaving little time to keep up with telling their stories and getting more people to be aware of their situations. It has been four Christmases ago that I began this work in service to the poor children and time seems to pass by so quickly since the first child was helped with boarding school placement.
At the Christmas celebration yesterday at Don Bosco Ashalayam, I saw one of our original kids (Jasmin) grown up and smiling. She is one of the first and has been in boarding school for four years now. I hope she will finish class ten and move on. The school said she is doing quite well and is in the top five percent in her class. She is now in class two. An older girl, Reena, was recently helped last year by us (FHL) has completed class 12 and is studying to take an exam to get into medicine. I am praying and wishing her all the best and have expressed to her our complete support.
Of course, we also have some sad news regarding some of the kids. One boy left our boarding program due to a serious infection that the school can not risk having others kids being sick and two other boys also left because the parents did not bring them back after the summer break. We also lost one girl, Miriam, after spending almost four years in boarding and now back in the streets.
In all, it was a positive year with 52 of the 58 children returning to school after each term and holiday break. There are 10 openings available this December for new children enrollment so I hope to get them into boarding before the new term begins. It is always the same obstacles of having no ducuments and money that are keeping these kids from being in school. Yes, they have free government school, but I have seen the government school and most are not what I would considered a school. In any case, the kids will have better success through broading school where they can be monitored and supported.
There are so many poor children throughout the world and in various situations. Some I am able to help while others I am helpless to do anything. I was in Nairobi recently to meet many of the young Kenyans living in one of the largest slum in the world. Their eagerness to learn and to receive help is a good indicator and so I hope to begin the next phase of work there.
I believe that it is important for us to help the poor not for the sake of helping, but for the reason that somehow it will make this world that much better. They will help to make this world that much better if they are given opportunities for better lives.
At the Christmas celebration yesterday at Don Bosco Ashalayam, I saw one of our original kids (Jasmin) grown up and smiling. She is one of the first and has been in boarding school for four years now. I hope she will finish class ten and move on. The school said she is doing quite well and is in the top five percent in her class. She is now in class two. An older girl, Reena, was recently helped last year by us (FHL) has completed class 12 and is studying to take an exam to get into medicine. I am praying and wishing her all the best and have expressed to her our complete support.
Of course, we also have some sad news regarding some of the kids. One boy left our boarding program due to a serious infection that the school can not risk having others kids being sick and two other boys also left because the parents did not bring them back after the summer break. We also lost one girl, Miriam, after spending almost four years in boarding and now back in the streets.
In all, it was a positive year with 52 of the 58 children returning to school after each term and holiday break. There are 10 openings available this December for new children enrollment so I hope to get them into boarding before the new term begins. It is always the same obstacles of having no ducuments and money that are keeping these kids from being in school. Yes, they have free government school, but I have seen the government school and most are not what I would considered a school. In any case, the kids will have better success through broading school where they can be monitored and supported.
There are so many poor children throughout the world and in various situations. Some I am able to help while others I am helpless to do anything. I was in Nairobi recently to meet many of the young Kenyans living in one of the largest slum in the world. Their eagerness to learn and to receive help is a good indicator and so I hope to begin the next phase of work there.
I believe that it is important for us to help the poor not for the sake of helping, but for the reason that somehow it will make this world that much better. They will help to make this world that much better if they are given opportunities for better lives.
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