A day in the life of one of our Osiligi Teachers

William Shakespeare once wrote that some people are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them. Afri-Lift has a team of men and women who have all these qualities all rolled up to one. These men and women work as part of the training and rehabilitation centre program at the Osiligi Training Centre.

Osiligi Training Centre

Afri-lift runs the Osiligi program in Kiserian which is an hour’s drive from the city. Here they train, rehabilitate and disciple young men to reach their Gods given potential. The training program has seen many trainees graduate and make a difference in their world.

So what do these great men and women do?

Osiligi means hope in the Maasai language. Hope is what these men and women give the trainees at the farm.  Most of the young men in the program have faced a hard life. They have lived out on the streets, run away from home, been involved in gangs and basically led despairing lifestyles. However when they enter the program they meet a team of men and women who are ready to help them understand that there is hope and not just any hope but the hope of Jesus Christ.

At the training centre we have teachers who are also counselors as well as pastors. We also have a staff of interns, volunteers and also a fantastic cook.

So what’s a typical day for a teacher out on the farm?

Meet Kyalo, he is one of the teachers on site. He teaches Swahili, English, Computer Studies and Agriculture.  He has three other teachers whom he works hand in hand with.

Josephat Kyalo- Social Worker at Afri-Lift

When asked how a normal day to him is like, he smiles and narrates like it’s an everyday story.

Kyalo’s wakes up between 5.30 am and 6.00 am every day.  He then wakes the boys at 6.30 am. It is not usually an easy task since we all know how most teenage boys are ‘allergic’ to morning. He then supervises the boys as they do their duties around the farm for half an hour.

7.00am to 7.30 am they all have devotions in the dining hall. Here one of the teachers shares the Word of God. The next half hour, as the boy on duty serves breakfast, the trainees and the students have a chat. The teachers provide an encouragement on any challenges they are facing.

The next 80 minutes, Kyalo teaches in class on the subjects planned for the day. Here the trainees are taught the curriculum subjects such as Mathematics, Science, English, Agriculture, Social Studies, Swahili and CRE (Christian Religious Education). They later all have an half an hour break. This is where Kyalo relaxes as prepares for his next 80 minute class.

At 11.50 to 12.30pm, they have a discipleship or group therapy. This is where they discuss life issues by opening up and talking about what they have experienced for example domestic violence.

“Last week, we discussed with the boys on who is a mature person”, Kyalo says with laughter in his voice. “The boys ended up talking about who is a childish person!”

12.30 pm to 1.00 pm the trainees work on their assignments then later watch news on the television. Here, Kyalo interacts with the trainees on what their views are on a particular matter.

Later the trainees work on the farm with their various teachers. Here they are taught many skills such as how to nurture plants and take care of different animals.

Practical at the farm

This involves a lot of patience especially from the leadership side since most of these trainees are learning for the first time how to take care of something else rather than themselves. This is part of the rehabilitation program.

The practical ends at 4.00 pm and for the next two hours the trainees go for games. They play soccer and sometimes basketball.

The trainees playing basketball

Kyalo has enough time for himself to relax before 5.30 pm where he has to supervise the irrigation and also feeding of the animals.

7.00 pm, they all have their supper and watch a bit of television. Then from 8.00 pm the trainees have their personal studies. This is also where Kyalo has a one on one with the trainees to see how they are doing and also provide encouragement for those who are still struggling to adapt to the new change.

9.00 pm to 10.00pm the trainees retire to their beds. As they do so Kyalo goes around encouraging some of them and providing what Osiligi is all about, hope.

There are great things happening out there in Osiligi. Great men like Kyalo do that every day. What about you? Why don’t you pass by provide hope.

Be The Answer

People have had to flee their homelands for hundreds of years, mainly because of their personal faith, war, violence or political viewpoints.

There is an estimated 12 million refugees in the world today.

This week Australia celebrates Refugee Day.  Whenever we think of refugees, the first thing that comes to mind is the people coming in by boat trying to smuggle in for a better life.

Many of these are on boats overpacked to capacity and people are charged exorbitant fees in the hope that if one of their family members make it, life can change for the rest of the family.

When I was a child growing up in rural New Zealand many people came from Cambodia to be resettled.

I’ve also had a friend who had issues getting her visa extended and ended up in a refugee detention centre, probably one of the hardest experiences for her to date. Thankfully she wasn’t sent back but the Government had all the right to.

I’ve also had friends who have spent thousands of dollars trying to get their visas to stay permanently in the country.

Photograph by Steve McCurry

I now live in a country (Kenya) that has what many people call refugee camps, but are more commonly known as IDP (Internally Displaced People) Camps. It hit the news last year when there was an outcry about the number of refugees fleeing Somalia and Sudan and then ending up in camps in Northern Kenya. What most people don’t know is that those camps have been operating for over 20 years. There is a new generation who have ever only known what it’s like to live in a tent. Not a nice tent from a camping store, but more likely a blue tarpaulin or at it’s best a mud hut. Once inside the camp you must obtain permission to move and cannot go out of the area. Thus, you cannot look for employment or education outside of the camp. In essence, it is a city on it’s own, just with guards, fences and soldiers.

It’s very easy when you’re living in safety and comfort to try to begin to understand what it must be like to have to flee your home. It’s also very easy to criticise and try and say ‘they should do this’.

“You never really know a man until you understand things from his point of view, until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird.

I think Miss Harper had some words of wisdom for us today.

There are many complexities to why there are reasons for refugees and I think it’s important not to jump in with our opinions too fast before finding out the facts.

It’s the same with poverty in general. Afri-Lift works with the most disadvantaged families here in Kenya. While we can spout all the reasons of whose fault it is and what should be done, people are struggling to put the next meal on the table or to pay school fees. So, do we wait for a change of Government (every 5 years), change in policies, the emergence of a social welfare system or anything else that will change conditions for the absolute poor?

The Bible has some very cool thoughts about poverty and meeting the need:

Jesus – The poor you will have with you always

James - Faith without works is dead

Luke – Ask people who can’t afford to pay you back around for a meal

Moses – There are plenty of poor people around in your country, help them out

Jeremiah - Thus says the Lord: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place.

At Afri-Lift we will not wait, we will be the answer. You can too where you are, why not reach out to someone today?

How a good, loving and guiding father can impact a generation.

Being a great father is like shaving. No matter how good you shaved today, you have to do it again tomorrow-Reed Markham

“Fatherhood to me is all about time and not money. It basically loving your children in their ugly time as well as their beautiful time”, said my friend

Anyone who knows my friend can clearly see how much my friend loves his two daughters by simply watching his family together.

The Oxford Dictionary defines a father as a man who a man who provides care and protection to their family and loved ones. This may be by providing the basic needs in life such as shelter, food, clothing and education. 

A father with his children

 Growing up, a father meant the guy who pays your school fees, picks you up from school, does the ‘manly’ work around the house and mostly fixes the broken things. Currently my definition of a father or rather fatherhood has changed a lot over the past few years.

I didn’t see much of my father when I was young since he was always busy with work. However the rare moments we spent together were really special.  I still have the childhood memories of us making a model house from scrap cardboard which was part of my art project. Today, I would do anything to get that house back but more important to spend time with him like that again. Now that I am an adult I don’t think we will spend time with each other the same way.

“The most important thing a father can give to his children is time”, my friend commented. “I love spending time with my kids and having dad dates with my girls”, he added with a twinkle in his eyes.

 Statistics from around the world have proven that life without fathers can also be defined as disastrous. 

Children with involved fathers are

· confident,

·  better able to deal with frustration,

· better able to gain independence and their own identity,

·  more likely to mature into compassionate adults,

·  more likely to have a high self esteem,

· more sociable,

· more secure as infants,

· less likely to show signs of depression,

· less likely to commit suicide,

·  more empathetic,

· Boys have been shown to be less aggressive and adolescent girls are less likely to engage in sex?

No wonder the world is in such a terrible state!

Part of my job here in Afri-Lift is to work with different young people from Nairobi.  It is heart wrenching once you get to listen to the stories from the boys and girls in the different ministries we have here. Some have had to run away from their homes, others ventured off into the streets to search for something better while others have lost hope.

A father brings a positive benefit to their children that no one else can. Fathers have a direct impact on the well being of the children. They create an emotional security that ensures that the children have better social connections with their peers. The children with involved caring fathers have better educational outcomes.

Does that mean that our fathers are perfect? The answer is no. Do they make mistakes? Yes. However, there is hope. We all have a perfect father in heaven who loves us more than we can imagine. His love for his children has been proven on the cross.

It’s comforting to know that even when our earthly fathers fail us, our heavenly father’s love surpasses it all.

I want to congratulate all the men out there who are working diligently to be good fathers whether they are stepfathers, or biological fathers or just spiritual fathers.

For all those in the U.K, USA and here in Kenya we wish you a happy father’s day this month and we thank you for all that you do.

A day in the life of our Riziki social worker

What does a social worker actually do?

At Afri-Lift we have three social workers who face the day to day challenges of working with young people. They are the ones running programs, visiting families and dealing with all sorts of crises.

Let’s take Mathew for example.

Mathew 

He oversees the Riziki Child Assistance Program, that’s for our sponsored kids. It sounds simple, but it is far from it. What do you do with someone who is an orphan, has no family and is struggling at school? Where will he live? Who will keep an eye out for him? How do we assist him in his schoolwork?

There are no simple answers to a complicated situation.

There’s another child who will be married off if we can’t get her into boarding school. First we have to find a school that will accept her grades and then where will she go during the holidays?

One of our students is dyslexic but trying to find an affordable specialist is near impossible. Perhaps it could be helped through special lenses or one-on-one tuition, however he really needs a teacher aide to assist him. He’s in school from 7am until 5pm, when will he find time for tutoring?

One of the young people has found a job but doesn’t get paid till the end of the first month. Either he takes the 2 hours to walk to work, or we come up with another answer.

These are some of the regular challenges our social workers face and are expected to find the answer to. None are simple, all are complex.

Mathew on his way to visit a family

We are grateful for the staff that have vision, commitment and passion in their role. It would be too easy to become overwhelmed when working with the most disadvantaged youth, except that they know there is an answer.

Our Riziki team meet each Monday after another staff meeting to go through such problems but also to plan for the future. We try and work with the aspect of no limitations of people or money resources. We find a way to make things happen.

For example, most of our students struggle in maths and science. So we’ve instigated a once a month tutoring program, with slightly older young people helping out. We don’t have the funds to pay them or even rent a building. Between our team we’ve found a venue, volunteers and snacks to keep them going through their two-hour program. We are more than keen on finding a solution – we are committed.

Mathew with some of the children from the Riziki Program

That’s what I, as a relatively new staff member really appreciate about our team. Our resources are limited, but our workers in the field go above and beyond the call of duty because if we don’t, the future of these kids is limited.

To all of our team members, volunteers, interns and supporters we say a big thank you. We look forward to the day when you can come along and spend a day with our social workers and meet the incredible young people we have the privilege of working with.