Well this has been a very trying three weeks to say the least…..don’t even know where to start. Can’t really…too many difficult stories to even try and get down. Bottom line we pulled 5 teens from expensive boarding school because of very poor performance and attitude. One of our Primary Boarding students has basically been taken by an Aunt and turned into a maid……Cu-cu is hopping mad, we’re upset, the Aunt, who has two daughters in expensive boarding schools is thrilled to have conned this child into being her house and “hotel” (small ratty cafe) maid. We have no power to do anything right now but thank goodness the Headmaster of her school is a caring man who has the power to stop her from being transferred and is bringing in Child Protection Services. So this will probably play out for the next couple months but at least something is being done!
Then because the kids we pulled have tanked so badly in their grades it has been a nightmare trying to find a school to even take them! The Kenya school system is very difficult to deal with…lots of red tape and jumping through hoops…unreal costs that end up in other’s pockets…..extremely time consuming and frustrating to say the least. If we can make it through the next week we will be over the worst of it and then it is up to the kids…they now see how serious we are…no more fooling around. Take this chance at a better life or take a hike. Sounds mean but they are only wasting my time and theirs….we are all learning the hard way!
On a better note the younger kids love to come and spend time with us at the house drawing and reading….a couple of our older boys are coming over in the evenings and we are having so much fun with them. One exhausted, “had enough” morning one of our Cu-cu’s knocked on the door early…Susan was in Nairobi, I was feeling blue. Cu-cu came for her monthly food pickup and was so grateful and overwhelmed that tears started down her cheek (and then of course mine). They work so hard for so little and appreciate what we are doing….but I’d never seen tears running down her cheeks. It was nice seeing we actually made someone’s day a little brighter and full of hope,…. made mine a little brighter too.
So along with the tough days there are sweet moments tucked in here and there that keep you hanging in there!
