Safe-guarding the children of Mukuru one step at a time

On 3rd October 2020, Ruben Centre staff concluded a two-day training program on the Behaviour Change Model. The training was facilitated by Emma Ngunjiri, a psychologist, at the Edmund Rice room. The staff imparted were from the health, education, advocacy & networking factions. Safe-guarding the children of Mukuru one step at a time.

The program indulged the staff to prepare them in guiding class eight students through compassionate discussions on their daily lives starting on 6th November 2020. At the break of every day’s dawn, the children of Mukuru grapple with challenges that cripple them from envisioning and realizing a prosperous life.  

The tests they face rise from their environment while other hardships result from their response to the problems. These challenges include a lack of access to basic needs such as clean water and the absence of role models in their lives among others. The Behaviour Change Model session was also meant to improve the children’s response to the challenges they face daily.

The Ruben Centre believes that the engagement sessions will equip the children with the skills of contributing to a resilient Mukuru community through a positive shift in their perspectives. Children form a large part of communities and their guidance provides the promise of achieving a society where no one is victimized and everyone is celebrated.

The two-day workshop ended with the Director, Br. Frank, congratulating the facilitator and thanking all staff for living on the edge of their seats. The issue of reaching out to these desperate class 8 children is absolutely real and clearly urgent.

As he was speaking the whole world is glued to the outcome of the most divisive and bitter election in USA history and he quoted Sr. Joan Chittister, a renowned USA author and spiritual thinker, who when reflecting on the current state of affairs in USA mentioned the whole population has a need to do two things:

a.       Ask themselves what values have been lived that have got the nation to this point?

b.      Going forward, what are three values that will get the country out of the mess?

The Director said her methodology and recommendations are so relevant to Ruben Centre and indeed all stakeholders of Mukuru slum.

He ended with a reminder to the newly trained mentors, to live and be true witnesses to   Ruben Centre’s three values of Presence, Compassion and Liberation at this critical time with these highly endangered children.

He, Br. Frank, then jokingly ended their hopes of receiving the much-desired “Certificate of Training” (habitual Kenyan practice) and in the certificate’s place he gave out a verse of the Henry Newman “Lead Kindly Light” prayer which ends with I do not ask to see the distant scene… One step enough for me. These mentors’ task beginning with the first meeting with their twenty-five class 8 students on Thursday is to give them hope to face Friday.  Changing the big reality of their world is not on their agenda but rather helping them take little steps forward now.

By: Stephen & Frank