An old Sara Groves song has been playing over and over in my mind since I returned from Kenya two weeks ago:
I saw what I saw and I can’t forget it
I heard what I heard and I can’t go back
I know what I know and I can’t deny itSomething on the road, cut me to the soul
Having lived in Rwanda, I have visited Kenya before, but this was my first time in my new role with KCEF, and I was so honored to meet our partners.
On this visit:
- I helped serve meals to over 900 children who gather every Saturday
- witnessed quality computer instruction and character formation classes
- handed out school uniforms our vocational learners personally donated
- listened to hundreds of students recite Bible verses
- observed teachers using what they’ve learned from our teacher trainings
- watched students using the science labs and libraries constructed with KCEF’s
help
I also tried to answer as many questions as I could about our own country from students eager to learn.
But a story about faulty wiring was my “cut me to the soul” moment—the moment that made me think of the connection between circuits and character.
KICOSHEP, one of our partner schools in the Kibera slum, was founded by Anne Owiti, one of the many heroes of hope I met on this trip. It serves 356 students. Driving through Kibera to KICOSHEP, we passed by several men going through the rubble of a home, a home charred by fire only a few days before. There an entire family had been killed. A father, his four kids, and his pregnant wife. When I asked what caused the fire, Anne simply said, “Faulty wiring. People cut corners.” I caught my breath. One cut corner and seven lives lost.
Just a month earlier, when another fire near KICOSHEP impacted 20 families, KCEF provided emergency assistance. Then, as I was getting ready to write this newsletter, we received word from Anne that a fire broke out right next to the school, completely destroying the homes of 11 families whose children attend KICOSHEP. Anne told us that the wall KCEF built next to KICOSHEP in 2020 was what stopped the fire from spreading!
Everyone survived but their homes were destroyed, and Anne is now letting the families live at the school while they determine their next steps. Again, KCEF stepped in to help with mattresses, blankets, and household supplies.
That was my “cut me to the soul moment.” Three fires in one month’s time. An entire family killed. Over 30 families displaced. All due to faulty wiring because the electrician wasn’t honest.
When we helped launch vocational programs with Pastor Boniface, Margaret, and Nicodemus in the Thika slum, it was because we know that not all our students will go to university. In addition to our work in primary and secondary schools, we wanted to create pathways for more students to find employment.
When I visited our vocational program for electricians, students explained how each wire is vital to the connected circuit and showed me the powerful switch that could shut down a circuit should there be a fault in the system. They also shared how they learn a skill in the morning and then fix a real problem in the community in the afternoon, under the watch of an experienced electrician. Moreover, their learning is happening under teachers and pastors who emphasize Christ-centered character.
That’s when it hit me…
What the slums of Kibera, Mathare, and Thika need more of is not electricians, but electricians with character who are not going to cut corners or sell faulty systems. Electricians who believe that their work matters and that when they do their work with excellence and integrity, lives are saved.
It’s the content of their character that sets our programs apart.
KCEF has given money to deal with the aftermath of fires. But we’d rather invest in inspiring more young people to build electrical systems with integrity, so that fires are prevented and lives are saved. The average cost of the electrical program is $163 per student, while the average cost of the other vocational programs—plumbing, driving, computer, cosmetology and mechanics—is $178 per student.
Will you join us in ensuring the continuation of these programs so that more circuits are connected to character? You can make a donation here or send a check to the address below. Thank you.
With deepest gratitude,
Jennifer M. Jukanovich, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Kijabe Children’s Educational Fund
6 Maple Street
Essex, MA 01929