Child abuse is a global phenomenon. It occurs in all
countries and in all societies. It involves the physical, sexual, emotional
abuse and neglect of children. It is nearly always preventable.
Today
in Kenya there are thousands and thousands of the children who can’t continues
with education due to lack of financially support from the parent or guardian
and this challenges it has been our biggest challenges for long time in our
society.
GRADE
RESULT
Every
year start with competition of the best performance children been picked to the
best school in the country, those with highest grade are picked and given
opportunity to best school high school (best government school which we call
National school) the other middle well performed children picked to provincials
school, and others the lucky one who their parent can afford to pay any fee get
opportunity to best private school.
The
idea here is the best performance of your children the best position the best
school!! Now let look what make a child perform well in school,
1.
Good support from the parent or guardian
2.
Enough time to study and do home work
3.
Good teachers who understand each kid
interest, weakness and the main challenges
4.
Enough materials needed for all the subject
students in school
5.
Better environment, food and health.
This
are few of many others, a child need to get better grade result in our school,
but the challenge is how many normal Kenya children can achieve just 80% of
this qualities to better performance in their schools?
I
was looking for example last year result of exams in our county and the truth
is most public schools about 70% percent their children did perform well, as
required by professionals of education, a lot of children could not reach the
main grade to be picked in the best school or get lucky for a sponsor (who
looks for the children who have performed well and can’t afford school fee) and
so on.
After
all this yes a lot of the children reached the mean grade the average grade
which means they pass to the next level, and as I said before the best school
look for the best grade, so at the end of selection of children in high school
we had about 65% percent of the children who could not get opportunity to join
this National or provincial school and here it depend with parent if they are
capable of taking their children in private school or not!
It
depends with the pocket of the parent or the luck of the child to get support
from well wisher or organizations which support school in Kenya. And also it
not so easy for a normal kid who passed with mean grade, a sponsor majority
look for bright better performance kids to support so this means a lot too who
got mean grade it will be like a camel passing though a needle hole to get
lucky to be sponsored.
Public School /
community schools
Let
see how this work with our children, the truth is only very little percent of
this school give standard quality education due to the challenges which face
the school management or ignored or luck of enough material for the children
and teachers for better performances,
The
school are cheap or fee for the children that mean the majority of parent will
dump their kids here never mind how they perform or what the school has or if
their children need this or that, look
this as the poor people school who just believe the children goes to school get
basic education and that all, the some parent want their kids when they get out
of school to make sure they have done A-B-C-D of all home work from getting
water look for firewood, etc, and at the end of the day the some child need to
compete and bring best grade to be picked to the national school!!
I
would like we look at this very simple, just imagine you in the situation of
this kids and at the end of 9 or more years of your childhood struggling with
your school you parent demand and teachers, you got average mean grade but
nowhere to go, No school for you!
Then
look for this other kid the parent well of managed to get all the requirement
for their child and looked for their child just perfect school where they got
everything, good teachers, enough education materials and back home, the first
question they get when they get to the house is do you have home work? So
different from the other kid who when they get home the first thing their hear
is, ‘’if
you want supper today better fill that tank with water and get some firewood
and come select this rice’’!!
My biggest worry is’ if children of fourteen years
do not manage to join the high school after their primary what happens to those
people life it’s not worth it, and people look them as failures because
whatever they try can’t not take them so far and others they depend on them,
use them to do the hardest job’s for luck of enough education, these people
live the whole life wishing and hoping one day their prayers will be heard or
otherwise they live looking for better thing to make themselves happy! Which
some time ends them to poverty and in deep to it!
Children
organization, vision, is of a world where the lives
of all children reflect the international standards set out in the UN
Convention on the Rights of the Child. This includes the right to freedom from
abuse and exploitation. The child protection policy aims to translate this
commitment to children’s rights into a practical reality through our work with
children and this need to start and looked more in our education system because
here is where our real lives start and direct our future achievement.
My
cry
My cry is to support the most needy children in our
society and bring more awareness to both parent and teachers in supporting the
education and their children together as much we can, give every child right to
quality education and healthily environment and if we all work together bring
what needed campaign for better education for all we shall bring just better
and quality life to all.
Today I know so many of young men and women, me one
of them who because one reason or another have lived their lives struggling to
find something for themselves to do to uplift they standard of life, but in
everything their do it not so promising because in their childhood they lucked
what was most important for they life, 80% of this group end up in drug, and
any other live challenges because of frustration everything they try they
cannot compete perfect with other educated groups.
Some group of people in search of happiness end up
getting married when still young and end up in life frustration struggle, which
give them only they daily meal, their work turn into feeding proving they
family with only one meal or more, but for the other family basic requirement
turn out to be the real challenges, Some group they are the ones who take they
children to public school or community school where education is free and do
not mind what they get educated or not! The cycle continues and the poor keep
getting poorer and the rich keep getting richer!!!
Hope
Children and Empowerment Center
About 15 years ago when I left my family to our
neighboring community it was my greatest hope I will find a good Samaritan who
will help me in education and help me achieve my goal in life and go back to my
family and help them but all that dream ended up been just a mare farm boy for
almost two and half years, which was little hell for me, so I quit to work and little
education I had I asked God to guide me to get good job which will help me to
fulfill my life goal.
For more than six or more years I struggled and
worked of all kind of jobs I could find anywhere just to have my daily meal but
until I joined the voluntary organization I realized that there are millions
and thousands of young people and society like me who over go a lot of
challenges every day in their lives because in one thing they foundation was
not started by best stone.
Afterward I started to realize everybody everything
can be done and achieved only if we realize a mission in time and grow to build
our goals according to our talent and interest, Hope was born in me and I
become the hope agent and I mean it only what I can offer is hope and it come
to my mind, my dad hand little land for us and there are thousands and
thousands of other human being who do not have any place to call they home.
Without enough and good education I realized there
is something I can do for others and with this I dreamed building a children
center where I can help the children from my village and other neighbors’ who
really need help morally, in education, and realizing the important of the future goals.
Today am far still a lot of work to be done to
complete the center but we have done quite well so far and am full of faith and
believe one day the center will be glory and life changing to the next
generation when completed.
Current we are working together with the community
members to encourage the children in education organizing seasonal activities
and looking for ways and people who can help sponsor children in education and
still I as Benjamin because the land belong to me am still also looking for
people who can help me in building finishing dormitory and two classrooms,
office, medical room, and dining lobby which will be multi use, as social hall
for local people meeting and culture and other entertainment center.
Last in life we all see things in different ways and
understand things differently I do not blame who think I am big joke and I do
not mind to be questioned or to be collected or to be directed but one thing I
know in life everybody everyone is great because everyone can serve and
everyone is special on his own way!
Have blessed day and remember helping somebody else
today it’s not a waste but saving for tomorrow you never know who will be there
for you tomorrow!
Always Uncle Ben
