May/June Update

I am continually reminded of the challenges young girls face in this area. Less than 25% of them are able to finish primary school with passing grades. There are so many obstacles they face daily, starting with poverty and, in many cases, being orphaned. Many girls drop out of school before finishing 8th grade because of pregnancies, marriage and child labour. Of the girls that reach the end of primary school, most do not perform well on their exams because so much of their time and energy was spent working in the home. Most families don’t invest much into the education of the girls in their families because once the girls get married, they will leave the home. Just this past week reports came out in the Kenyan newspaper about two primary schools in our district. A school on Mfangano Island has had 11 girls in 7th and 8th grade get pregnant in the last few months. Another school in Rusinga had 6 girls get pregnant. Most of these are young girls between the ages of 13 and 16. Their life is now forever changed.

Because of these trends, the success of the girls at CGA stands out in the region. Every year our girls shine academically. Forty-two of the forty-eight girls (88%) that have entered 8th grade at CGA have reached the pass mark on their national exams and all 48 are still working on their education (47 are in secondary school and 1 is in technical school). Every year at least one of our girls has placed in the top ten girls in the district, including one year when we had two of the top three girls in the district. This year is no exception. In our 8th grade class we have three of the top girls in the district competing for some of the few chances at a National School. Even with our outstanding success, in the fourteen years since CGA began, we have also had around five of our students get pregnant. Each time, it is very agonizing to our staff. We work hard to instill Biblical principles in each of our students and advise them on how to make wise decisions to build their future. In the end, God has left all of us to make our own decisions each day. No one can force us to make any decision. We have worked hard with each of these girls to show them grace and mercy and support them through this difficult time in their life. A few of them have been able to resume their education after giving birth. I was pleased this month to get positive reports from two of these girls who gave birth last year. Both of them have gotten serious about their education and are working very hard in their first year of secondary school to try to make something of their lives. One of them finished as the top girl in her school and the other one managed to finish in the top half of her class at a high achieving school.

These negative influences are one of the main reasons we started a girls football (soccer) club for the primary schools in our district. I love it because it is a chance to step outside the walls of CGA and help others in the community. The club provides a source of hope and joy to these girls who participate. They are able to travel to Mbita one weekend a month for training and so much more. They have time to interact with girls from other schools and learn from each other. Along with their football training, they also hear from special guest speakers about a range of topics such as relationships, health issues, academic s and other areas. Most importantly, they hear the Gospel and are given a chance to respond to God’s great love. We hope and pray that as they develop their God-given abilities in football, they will learn and grow in other areas and be able to avoid the pitfalls that so many girls in this area face.

Today was a holiday here in Kenya as we celebrated 47 years of independence. During my “day off” from school I went out into the interior parts of the community to visit the homes of some of the girls we were inviting to join the football club. One of them has a similar story to many. We found out that “Carolyne” had given birth at the age of 14. Unlike most of the girls, after delivering and then nursing for a few months, she was able to return to school to try and finish her education as her widowed mother agreed to take care of the child. Two years later, Carolyne is now in 8th grade and will be sitting her national exams in November. She is so excited to join the club where she can develop her talents, interact with girls from all around and get the opportunity to travel and compete in some tournaments. We hope that the club will be able to help her stand strong against other cultural pressures and make good decisions to build her future.

Prayer Requests:

1) Pray for God’s protection around the girls of CGA, the Suba Lakers Football Club and others in this community.

2) Pray for the girls to stand strong against temptations and make wise decisions that will help to build their future

3) Pray for me to be able to sell my old vehicle (it is a long story, but I have written about it on my blog)