March 2011 Kenya Update

Another CGA class has finished primary school and moved on to various secondary schools throughout the country. In the five years that CGA 8th graders have taken their national exams, every single one of our 122 students have moved on to secondary school, a 100% transition rate. Of those 122 students, only one has dropped out of school before finishing. That is pretty remarkable when you consider that in Kenya only 60% - 70% of students who finish 8th grade proceed to high school; and that number is much lower in a rural area like Mbita that has been ravaged by HIV/AIDS and poverty. Out of all the girls that begin 1st grade in Mbita District, only 60% finish primary school, and only 30% finish secondary school. It is obvious that God's hand is upon our children and this ministry. The prayers of our staff and our supporters throughout the world are bringing great results and helping to change lives. It is difficult to imagine what life would be like for most of these orphans and needy children if they were not a part of CGA.

January and early February was a very busy time as we received the results, awaited letters from the schools they were selected to join and held a graduation ceremony. We also spent time preparing them spiritually, academically, financially, socially and practically for secondary school. It is always a fun and exciting time, but also sad to see members of our family go off and begin a new chapter in their life.

This year's class was exceptional for their character, leadership and openness. They were truly a joy to be around. I loved seeing them grow up from the time I first came to Kenya in 2003 when they were in 1st grade until now. I had the privilege of teaching them Math in 4th grade, Bible in 7th grade and Math again this past year. They were weak at the beginning of the year, but through their hard work they ended up earning the highest Math score ever at CGA. They finished 4th in the district in that subject, only 0.05 away from third place. Every single student in the class passed their exams.

Growing Up
One of those students was Martin Wanga. His polygamous father died when he was still a baby, leaving behind many wives and children. As a widow, Martin's mother has struggled to provide for Martin and his four siblings. For the past seven years she has been helping me around the house, coming twice a week to wash clothes, clean the house and sometimes cook a meal. When I first came to live in Kenya in 2004 Martin began coming to my house on the weekends just to hang out. He would look through my pictures or read magazines. Sometimes we would go outside and play football or just sit around and talk. It is pretty amazing to me that little boy is now in high school and is not so little anymore. God has opened doors to help him get an education so that in the future he will be able to help his widowed, ailing mother and his younger siblings.

Secondary School National Exam Results
The Secondary School National Exam results were released on Monday, February 28th. Our first graduating class from CGA has officially completed high school. We are praising and thanking God for what he has done in the lives of these children. Many of them were not in school when Don and Nancy Richards found them in the village back in 1997 and decided to start teaching them. From those pioneers, CGA was birthed and is now serving almost 300 students in the primary school and another 100 in various secondary schools, and now... 15 high school graduates.

Without the help of CGA, some of these kids would have never even finished primary school. Now, they have not only finished primary school, but also secondary school. But they didn't "just finish," they excelled!

Over 350,000 candidates sat the exam throughout the country. Fifteen CGA students were among that group and sat the exams at their various secondary schools. Here are some of the highlights of the CGA students:

All 15 candidates scored D+ and higher which qualifies them to go for further training.
11 of the 15 reached the minimum requirement for University C+ (top 25% of the country)
4 of our students scored B and higher (top 10% of the country)
Two students scored high enough to qualify to attend University with the government's support
God has shown once again that He is a "Father to the fatherless and a helper of orphans."

Cynthia Awuor's Letter
Just as I did in the last e-mail update, I would like to close this one with an excerpt from a letter one of our students wrote to her sponsor. Cynthia Awuor is beginning her final year at one of the best National Secondary Schools in Kenya. She has done excellent academically and should be one of the top students in the country on her National Exams next October/November. Here is what she told her sponsor:

"The year is finally coming to an end. This is a solid reason to appreciate God for bringing both you and I this far; surely He is Ebenezer. This year has been full of challenges for me; the more I was working hard the more I got challenges and disappointments that weighed me down. But I am not afraid of pressure because pressure is what turns a lump of coal into a diamond, the hardest substance ever known. I still believe in God and in myself. I know that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I have nothing to fear but just to trust in God for... 'Blessed is he who puts his trust in God and not in man.' Sometimes when I sit down and look at where God has brought me from and the people he has used to sacrifice for me in so many ways, I just cry and thank God for these special people; one of them being you. Truly you are a blessing to my life. You are an angel sent from heaven for me. I love you deeply. You shall never lack anything. May God keep you safe. May He extend your boundaries and put His good hands upon your life!"

We still have about 15 students that currently don't have sponsors. Would you consider sponsoring a CGA student?

Please pray for:

- Martin and our other 23 students who began high school this past month. Pray for them to find good friends, adapt quickly to their new surroundings, work hard academically and experience God in new and fresh ways.

- The teachers and staff at CGA to continue to allow God to use them in the lives of each of the students he has entrusted in our care. Pray for us to make the most of each day so that we can see God's Kingdom come to Kenya.

- My future as I seek God's direction on what to do at the end of this year.


Joe Peterson
Christ's Gift Academy
Mbita, Kenya

e-mail: rockylj@hotmail.com
site: www.CGAKenya.com
blog: www.joekenya.blogspot.com

Upcoming Worship Leader

This weekend was my first “free” weekend this year. It didn’t come until the end of February, but finally I had a weekend without travelling somewhere or football practice or teaching or any other commitments. It gave me a little time to reminisce. As I was catching up on some projects on my computer, a friend showed up at my front door. Maline Shaline is now in 7th grade at a local school and is actually one of the brightest young girls in the district. The first day I moved to Kenya in 2004 she came to visit me with some of her little friends who all called her “Baby.” At the time she was in Nursery class and was a neighbor of mine. I remember playing hide and seek with them on that first day and then sitting down together and watching the amazing sunset.

After that day, she pretty much came over every weekend and would color, draw, read some books laying around my house, do some math problems, show me how she knew how to do her ABC’s or write the words she knew on a paper. She was always curious about so many things and very inquisitive. Another thing I remember about her was that she loved to sing. When I would be practicing my guitar, she would always try to sing along with me. She learned many classic worship songs during those times like “Lord I Lift Your Name on High,” and “I Will Call Upon the Lord,” “You are My Strength When I am Weak,” and many others.

Some years ago she moved away from Mbita and lived in Nairobi for a while and also went back to her mother’s home to attend school there. Occasionally she would come back to visit, but she moved back to Mbita at the beginning of this year and soon after found my new house outside of ICIPE. Though she doesn’t like being called “Baby” anymore, Maline’s love for singing and worship hasn’t faded over the years. In fact, she was given a guitar by someone and was now asking me to help teach her how to play. When she came this weekend I was able to show her a few chords and how to strum and we started practicing some of those same songs she used to like singing with me many years ago. After we finished the lesson, she started to share some of her favorite songs with me. Some of them were Cece Winan songs and other popular international worship artists. She is a remarkable and well-rounded young girl. She amazed me as a 4 year old and is continuing to amaze me even now.

A Milestone

It is finally out! The Secondary School National Exam results were released on Monday, February 28th. Our first graduating class from CGA has officially completed high school. As we prayed this morning at CGA, we praised and thanked God for what he has done in the lives of these children. Many of them were not in school when Don and Nancy Richards found them in the village back in 1997 and decided to start teaching them. From those pioneers, CGA was birthed and is now serving almost 300 students in the primary school and another 100 in various secondary schools, and now… 15 high school graduates.

Before praying in the circle people began thinking about God’s goodness. Surely he is a “father to the fatherless, and a helper of orphans.” Without the help of CGA, some of these kids would have never even finished primary school. Now, they have not only finished primary school, but also secondary school. But they didn’t “just finish,” they excelled!

Over 350,000 candidates sat the exam throughout the country. Fifteen CGA students were among that group and sat the exams at their various secondary schools. Here are some of the highlights of the CGA students:

- All 15 candidates scored D+ and higher which qualifies them to go for further training.
- 11 of the 15 reached the minimum requirement for University C+ (top 25% of the country)
- 4 of our students scored B and higher (top 10% of the country)
- Two students scored high enough to qualify to attend University with the government’s support
o Cathorine Agiro scored a B+. This places her in the top 5% of the country.
o Winga Bill Clinton scored an A-. This places him in the top 2% of the country.

Here are the Individual Results:
Winga Bill Clinton A-
Cathorine Agiro B+
Brenda Ollimo B
Edwina Ollimo B
Carolyne Aoko Orony B-
Tony Nyangi B-
Mercy Akinyi C+
Peterfris Odoyo C+
Anjeline Achieng C+
Denis Otieno C+
Regan Omondi C+
Valdry Achieng C
Violet Magero C
Purity Jimbo C-
Faith Achieng D+
Praise God for what He has done!

Girl Power

I read a really good essay written by Nancy Gibbs in Time Magazine in the February 14, 2011 issue. It is titled, "The Best Investment." It fits so well with what I have seen in the developing world here in Kenya with the kids that I work with. And it speaks to what we are trying to do at Christ's Gift Academy and with the Suba Lakers Girls Football Club. Here is a little clip from it.

“This is the tantalizing idea for activists concerned with poverty, with disease, with the rise of violent extremism, if you want to change the world, invest in girls. Across most of the developing world, by the time she is 12, a girl is tending house, cooking, cleaning. She eats what’s left after the men and boys have eaten; she is less likely to be vaccinated, to see a doctor, to attend school.

Why educate a daughter who will end up working for her in-laws rather than a son who will support you? In sub-saharan Africa, fewer than 1 in 5 girls make it to secondary school. Nearly half are married by the time they are 18; 1 in 7 across the developing world marries before she is 15. Then she gets pregnant. The leading cause of death for girls 15 to 19 worldwide is not accident or violence or disease; it is complications from pregnancy. Girls under 15 are up to 5 times as likely to die while having children than are women in their 20s, and their babies are more likely to die as well.

There are countless reasons rescuing girls is the right thing to do. It’s also the smart thing to do. Consider the virtuous circle: An extra year of primary school boosts girls eventual wages by 10% to 20%. An extra year of secondary school adds 15% to 25%. Girls who stay in school for seven or more years typically marry four years later and have two fewer children than girls who drop out. Fewer dependents per worker allows for greater economic growth. And the World Food Programme has found that when girls and women earn income, they reinvest 90% of it in their families. They buy books, medicine, bed nets. For men that figure is more like 30% to 40%.

‘Investment in girls education may well be the highest return in investment available in the developing world.’ Larry Summers wrote when he was chief economist at the World Bank.

Of such cycles are real revolutions born. The benefits are so obvious you have to wonder why we haven’t paid attention. Less than 2 cents of every development dollar goes to girls- and that is a victory compared with a few years ago, when it was more like half a cent. Roughly 9 of 10 youth programs are aimed at boys.

To find success in helping girls requires enlisting whole communities- mothers, fathers, teachers, religious leaders- in helping girls realize their potential instead of seeing them as dispensable or, worse, as prey."

24 More Lives to Impact

On Saturday, twenty-four 11 to 13 year olds joined the Suba Lakers Football Club. Most of these young girls are in 4th-6th grade at different local primary schools. We had seen them play when we hosted our tournament last October and they had all come in January for a tryout. They came early on Saturday and trained for a few hours, learning some of them basic skills and playing some 4 v. 4 games before we sat with them to encourage them about their character, academic performance and to go through the club rules. Then we had them fill out a questionairre so that we could find out more about them. We were able to give each girl a daily devotional book that they will be able to use for 180 days. After going through the first daily bible study together, the session finished with lunch before they went home.

I love seeing the enthusiasm and playfullness in the young girls. They are so excited to be chosen. They feel special. Unfortunately, that is not a feeling they got very often in this culture. It is so much better to start working with them at a young age, before they reach adolescence. We hope the club will play a part in helping them grow physicially, athletically, socially, academically and spiritually during this critical stage in their life.

Competing Against High Schools

This past weekend we brought some of our primary school football players to Kisumu to participate in the Kisumu Boys High School open. There were twelve girls teams participating in the tournament including a couple of other clubs (with much older women) and the rest were secondary schools. All of the girls in our club that have finished primary school are in their various boarding secondary schools so during the school term, we are only able to compete with the primary school girls. It was a good opportunity to give them a chance to show us how much they have improved.

Our young girls showed great potential and impressed many by playing so well against much older and more mature girls. We started with a hard fought draw and then blew away our next opponent 6-0. We won the last preliminary and then qualified for semifinals. We played an excellent club from Kisumu that usually defeats our senior team, sometimes rather easily. This time, our young girls played very strong and even created more scoring opportunities than their opponents, though the game ended in a draw and went to post-match penalties, which we lost. We proceeded to win the 3rd place match fairly easily.

All in all, it was a great showing for the youngest team in the tournament!

Continuing Education

Saturday, 29th January

On Saturday morning we piled ten of us in my Landcruiser and set out for Kisii. The group included four of us Suba Laker Officials, three of our players and their mothers. All three of the players sat their National 8th Grade exams this past year. Unfortunately, all three of them failed pretty badly. Their widowed mothers didn't know what to do with them. The girs are 17 years old so repeating 8th grade wasn't a very good choice, but their academic performance in primary school didn't qualify them for secondary school. The mothers had approached the club about what could be done to help the girls. We also didn't know what to do and were not ready to invest money in the academics of 17 year olds that are so low because of bad schools and a poor academic foundation.

We didn't have any answers, but we prayed... and God had an answer. The coach of Kisii United (the 2nd best women's club team in the country) invited all three to join his club in Kisii. They were welcomed to stay in the hostel with other teammates and the club would get them a chance in a local secondary school and pay for their fees, including uniform and other necessary materials. When we shared with the parents, they were so relieved. You could almost visibly see the burden being lifted off their shoulders.

As we set off early on Saturday there was a lot of joy and happiness with the three girls. They could now see how their football talents were helping them and that they would be able to continue their education, which they weren't sure of before this opportunity arose.

When we arrived in Kisii we were greeted by the captain of the team and several of the teammates. They showed us the hostel and explained their daily routine and program. They also cooked us a nice lunch before we departed, leaving behind their three new members.

It was a door that could only be opened by God. It was a big relief to me also. Now all seven of the girls that finished 8th grade from the club have started in their new secondary schools. That is a big accomplishment in this region where most girls never even finish primary school.

Linet and Adah who are sponsored by CGA will join Asumbi Girls High School (the 2nd best girls school in the province). Pheny, sponsored by the club, will join Bishop Okullu Magare Girls Secondary near Homa Bay. Sharon Bismark will be sponsored by a missionary friend and his Sunday School Class back in Arizona; she will join other club members like Irine Achieng at Moi Girls Sindo. Eliva, Belinda and Judith will all go to school in Kisii and be sponsored by the Kisii United Club. Somehow God worked it all out for these seven girls. Praise God!