 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** Jain Wanjiru and she is a teacher and a mentor and she will be telling us more about herself and her mentorship program. Welcome. Thank you so much. So how are you feeling today? I'm feeling good. Thank you so much for making time to be with us. Thank you. I should be appreciating. Karibo. I had been praying for such a moment and I got it here finally. Yes. So kindly introduce yourself and tell us what you do professionally. Okay. My name is Jain Wanjiru Moga. I'm a teacher with TSA. A wife. A mother to two boys. Great. So talk to us since you're a teacher. Which grade do you teach? Or rather which level do you teach? Class 6, 7, 8. Class 6, 7, 8. So talk to us about the mentorship program that you have with relation to being a teacher. Okay. Let me take your park words a bit. When I was posted to Kajole, I went to Imara first and then I was transferred to Kajole North for Malimataupeni. And it's a non-formal settlement area. And when I reached there, I realized that children are vulnerable to a lot of vices like trafficking and militia gangs, prostitution and other vices. And so as a teacher in that passion that I had in guidance and counseling which I did at Moutken University, I felt I was in the right place and with the right people. And so immediately with the help of my hand teacher, we started a program by the name Life Skills. And with the help from Life Skills Promoters and UNICEF, they came in and we started that program on mentoring kids taking them through the important life skills programs. And I thank God for the steps so far. So you're saying children from Class 6, 7, 8, they're exposed to all these vices at such tender aids. Have you experienced such cases? A lot, a lot, a lot. In fact, I want to thank the hand teacher, Mrs. Deri. I want to believe maybe she's watching or she'll get to watch this. Together with her, we realized that it was happening in our school actually, it's still happening. Drugs, children are getting access to drugs. Like I said before, the environment itself, we have people selling drugs to kids. And so we have a lot to do in talking to these kids and telling them the digits of these drugs. And of course, the vices, like I said before, it's not about drugs, they are the things that delimitia guns which are there. So you find that is a challenge. These kids, when we raise them in the evening because it's a day school, there's a conflict of interest because as teachers, especially as mentors, we are with them, talking to them about morals, values, taking them through the Life Skills programs. But then when they get out there, they are exposed to such kind of militia groups and other things. And that's how children control, definitely. Yeah, but thank God it's working. Since we introduced this program, we have seen a tremendous change in behaviors by the way. We have kids who have left school, clasit, and we are following them up. We don't leave them when they do the KCP. We follow them up even to high school where they went to and they come back to us, thanking us because we realized that before previously, they didn't have mentors or shoulders to lay down or people to share with. But when we started their program, they came in and we were working together and we thank God for so far. So when was the program Life Skills started? 2015, yeah, 2015. What was your main goal when starting that program? To give hope to these kids, to encourage them and motivate them. We told them it doesn't matter the environment. It's about attitude and the individual, not about the environment they are in. So basically the peer pressure was too much, negative peer pressure. So we told them it's about you as an individual. It's not about the environment, it's not about the group. Fine, your cousins do it, your neighbors do it, but it doesn't have to be you. It's your life. So when we started that, they started seeing sense and it was not easy initially. It has not been easy. Like I said, conflict of interest because of the community around. But I thank God we talk even to parents and the community around and they assume the need of also encouraging these kids just to be morally upright. So is this a program for maybe class 6 to 8 students or it's just from the young ones? No, initially we thought we concentrate with the 6, 7, 8, but we realized even the children 9 years have been recruited into these militia gangs. It was a serious problem. Actually we had a case of a 80-year-old boy being recruited in Gaza. Gaza is a non-militia gang in Kayole. So we thought now we should not rely on class 6, 7, 8 kids only. So we decided to go down level to class 2 even to talk to them. Because the topics are different. The way I approach it in class 2 is not that we are going to approach it in class 6, 7, 8. So is it given as a lesson or it's done maybe you just combine all of them together? I want to learn the government because they have slotted that lesson on Thursday where we have life skills program but that one is not enough. So as a patron of the life skills together with the hand teacher we have a lesson for life skills which I want to encourage the teacher to put into consideration because most of them actually take it to teach their subjects to boost their academic performance but I want that the government for the CBC now that we are not so much into academics like what the president said yesterday let them concentrate on mentoring these kids because I believe they lack the life skills. Most of them don't even know about them they assertiveness all those basic life skills there are about 16 of them even if you're not going to touch on them we touch on the basics like negative peer pressure the assertiveness the decision making and all that so I believe as teachers and parents if we take children through the life skills the basic ones we'll have a better generation in future. So let's talk more about the program. What are some of the challenges you have encountered since 2015? Resistance resistance from the community like I told you recently not from the students the students are good actually they are good since I started the program but the problem is like I said the negative peer pressure from outside sometimes I am not with them during the holiday or at times I am not with them they are at home so you find that they are discouraged and like I told you we had a show just the other day and then from there they were threats what kind of threats? the teacher who is trying to mentor the children they are lacking customers to sell drugs to because I am telling children to keep off drugs actually we had a case that we reported to police station it's a threat to me and to the hen teacher because she has been very supportive of the program so I should not be talking to these kids I should not be mentoring them I should not be telling them about Gaza I should not be telling them about drugs I should concentrate the teaching according to them it's a case with the OCS Kayole it's there but he told me to keep on keeping on encouraging these kids and by then I am not going to stop because it's me mentoring is me besides teaching and you don't feel like kind of a threat when you are walking around no I wouldn't cause one I have a lot of support from the deputy president and I want to believe even if he is not listening he will have to get landies through the wife though I have never met her but through her office and officers they are becoming too square supporting me a lot because we realize that one of the things that these children are being world into the militia gangs and drug trafficking businesses is because of poverty because I go to sit one on one with them and they told me teacher we don't get food so sometimes you are forced to do this to get food and all that so we reached the office of the deputy president and they brought a feeding program and when they brought the feeding program they felt the need besides feeding them physically also morally and so they introduced a club it's the deputy president wife club known as CHE community health evangelism so when they came she has never been there but she has been sending her officers there so they occasionally come to our school and when they came and they got to see what I do programs she was impressed of course through her officers and she incorporated the CHE club with the life skills so we work hand in hand together and I thank God for the progress so far so the feeding program and the CHE club plus life skills it's working miracles I am hoping that next time I will get a chance and I come with some of the kids who have entered some confessing that teacher if it was not for you and they have told you that they have told me that actually one time when you invite me again and come with them because those are the kids they are peer educators they are the kids who are encouraging others and they are like oh if this did it and she is in the same environment I can also do it because if you see your fellow students doing it then you believe in yourself so you told me some of the challenges that you are having is maybe threats and resistance from the community any other challenge well well well and maybe the children themselves doubting themselves it's like can I remake it from where I come from you know can I remake it you know they doubt themselves but you are trying to put that hope in them telling them we also came from such places and I thank God at least that perception is clearing now accepting the changes and I thank God and we are involving them I want to thank the ADMP he is really supporting me also in the program whereby he involves these kids in environmental conservation you see we are killing two birds at the same time they are learning the importance of conserving environment at a tender age and also engaging them positively because what I tell these kids is not about because most of them are not right most of them are not right so they are discouraged and that is why I am thanking the president for the new system curriculum I am really supporting it as much as it is being opposed by Nat which I am a member but I am opposed to him resisting that cause CBC competence based curriculum it's emphasizing more on the pupils areas of competence as opposed to academics A and B but you can be disciplined very great degrees masters but they are wasted to nothing exactly so I want these kids from primary level to secondary to tertiary by the time it will challenge them whatever you are doing challenge them oh teacher talk to me we were mentored the MP was there for us and you know gone are these when you used to tell them don't do this let it challenge them in future so let's talk about the feeding program is this offered to each and every student or are it just specific students all of them for free a balanced diet some that never used to be there before it was a challenge because most kids never used to afford lunch and so absentezim was a problem affecting the performance because if a child is absent and if he decides to them not having something to eat they actually told me I had a case not even one or two so many cases telling me teacher was absent because I was not able to get food teacher I was far doing these because I could not get food my mother and you know okay sorry to say most of the parents they are not how do I put it they are not hopeful of their kids if they go to school so if we don't ask as mentors in teacher most of them by the way they are not they are not there for their kids they are comfortable with their children and so we have a lot we are acting the roles of parents the role of teachers, the role of counselors and all others so it's actually true what they say that these days parents have left the children to the teachers exactly exactly and the problems we are experiencing now for their children so we find that a child will open up the teacher even a very private issue they will come and share with me have you shared with mommy no why that's interesting so this feeding program what meals are included some meals for break and lunch they take nutritious porridge at 11 very nutritious porridge at 11 and then lunch time they take the normal lunch okay that's interesting then the chair program how did you get in contact with the office of the deputy president can I say it was God's grace through a certain parent in our school and he happened to be my friend and so when he's a pastor a parent tree and so I shared with him one time I repeated these kids it was just a normal talk and I told him many kids would come to me in my class I was organizing how children were going to feed I made sure no kid went hungry but I could not feed the whole school because you were going hungry and no people were different so you were doing it with your finances I was doing it but the little that we get we are even on the streets but the little that I was getting and I thank God I never lagged I never lagged like Mother Teresa said if you cannot afford to feed all feed one blessings will follow you so I saw God blessing me a lot and so I talked to this parent and he was like I know a church I go to and Madam Rachel Ruto goes to that church so one day when I get to and I thought it was just a consolation thing you know I will try wife of the deputy president but luckily it went through so when he came to us together the hen teacher telling us she has worked and the deputy and our school has been chosen among the children the schools are to benefit from the feeding program I just thank God I felt like I had achieved and from there she has been very supportive giving them balance to diet giving them porridge she is the one also funding and supporting this feeding program fully so she is in charge of the feeding program high in her office in charge of the feeding program and the chair fully so what are some of the benefits that you have seen from the club chair wow great transformation in behaviors children willing to change we had kids almost joining Al Shaba because the community we have Muslims almost half have the kids they are Muslims and we had kids who were about to be recruited they confessed to us some even about to join Gaza and some even being used to traffic drugs but they changed and this teacher we are not ready to die young so transformation behavior and also absenteism the cases of absenteism have reduced remediously 100% turn out and I would say so behavior changes especially and being present in school in school they learn a lot because teaching is not about chok and the blackboard turns a lot it entails a lot so I think behaviors and also the community has embraced the changes they are very supportive is not 100% we are there at least 80% and the school is known to be disciplined okay that's good any plans of introducing the programs to neighboring schools oh yes now that the MP is supporting it he is not just an MP for kaiola north primary school so we are planning the plans are at the way so currently it's only kaiola north current is only kaiola north but I do it online and many teachers are embracing it but they encourage them a lot because there was this notion teacher go home you are getting less and other than that I told them teaching is a calling it's in the book of James oh and to those who deserve to be teachers take other profession but don't be a teacher because your judgment will be different remember these are innocent kids they are there for you mess them up make them ups up to you when I see a kid coming back to me right from primary school when she comes to me and tells me some of this thing I didn't know we used to hear of children from Saba the council and other things but you brought them to our area teacher I owe it to you I just shant ears I mean I feel I've achieved that's all so I always encourage teachers please do your best do your best cancel these kids not about teaching and God will bless you because the elimination is just discouraging but focus and God that is where you are getting your blessings so other than the office of the deputy president the area MP headmistress who else is on board some teachers some teachers around some parents because again if you work alone and you don't have support from parents it might be an exercise in futility so I have parents assisting even pastors I have from faith evangelism ministry working with Raymond Nelson he has also been very supportive of the program so I thank God so we are getting to a place soon that's good so if someone wanted you are doing the mentoring online where would someone find you if they wanted to contact you maybe parents maybe teachers well well well so far Facebook is Jane Mogo Facebook Jane Mogo I have my email some of them get to me to email Jane Moreny 8 at jmail.com so have my number 0725 339 527 I've worked with parents online some with issues because besides what I do also we have issues like affecting teens they get depressed and they do the unimagined you know like for example committing suicide recently cases of teens committing suicide are rampant juicy we buried a young boy 22 years old he commits suicide parents they don't understand why probably this kid was and then the parents are like this kid never liked anything he was actually about to graduate this deck unfortunately he went with a lot of secrets with him so I always tell parents get to me and many of them are reaching me if I'm not able to get to you one on one we talk via phone and I get a chance to talk to that boy or to that girl and it works many of them are coming online we are dating teacher you saved my boy and other because I believe there is nothing that I can't handle I want to sit with that boy and girl share with me I had a case in our school the boy almost committed suicide he just stopped coming to school and I got concerned because the moment a kid in my class actually class 7 because I'm a class teacher class 7 and so he stopped coming and he was a bright boy so I got concerned so the mother came to me crying and told me teacher I wish I could share with you but I wanted to come from him and all that so to cut the story short the boy had been sodomized I want to tell you the kind of environment you are living in so he was sodomized and unfortunately because of the poverty it didn't go far and then the guys who were responsible just moved they don't know where they went to so the boy was there so he was there and so the mother was concerned but I thank God I got to sit with the boy one on one and we talked and the boy he can smile now because mine is to put a smile on a child's face at least he's good we shared a lot with him and we are still working together with him and many other cases that's just one out of many so apart from school and I get a lot of support from my Facebook buddies some unknown to me, some unknown but they just trust me so I want us to wind up so I want you to just maybe give your final word to parents who are watching to young people who are watching and maybe teachers we have a judgment of society where we find some children, some youth, some teens engaging in some vices to judge forgetting that we are to blame the teachers, the parents and the society are we there for those kids what do you do as a parent how often do you sit with your child you go out with your girlfriends you go out with your boyfriends you go out with your spouses how often do you go out with your kids sit with them one on one get to share, let them open up to you how often, we are busy looking for money for wealth so let's be there for our kids please to save this generation things are bad, I'm a teacher and I know right from primary to secondary to colleges we have many vices affecting our kids we need to listen to them we need to talk to them occasionally don't get tired just talk to them, you're going to save a chance somewhere let them know there's somebody who understands them let them know that there's somebody who can listen to them so thank you so much for your insightful thoughts it's a good job that you're doing out there thank you thank you so much for making time to come thank you so that was Jane and like she has said we need to take care of our children so that they can be prosperous and we can have a better coming generation so don't you go anywhere more of a circuit coming your way