 The society has always deemed education as the key to success, but how relevant can it get if one has to go to school on an empty stomach? Morris Gitonga, a resident of Fungai, saw the need in his area and decided to make a move that would be beneficial to many. The program which was started with the intention of feeding children has been in existence for quite some time now, since its inception by Gitonga's parents. I am a father figure to the kids. I am also their manager. I also do a bit of directing. If you come on some fine days, you'll find me cooking. So I am all things so that I can make them as everybody who comes in as comfortable as possible. I've just created a space where kids have an opportunity to be kids. They have an opportunity to be childish. They have an opportunity to do their homework. They have an opportunity to teach one another. And they have an opportunity to ask questions that they don't have an opportunity to ask elsewhere. And also I create time for them. I invite tutors from Inokwa Universities. So it's not a tushon. It is a willing program whereby the kids who don't have this kind of atmosphere where they come from have it here. In this setup, the children do not recognise the art of spoon feeding as they have to plan for and prepare the intended meal by themselves. Something that has taught them self-reliance on a larger scope. We meet every Friday in a school setup, in a club setup. We come alive under a program called TBF that is Transformation for a Better Future. The kids themselves claim that. It's a program whereby kids run their own affairs. They come up with their own ideas. They come up with the menu, what they want to eat, how they want to cook it. And when they want to learn, they learn. And I found that by giving them this space, they are able to realise that they have so much control over their lives. So when they came in, when they came on board, there were so many challenges even with the administration in school. But right now, there are some of the best kids in the school and we don't fight, we don't beat, they are not beaten, they don't fight at school, but they challenge one another. So by doing that, we found that we can very easily sway the behavioural problems and make sure that they don't leak out and make sure that the kids change, or the children change their habits themselves without being monetised extremely. Now, I'm not saying they're angels, but I'm saying that they're honest when they express themselves and that for me is an achievement. By doing this, Maurice has given a platform for the kids to not only share meals, but also interact on a personal label and learn the virtue of disciplining. I've just opened up my eyes. I'm using what God has blessed me with. He has blessed me with space, he has blessed me with a home, he has blessed me with good space and a bit of structures that can be your views. Previously, right now we are dealing with class 7 and class 8, that is the adolescence age, where so many challenges are coming on board. But previously, we used to have a preschool program where we have a baby class, nursery and preunit. And some of the kids I'm having now used to be in my program then. So I used to teach them when they were in preschool. Now they are in class 8. And the group I have right now is around 45 to 50. And 35 of them are in class 8. And these 35 have been with them from last year. And we don't do something extraordinary. No, we just created a friendship. We created a relationship. We cook, eat together, work together, challenge one another, deal with discipline cases together, where if one kid is in discipline, we all gather together and we lay the case before everybody and everybody has a chance to comment. Interacting with children, especially those from beneficiary schools, has made his program famous, hence attracting more kids to his operation. The headmistress of the Nakel Prema school where most of these kids are drawn from, she's a very good friend of mine. And I've worked with her when I used to run the feeding program because I used to have to get permission for kids from her to come and have lunch. So we kept that relationship alive. So last year but once she had so many behavior challenges when she was shifted from one school to that school and she called on all her friends to come on board and just try and change and transform one kid or two kids at a time. So through that I was introduced to the kids and I was given the ones that were really, really challenging and I was given a setup every Friday where I set up whereby in form of a club that is a transformation for a better future club normally known as Okomoli called TBF program. So I've never done a club before. I know there's a wildlife club and all that so we did TBF as a club and I was able now to interact with the children from that setup and became famous and they came to know about this place by me inviting all those who wanted to learn and to have a meeting. Morris has been met with a few hicups yenda but that hasn't in any way acted as a hindrance to his mission. More challenges. Am I making a change? Am I really reaching out to his kids? When some of them come and report to me you know what yesterday IDT says but I've been telling you about this and then we face and tackle the problem. Financial challenges are there. Last year we had a boost supply I think for my wife and then she had to I think she lost her job I know she lost her job so from my financial perspective from what I was able to provide until now that was lost so putting a decent meal or even a meal for the kids staff but we came up with an idea of contributing 20 shillings but then I told them if you don't have it still come and on and on bumps up and downs and all that we've been having them and I think there are challenges in infrastructure because the space we were enjoying some of us came along and listed and my dad listed to them maybe what I was doing was lost to him or they did not see the value I don't know whatever challenges so the space has become also an issue we need books clothes all these are the normal things especially girls and boys the girls need a mother figure they need a challenge they need good success stories that I was here I changed and I made it the boys need the same we have some great footballers I've watched them play time and again so the challenge is continuity the challenge is to keep the fire burning I'm inspired by Jesus kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa for us it's a good time for us to see it and interact and we get closer when we eat together we are faced with many challenges with cooking firewood it's not affordable firewood anyway got Ameko refilling it the challenge the kind of meals we have sometimes the bed But one of the others will manage, like porridge, but we don't have sugar. We don't know what sugar is, and we really enjoy it. In fact, we even forgot to buy sugar. So far, it's a test of a positive impact, and therefore it's greatest desire is for others, especially schools to borrow a leaf. I can tell you for a few, I was shocked, especially for the guardians, the mothers. It has impacted them so positively. Upon their lives, even the teachers, it's called the class teachers, were asking, what is this TBF on about? What do these kids do there? The parents came, some of them came, the mothers said, teacher, oh, you are the teacher, yes. Okay, I just want to say thank you. We have one case of a child who was even being taken to a psychiatrist, because she could not talk, she could not open up in the house. She comes, she does her work, she keeps quiet, she watches TV, she goes to bed, doesn't say anything to the mum. And for me, when she came on board, she was the list of my problems, because she was not very energetic or up and down. So I used to give her responsibilities, then she opened up more responsibilities, now she is picking and opening up, so the parents are good. As for the community, they have been really supportive. They saw the edges and everything. So if one of my kids is seen somewhere, being something by one of my neighbours, they come and say, I saw your kid, so I come and tell them where you were seen. So the community doesn't have a problem. I know if they had to go enough materials, to maybe to share, but just giving us peace and letting us be, for me that's a good contribution. For the parents, to give you the child every Saturday, to give you the child, boy child, girl child, I think that's trust. And they see the changes. We have once access stories of one of our girls, she used to get I think 240, very stable, but at the end of the day she got 308 marks. So to me, one child at a time, one child at a time. How bright is the future, as far as this initiative is concerned? I hope and pray that each and every school can create such a space. Each and every school can create a place that can be allowed to be kids. I don't know whether you've ever sat and considered how many rules and regulations kids go through, and what happens to them if they break a cup. Everybody shouts, are you watching or if they fall down, if they are to be blamed. But in some cases, all we need to do is give them space to express themselves, to be stupid, to make those stupid mistakes and to come back again and to allow them to sit with you and look at the mistakes. Like now when one of my kids comes and tells me, teacher 31st, can you come and spend it at your place? I say, why? See teacher every time we spend it at our house, the problem will be there is a dead body on the road. He says, really? Ya ya ya, every year. I said, wow. Now when some of my kids come and tell me, teacher do you go to Matanga? I say, I don't go to Matanga. Why? You go to Matanga often. I say, why? Oh we go there, we eat moboka, we dance, you dance with who? You understand? So when they come back and tell me, you wrote it and you told that. I said, why? I thought you liked it. No, you see, you told us, you understand? That is good. So for the future, I will love them to teach the same impact, same loving the other kids. There is always light at the end of the tunnel as is evident in this judgment. You can make an impact. You can make an impact. Kenyans are very good and we are very good and we are very generous because most 70% of what we have has been done through Kenyans and they are wonderful generosity. You can do it, just that, that desire. Menta one child, menta two children, menta three children. For example, the country of Kenyans is led by how many people? One person, right? He is the president. So it's not about numbers. It is about positively impacting somebody. Now I do this because I am a born again Christian. I allow the love of God to flow through me to the kids because the relationship you have one based on love. It's not about what you can give or what you cannot give. It's not even about the behaviors. It's not about their backgrounds. It's not even a tribal thing. We are, for one reason or the other, mainly Christian. I have some of my kids who used to be in my preschool, who used to be Muslim but are now Christians. So that's a background, that's a setup. So as a Christian, just go out in your churches, create time to talk to the kids and you can make an impact. And I don't know about finances. God provides for everything that we need. He touches you to come along, come on board, be a shining light to these ones. Access to adequate quantities of nutritious food remains a challenge for many. Therefore, let us all join hands in fighting under nutrition and break the recurring cycle of hunger. I love kids. I get very well with kids. I think the child in me has resisted growing up. And I know that if when I was growing up we had such a program, if our kids or generation had such a program running, I think we'd have a totally different setup.