I was locked out of my house by my landlord because I had not paid rent for months. I felt hopeless. I
had nowhere to go and no food to feed my 8-year-old daughter.
I joined Turning Point not long after it was started. I remember Pastor Shadrack visiting homes, door to door, looking for children who were out of school. Most people in the community would close their doors in his face, because during that time there were stories going round about
In April 2002 we took a trip to Kenya to meet up with Kariuki, Pastor & Eunice and finalise plans. These were pre-mobile phone times, only very poor dial-up email, so it was difficult to communicate with them when we weren’t actually there. Shortly after we landed
Jon and I met in 1998 and were married in June 1999. He was working in I.T. and I was a full time youth pastor. One of the things that attracted us was our shared willingness to go overseas, although neither of us imagined it would be in the near future.
One month after our wedding
When I was in campus I took a class on Poverty and development and one definition of poverty that has remained with me is that poverty is the denial of freedom to choose. This is a quote from
Having been a Trustee since spring 2021, it was with huge excitement that I travelled to Nairobi to visit the projects and people of The Turning Point Trust for the first time, as part of a team of 8 from the UK (Directors, Trustees, and friends).
During the week, we had the privilege to visit all three sites (Mashimoni, Laini Saba and Kianda) and to see the incredible work in action. From watching the children develop their
“Tony is now playing in the national youth league with Cheza Sports! And 2 other boys have joined the Cheza Sports Academy, one of the top football academies in Kenya!” reported the coach of the Turning Point Football Club (TPFC) during a recent managers’ meeting. There was celebration and awe at this news.
Many children in Kibera are left behind in education. Many do not have the opportunity to complete primary school and transition to secondary school.
Shelly joined the TP school transition programme at the age of 9, after staying out of school for 2 years. Her mother is a single parent and the sole breadwinner of their family. Shelly is the first child and naturally she is expected to help look after her 2 younger brothers while her mother is out looking for work. This forced Shelly to grow up and take on much responsibility at a young age.
“I want to score 300 or more in my end of term exams”
“I want to become a better footballer”
“I want to stop using bad language”
These are a few of the goals our current Transition Class students set at the beginning of the school year with the help of their mentor teachers. The students returned to school after a long time out of school, their mentors supported them as they settled in school.
“Hosanna! Hiyah! Blessed be your name, hoo-ha!”
Our grade 4 and 5 students belted out this song at full volume while throwing out karate moves in the recent holiday clubs.
In our first holiday clubs since the pandemic began, we explored the power of choice. Over two weeks, we met with our upper school students and secondary school students. The kids had a ball learning new games and songs while the facilitators took every opportunity to help the children reflect and learn.
