Education Is A Weapon

This morning I woke up to some horrible news. I found out that one of the women who works at the Home had lost her husband and her brother had been mugged in Nairobi. This woman is incredible and always smiling, and it just hurt my heart to think of all the pain she was experiencing.

It was very nice to go back to work and be in the office with Lucy and Emily. While the two of them took care of some students’ school fees, I put the finishing touches on the MGEF newsletter! It was so incredibly exciting to have something tangible completed. It was also so cool to see how happy Lucy and Emily were. We all had put a lot of time and effort into making that newsletter, and when the president of MGEF said that she loved it, it was just such a great feeling! Lucy and Emily were smiling and I could just tell that they were so proud of themselves! Lucy and Emily also talked about how they want to put out another one in the fall. This is something that I was going to mention before I left, but I didn’t even have to say anything. They are two very intelligent women who can easily run with an idea, and I am so excited to see their newsletter in the fall.

I also heard back from Barbara about Gloria applying to colleges in the United States. Barbara said that it was completely fine for her to try!! I gave Gloria a call immediately and that phone call was absolutely amazing. I told her everything that Barbara had explained to me, and she sounded so excited and grateful. Right before she got off the phone, she said that she had been waiting for this phone call all week. I arranged with Gloria for her to come to the MGEF office sometime next week so that we could talk and plan in person! I was so excited for her…and very glad that I hadn’t fueled false hopes!

While working on some things today, I came across a speech given by one of the MGEF students named Caroline who actually is going to the United States to help fundraise! Caroline is an incredible woman. In one part of the speech, Caroline encourages her fellow students: “Let’s do our best because we are the role models that our society is hungry for! When we go up the ladder, let us always remember where we came from.” Another line that really moved me was this: “Our education is a weapon that we can stand on, no one can beat or intimidate us anymore.” Our education is a weapon…education as a weapon. It is a phrase that will not leave my mind. This phrase completely summarizes the mission of MGEF. The organization is giving girls the power to fight back, the power to make choices, the power to fight for what they deserve. Caroline puts it so beautifully…what MGEF girls leave with is an ability to protect themselves, stand up for what is right, and defend the other girls in their community. MGEF is giving girls a weapon to create change! I discovered a whole new level to the value of education.

After work today, I got to spend time with a bunch of the children at the home. Each day, I think I teach Miss Mary Mack to a few more children! Some of the younger girls also taught me a game today that is kind of like hopscotch…it was great! I also made great progress today with getting to know some of the older boys. They always say hi, but then usually just keep walking but today I stopped them and asked how they were doing, etc. It is so nice to come home to this type of community after a wonderful day at work! As I was lying in bed tonight, I just kept thanking God for everything and everyone who has come into my life. I am so grateful for the experience I am having here!