When I was first starting out to work in juvenile prison, I didn’t know it would turn me into a father. That why I need your help to be a better father.
This isn’t the first time that I’m struggling to find funding and resources for Lifesong KENYA. Of course, there are lots of good things that are happening.
For instance, our program is running from Monday to Friday every week, 4 of the boys who graduated last year have remained in touch with us and more people are plugging into our prison ministry and work.
Having a program that runs 5 days a week using the limited resources we’ve is a miracle. Of course, we’ve had to make sacrifices that are finally crushing my ability to continue holding on.
One of my biggest failures is being able to get more men to support. I have also visited after emailing hundreds of offices. I no longer have the energy to read a rejection email to the end.
So, what keeps me going?
I Need Your Help to Be a Better Father
Each of the boys I have interacted with have the potential of becoming better men and turning their lives around. All they need is find clarity. Though most of them struggle with rejection from their families and the community, some are rising again the odds.
Each of them reminds me of the boy I once was and how I needed a father-figure to hold my hand and show me direction. 3 of these exceptional young men have called in the past week wanting us to visit their families while there are two widows that were once married to the boys I first worked with at Nairobi Remand Prison in 2012.
This past week has been the roughest for me because I am not able to do what I love the most. As I made the promise to go to Thika Town tomorrow and visit one of the boys and his mom, I need courage. In a few weeks time, hell be going back to college and will be needing transport and pocket money.
The other one in Nakuru Town needs a follow up visit so we can meet the family. Bernardo Silva’s mom wants me to meet her son before ‘it is too late.’
How does one ask for help other than simply asking for help?
I have asked for help – right, left, centre and even up from above. Not only have I asked friends for help, but strangers too. I have asked organizations that are ‘doing well’ to share resources, volunteers and knowledge with us. What hurts the most is not being able to get men onboard – especially from ⛪.
Conclusion
I know how strange it is for a father to ask for support for his children. That is what I have become to our boys and the more I get involved with more boys and young men, the more children I keep having.
I need your help to be a better father. My children need education and job opportunities. They need an extra man to walk with them. They need you. Yes, you who read up to this point. We need you, we desperately do!
I know we’re in hard economical times but a little contribution, here and there, goes a long way. Is it possible for you to support on a monthly basis with whatever you can spare? Every amount counts…
