Plants and Pillars project for teenagers
In 2017 the Tent of Refuge Project was extended to youth.
The name Plants & Pillars was inspired by Psalm 144:12 (NIV)
“That our sons in their youth will be like well-nurtured plants and our daughters will be like pillars carved to adorn a palace”.
This is a mentorship project for both boys and girls between the ages of 12-18 years. It aims at enhancing behaviour change and reaching them with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Image of mentors with Peter Kay
PLANTS: Boys' mentorship programme
Boys in Dandora are an endangered species since they are the obvious targets of outlawed sects and various forms of crime available in the neighbourhood. Dandora over the years has been a hot spot for crime and drug peddling. Boys as early as 9 years old are initiated in these social vices because some come from a very humble background and others are simply negatively influenced by their peers.
This video shows one church young man's vision to help other young men who live in Dandora Esate
1. Sporting activities
Football/soccer is most well known sport in Dandora and most boys support one premier league club usually Manchester United! Dandora Primary School have offered us a playing field to use.
We have established a sports committee that comprises five members whose task is to facilitate the smooth running of our new team PEFA Plants.
PEFA PLANTS FC in 2019
Being in a league is important because teenage boys will find an active competitive league a major incentive to join the Project. This will then give the mentors grounds to speak into their lives in many positive ways. But joining a league is expensive and we are struggling to find enough sponsors.
2. Rites of Passage
Upon completing their Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE), the mentorship program will facilitate the rites of passage for every boy in our program. This involves circumcising the boys which marks the transition from boyhood to manhood according to African culture. This offers us an opportunity to mentor and counsel them to maturity.
PILLARS: Girls’ mentorship Programme
This is a Christian program in Dandora PEFA Cathedral; it offers mentorship to girls within the age of 12- 18 years within Dandora, Korogocho slum and the neighboring communities. Most of our girls in these areas within this age bracket are either school drop outs, sexually active, married early, have low self-esteem and/or are involved in crime.
The program seeks to partner with local secondary schools and mentor a hundred girls for one year. The program works with ten mentors, whereby one mentor will walk with ten girls. The girls will be coming for a training program once a month and will receive sanitary towels for that month. This will be a great incentive to them and enable them to miss less school when their period arrives. Upon completion they will be issued with a Bible, certificate, and be invited to sign a purity pledge form.
They will be taught in these areas
- I choose life (a discipleship manual)
- Self-Awareness
- Menstrual cycle
- Reproductive health (STDS and HIV hygiene, )
- “Boys” (sex, dating)
- Drug and substance abuse
- Career development
- Conflict management
- Strategic plan for life
The main objectives of this program are:
- To reduce the number of school drop outs.
- To build confidence and self-awareness
- To prevent early marriages by empowering the girls through education
- To supply sanitary towels to the marginalized girls
- To present the girls with the Gospel of Christ
This programme is not being run by Creative Solutions. Creative Solutions are providing some funds to enable the programme to run.
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