The Student Peer Mentor Program
St. Andrews Secondary School is a government high school up the road and hill from Kasarani, a very poor, marginalized village. Almost 100% of the students come from Kasarani, many from single parent families headed by mothers. Their lives of poverty lead to temptations of unhealthy life styles. It was felt that a student peer mentor program would be helpful in addressing some of their issues. Fellow students were selected from stable families and/or attitudes toward education, realizing their futures would have more potential. Mentors were chosen by teachers who knew the students best. Each grade (Freshman-Senior, or Form 1-4) has 3 girls and 3 boys.
St. Andrews Secondary School is a government high school up the road and hill from Kasarani, a very poor, marginalized village. Almost 100% of the students come from Kasarani, many from single parent families headed by mothers. Their lives of poverty lead to temptations of unhealthy life styles. It was felt that a student peer mentor program would be helpful in addressing some of their issues. Fellow students were selected from stable families and/or attitudes toward education, realizing their futures would have more potential. Mentors were chosen by teachers who knew the students best. Each grade (Freshman-Senior, or Form 1-4) has 3 girls and 3 boys.
Samson Kaleki is the program director. He was a student peer mentor and after graduating was hired by the school to be a lab assistant in the science lab at St. Andrews. It was the perfect place to help recommend mentors, and they like and respect him. He also is able to monitor the sessions the mentors have with fellow students from a distance. Samson is a resource for the mentors when they hear about difficult issues that their fellow students have shared with them (incest, rape, pregnancies, alcohol and drug abuse) so that appropriate resources, can be sought in order to protect them. The sign on the right is one of many slogans the students picked and they are lining the road to the school.
A session is held 3 times a year (once each term) at Eagles Wings for the mentors. All sessions are facilitated by a local Kenyan with expertise in counseling. The first is an overview of what it means to be a mentor. The students are told three things. A mentor is not a counselor. A mentor is a compassionate, empathetic listener. A mentor holds all discussions in confidence. The second session is held separately for the girls and the boys. It is a time for the mentors to share with each other their struggles and successes in working with their fellow students. No names are used, just stories. It is a time of support and encouragement and suggestions. The third session is a time to review their year and what they feel about how they did. A question is asked "you have been a mentor now for a year - what have you learned about yourself?" One student said "I have learned that my parents life is theirs but it doesn't have to be mine." At all three sessions a topic is addressed related to the circumstances of living in Kasarani and round table discussions are held so that the mentors give feedback. For example, issues of sexuality, honesty, integrity, self-image and drugs. All these things are discussed from a perspective that helps to shape core Biblical values that will transform their lives and those of the community.
The Alumni Program
Most of the graduates of the St. Andrews High School have little or no hope of pursuing any further education. Their parents have no resources and the kids return to Kasarani with nothing to do, and easily fall prey to things like prostitution which results many times in pregnancies, or drugs. In 2014 a woman from Oregon visited the school and was so moved by the plight of these kids, she returned home and not only did her family Foundation construct a girls and a boys dormitory at St. Andrews, but she also sponsored the first girls in the dormitory beyond what the government and their families could afford. The Dougan Family Foundation then began support of an Alumni Program for graduates that met certain criteria of grades, character and potential. It continues and will through 2024, when over 50 students will have graduated from Universities and Colleges and Trade Schools. Among them the families and community of Kasarani is proud to claim a female airline pilot, an award winning film director, an agronomist, and an IT specialist, among others. What an amazing story of students being able to realize their potential when given the opportunity! Eagles Wings is the managing director of this program, and privileged to come alongside these students in their journeys.
Most of the graduates of the St. Andrews High School have little or no hope of pursuing any further education. Their parents have no resources and the kids return to Kasarani with nothing to do, and easily fall prey to things like prostitution which results many times in pregnancies, or drugs. In 2014 a woman from Oregon visited the school and was so moved by the plight of these kids, she returned home and not only did her family Foundation construct a girls and a boys dormitory at St. Andrews, but she also sponsored the first girls in the dormitory beyond what the government and their families could afford. The Dougan Family Foundation then began support of an Alumni Program for graduates that met certain criteria of grades, character and potential. It continues and will through 2024, when over 50 students will have graduated from Universities and Colleges and Trade Schools. Among them the families and community of Kasarani is proud to claim a female airline pilot, an award winning film director, an agronomist, and an IT specialist, among others. What an amazing story of students being able to realize their potential when given the opportunity! Eagles Wings is the managing director of this program, and privileged to come alongside these students in their journeys.