Turning Point Trust

Earlier in January, 70 new children who had been through the Turning Point transition class, were able to start Primary School. Upwards of 200 others were returning to school. Over a dozen older children were returning to Secondary School and more were set to join them for the first time. This provides opportunities almost unheard and undreamt of by slum children.

Up at the farm at Kinangop, the new Mamas and their families are enjoying the fresh air, clean environment and open spaces, so different from the situation back on Kibera. Farming by hand is hard and strenuous work, but the Mamas are learning under the guidance of Samuel, the Farm Manager, and with encouragement from the Mamas who were already there. However, in early January almost all the crops were severely damaged due to a most unusual heavy frost and this has caused huge difficulty both in terms of current food needs and seed for future crops.

There are new groups being set up in the micro-finance scheme and Turning Point aims to have 400 – 500 families being helped under this scheme by the end of 2012.

The new project on Kibera at Laini Saba is now open and is being led by Margaret (Social Worker) and Godwill (Youth Worker). The work there will grow and develop over coming months.

Another Social Worker, Gladys is setting up a new computer database to improve the level of care and support offered to the large numbers of children and their families that TPT now helps.

Please continue to pray for all these children and families and also Jo and Jon and the Kenyan Management Team as they lead the work forward under God’s guidance. The work continues to expand but costs are increasing and the budget for 2012 is around £250,000. Donations, of course, are always welcome, either direct or via us (payable to Turning Point Trust). Visit www.tptrust.org

You will have seen on the News about terrorist threats in Nairobi and other parts of Kenya. Please pray for protection, especially for white people like Jo, Jon and Emily, who are at greater risk because of their colour.

Jean and Michael Simmonds

This month, we want to tell you about two children that Turning Point helps. These are the kind of children that your money and your prayers support. Thank you.

Ann: Ann's home is close to the bottom of a small valley in Kibera, where all the rubbish and sewage collects. It's not a nice place to live, but it's cheap which is what the family needs. And it's not a nice playground either, but it's the only one that Ann's got.

Playing close to raw sewage and lots of rubbish is not a good idea. And this is why Ann is often sick. Her family can't afford to go to a clinic, let alone buy the medicine that Ann would likely be prescribed. So she puts up with the pain in her tummy, and the sickness she often feels.

Turning Point partner with a local clinic to ensure children can receive the treatment and medication they need to be healthy. They also carry out regular de-worming, something that had an immediate effect on Ann, together with regular check-ups to monitor each child's development.

Kevin: A few months ago Kevin was living on the streets, spending his daytimes begging near the supermarkets or scavenging in local rubbish dumps for things he could recycle and sell. He soon got in with a group of other boys, and at night they used to roam the dark alleys on the edge of Kibera, looking for somewhere safe to spend that night.

Kevin didn't like the life but at least it wasn't boring, which was how his life at home had become. He used to go to school, which he loved. But then his dad lost his job, there was no money for uniform, and Kevin got sent home. That's when life got boring – there was nothing to do at home, apart from sit and feel hungry. At least on the streets he could get enough food to take hunger pangs away.

When children come from the streets, as well as being fed they are welcomed into the Transition Class. This helps them to adjust to a more formal teaching environment from the freedom of street life, so they can then be supported to re-enter mainstream school. The education programmes support children through pre-school, primary, secondary & tertiary education. Kevin is now back at school, and after counselling was able to return home.

And you will be pleased to learn that the 10 Mamas and their 34 children have moved to the farm at Kinangop and are happily settling in. They were welcomed warmly by the Mamas who were already there. This will be a Happy New Year for them all.

Exciting new things are happening in Kenya for Turning Point. These developments, taking place after months of love, prayer and planning, are not easy. Please pray for all those concerned. Keep them in your thoughts and prayers over coming months.

A new project (the third on Kibera) is being set up in the part of the slum called Laini Saba. Here the emphasis will be on helping teenagers who are in danger of going down wrong paths – if they haven’t already – and offering them friendship, guidance and meeting other needs. Godwill will be leading this project and he has been visiting one of the local Laini Saba “shanty hotels”, where these young people meet. He has found that they have their own street language, which is a cross between English and Swahili but to most people (including other slum dwellers) it would be quite unintelligible. If Turning Point is to reach out to these people, they need to ‘speak the same language’ so he is working hard at learning it!

Ten single Mamas have now been selected as the second group to go and live at the farm at Kinangop. These ladies, who all want the chance of a better life, do not necessarily all know each other and they will come from different tribes, with different habits, customs and practices. In other words, it’s just the same as it would be if you and nine other people were taken to a new place and asked to live together: there can be problems and niggles, as is always the case with human beings! So they have recently had a day when they all came together, initially reticent and not very communicative, and spent the time playing games! At the end of the day they were relaxed and enjoying themselves, with much laughter. Other similar days to build acceptance, friendship and understanding will take place to prepare the Mamas before they are taken with their children to start life at the farm, with all the new challenges and opportunities that will bring.

Jean and Michael Simmonds

This month, we share with you one Mama’s thoughts of her experience of life on the farm at Kinangop against life on Kibera. This is the difference that the Turning Point Trust is making in people’s lives. Thank you for your ongoing support and prayers.

Jean and Michael Simmonds

Standing up to stretch, Esther [not her real name] surveys the fields around her. The eucalyptus trees are blowing and the afternoon sun warms her back. She can hear the laughter of her children as they run about in the wide open space and fall, laughing onto the grass. For a moment her mind flits back and she remembers.

"My life was full of stress".

One tiny room in the heart of Kibera. Trying to keep her children in school and out of the adult videos or brewing houses. Trying to get enough that day to give them more than black tea before sleeping. Trying to avoid the landlord's agent always hounding her for rent. “Mama, mama!” She looks down to see Wilson her eldest running across to her plot. He used to cough so much but the air up here makes his cheeks glow. “We're all going to play football now, I'll come back later.” Smiling, Esther bends from the waist and continues to cultivate her land. In a few months there should be cabbages, potatoes, peas and beans. Others have planted carrots, maize, onions. They will tend their plots and wait for the rains.

Sometimes it's almost too quiet. Life in the slum was never dull – there was always a buzz there. But it came at a price... insecurity... poor health... often hunger. Esther has determined that her children will not grow up with the same experience. Here they are doing well in the local school, and slowly she has learnt the skills she missed out on by growing up in urban poverty –how to farm the land, how to make it work for you, the satisfaction of knowing that you can provide for your family today and tomorrow. It's been a steep learning curve - she was so slow at first, and living hand to mouth her whole life has not equipped her well for planning ahead season by season. But things are changing fast. Each time she cultivates the crop improves, and she is learning about the markets and what to sell when.

"And now I have a future! And I thank God. It is His blessing"

Recently, the Trust has embarked on a new venture, offering internship experience to young people considering a career in third world development or mission work. Emily, who works with them, first came to Nairobi with the youth group who help each year with the holiday camps and then decided to do a degree in 3rd world development, came back when she needed to find a placement as part of the course and has now worked with Jo, Jon and the Kenyan team for about three years. She has both given and received a great deal through this and now other young people can have that opportunity.

The internships, normally for a year, aim to enable youngsters to gain experience while making a real difference to the folk on Kibera. Hands on work with children and families gives them a deep understanding of how life really is for the urban poor in the third world and an opportunity to share God’s love through relationships and practical action. Each intern has a specific focus for their work, depending on their abilities and aspirations and as well as helping the rapid development that Turning Point is experiencing, they are being challenged by the deep faith and every day experiences of the people they serve.

One staff member who lives on Kibera and that they get to know well has a wonderful name: Godwill! God certainly has done much in his life and he now helps others to believe that ‘God will’ for them too! He is passionate about both his faith and football. Until 2009 he played in goal for Nairobi City Stars, a premier league team. Now, he writes the match reports for the team’s website, coaches the Turning Point football teams and works with Nairobi Baptist church organizing tournaments and making opportunities to share his faith with the young people who all love and respect him.

Godwill is going to be closely involved in the third project which Turning Point is opening at Laini Saba, a part of the slum. This is in an area where young lads live in the alleyways causing many problems and there is a high rate of child and teenage prostitution. The third project is planned to address these particular problems and there will be a qualified Christian social worker, alongside Godwill and others, seeking to give hope, affirm individual worth and change lives. It was hoped the project would open in September but preparations are not complete and it is best to wait a few weeks rather than rush.

Please pray for Godwill, for youngsters beginning internships and for Jo, Jon and all the team.

The work continues to grow! An increasing number of families are involved in the micro-finance scheme, lifting them from the bottom of the poverty ladder to a place of dignity because they can earn some money for their family. About 165 children, more than ever before, attended one of the two holiday weeks and enjoyed staying in a boarding school away from the slum, swimming in the pool, sleeping in a bed and experiencing a week of happiness, care, Christian teaching and fun. Work continues at the farm to complete the homes that the first women who went from Kibera will actually own and besides all this, the third Turning Point project on Kibera slum will open this September. God truly has answered prayer and blessed the dedication of the leadership team and trustees. However, increased work means an increased need for funds so, instead of the many miles that Jo and Jon normally travel to talk about their work when they are in England, this year they booked a stall at the ‘New Wine’ Christian gathering held annually at Shepton Mallet. It was a huge and tiring commitment for a small charity as the stall has to be manned all day every day for two weeks but they feel that they were able to introduce the work to many people and churches and a lot of interest was shown. Please pray that this leads to support both in prayer and finances.

The Bible teaching at the holiday camps this year was aimed at answering the question, ‘What is love?’ Many of these children have little experience of love at home and in the slum environment of abuse, shame, violence and peer pressure to sniff glue and turn to criminality, it is a relevant question. Through the stories of various characters in scripture the children learned of God’s faithfulness to his people in even the most difficult and unjust circumstances and they saw how God rescues and cares for those who trust him. As always, these weeks were the highlight of the year for the children. They involve a tremendous amount of organisation and work so our role now must be praying that they are able to take the message of God’s love and care for them back to their life on Kibera.

Turning Point’s work is growing and we need to pray that the support base grows so that prayer and giving matches the growth. This year, when Jo and Jon come back to meet with trustees and talk about the work, they will be having a stall in what is called ‘The Market Place’ at the New Wine gathering held each year at Shepton Mallet and an annual event in the calendar of many churches from a variety of denominations. Jo and Jon cannot any longer hope to visit all the churches that support them and hopefully this will enable an introduction to new supporters.

Meanwhile, on the slum, the second project at Kianda has just celebrated its second anniversary with a party and the preparations for the third project that will open in September are going well. The micro-finance project which tries to ensure that the children’s family life is better, now helps 120 families. The leadership team were very aware that some of these families needed the help of a trained social worker and the latest recruit to help with the micro-finance fits that need perfectly; a Christian with social work and financial expertise to offer.

Meanwhile, at the farm the first mothers who left the slum for a new life are ready for independence. It has been a three stage journey, firstly living as a community while they learned to use the land and grow and sell their vegetables, then each Mama moved into one of the Turning Point houses that St Andrew’s helped to build and took responsibility for a plot of land herself. Sadly two of the Mamas who had relied too much on others doing the work previously, did not rise to this and, although offered help and encouragement, chose to return to Kibera. Now, the third stage houses are nearly ready and each of the remaining Mamas will have her own home and plot of land. It will be an inheritance she can pass to her children and will cost just a very small and short term mortgage that is manageable on the income they can make from their vegetables. They are so excited! For a single woman from the slum to own her own home and land would have been beyond their wildest dreams. Praise God that through love and commitment, things that seem impossible really can happen. Pray especially for them, and also for Jo, Jon and the children who have all been very poorly with a virus over the last few weeks.

Firstly, thank you for remembering Turning Point in the midst of all your money-raising efforts and also for all the good wishes we have received following our move.

Leaving St Andrew’s while it looked akin to a builder’s yard and then moving to a smaller house which, while we were getting straight, felt a bit like setting up home in a church jumble sale, set me thinking about the homes and churches linked to Turning Point on Kibera and especially about Pastor Shadrack. He is a deeply committed and respected member of the leadership team who, with Eunice his wife, works tirelessly for the children and their families. His slum church is a just a big corrugated iron hut with a few rough benches and tables. Eight years ago, having talked to Jo and Jon about the work they intended setting up – and remember they had no experience – Shadrack had enough faith and vision to allow his church to be incorporated in the Turning Point compound because he and Eunice recognised that the proposed project could change lives and after all, that is what Jesus calls us to do. It was all very different from their expectations or past experience but they had the courage to welcome change.

Now, the congregation gathers for worship on Sunday but for the rest of the week, the building becomes a classroom and a dining room where the children have meals that are very needed and so welcome; they are prepared in groups for the experience of school which many would have been denied and Shadrack shares with them the fact that in God’s eyes they are special, unique and very loved. The church is filled with singing and fun, laughter and prayer and while Eunice serves as Project Mama to all the children, Shadrack is busy with pastoral work with the families and the teenagers. They are part of everything that is done, the day-to-day provision, the holiday clubs and the summer camps which take the children off the slum and are the highlight of their year. Shadrack and Eunice model God’s commitment to the children, demonstrating his faithfulness and love alongside those who cook, teach and work in all sorts of other roles.

Shadrack will never have a church like St. Andrew’s. The ordinary things we take for granted, like water on tap, are an impossible dream. He and Eunice will never have a home that compares with yours and mine because they live in a tiny two room mud-walled slum house. Not for them the choice to update their home or their church to fit it for the present and future age but, their radiant faith, their deep commitment, their loving words and actions, their awareness that God is sovereign and their example of trust in the midst of poverty, changes lives and gives hope where there has been only despair. They walk close to Jesus and his Spirit is at work through them, helping others to recognise and develop their gifts, drawing folk into the family of God.

We live in an entirely different culture and of course it is right to make the church more welcoming, more versatile, more fit for God’s purposes today and on into the coming years but, much as we love it, it is only a building. The church is the people, and that’s you, all of you together. The building may be light and inviting but it will not change lives – that is what Jesus charges us to do and, like Shadrack and Eunice, that begins with our relationship with Him and our willingness to catch His vision for us.

Sadly, during my ministry I have encountered some churches, thankfully not mine, that have created outstanding premises from old buildings but they have then become churches that exist on rent paid by the community. Though of course we should serve the folk around us, there is very little mission in just collecting money and making folk welcome. So where do you go from this very special weekend? Michael and I pray that, like Shadrack and Eunice, God will be seen and experienced through your words, your actions, your willing service and because you have the courage to pray to understand God’s vision for the future of St Andrew’s and then to pursue it with faithfulness and love. Completing the refurbishment is not the end but the beginning of the new work. May God bless you as you face the challenge and may you be a church that brings honour and glory to His name.

Things continue to be difficult at present and your ongoing prayers are much needed.

At the farm at Kinangop, the lack of rain means that the mamas are worried about their crops failing.

Sadly, a planned Easter holiday club which was to be organised and run by families from Christ Church in Woking has had to be cancelled. It would have been a great experience for the church people who do so much to support Turning Point as well as for the Kibera children. Flights were booked, the church had raised several thousand pounds and, because of the danger caused by recent armed robberies on the slum, a church hall just outside the slum had been booked as a venue. Sadly, the authorities show little concern for crime on the slum and so there has been an increase in the problem as more young men without any hope or education see it as a way to obtain money. Now the armed gangs are operating outside the slum too. The arrival of several white families would not be ignored and there was no way of ensuring safety and being sure that this would be a good experience for the visiting adults and children. Efforts are in place to ensure the children in the project are not disappointed and have a holiday activity but this puts pressure on the Kenyan staff.

Also, Kariuki, who oversees wages for the Kenyan staff, Moses and Mary who work with the families running businesses through the micro-finance scheme, feel especially vulnerable because the slum dwellers wrongly believe that they carry money with them in the course of their work.

Florence and her family are grieving following the death of one of the triplets. Florence is one of the Turning Point teachers, who prepares children who have missed out on education for school.

Jo, Jon, Hannah and Isaac have all had health problems since the start of the year. By the time you read this, they will have flown back to the UK for a brief stay for Ruth and Andrew’s marriage, and they will have returned to Nairobi. Please pray for them, for health and also for wisdom in the face of the various difficulties for T.P.T. at the current time.

Wisdom is also needed as they continue to organise the opening of a third project on Kibera, in the area known as Laini Saba. Together with the existing projects in Mashimoni and Kianda, more and more children are being helped to improve their lives and their futures.

We do hope most of you saw the programmes on BBC1 on 3 and 10 March for Comic Relief, featuring four celebrities living for a week on Kibera. This really did bring home just how awful it is there. If you missed these programmes but have access to iPlayer (or know someone who does) do download and watch these.

Many of you will have been in church on Sunday 6 March, when Jean read out an email just received from Jo about all they are going through at present. It is much too long to print here but a synopsis follows and we can let you have more detail if you would like this.

There have been a number of robberies in Kibera: Emily and her friend Ginny were accosted and robbed. The TPT staff have been accompanying Jo, Jon and Emily whenever they go down there but the staff too are nervous and everyone is feeling apprehensive. Please pray that the six youths involved will be stopped by the local tribal leaders, as the official authorities do not seem to be very interested.

Sheyla, one of the triplets of Florence, who teaches for TPT on Kibera, died of pneumonia. There are three older boys as well but Florence is on her own as her husband died whilst she was pregnant with the triplets.

Pastor Shadrach and his wife Eunice, who are so important to the work of Turning Point, were involved in a car accident. Eunice has bruising and injuries but Pastor has broken his right arm and shoulder and is in a lot of pain.

Jo and Jon were also involved in near misses whilst driving. Traffic in Nairobi is heavy and the road safety statistics are appalling.

Ebel, a Dutch missionary working with YWAM, aged 36, was killed during an armed robbery that went wrong, in their home about 40 minutes outside Nairobi. His wife Lora was abused and their two children, Levi – pronounced ‘Lay-vee’ - (4½) and Esra (nearly 3) were present throughout. They have flown back to the Netherlands but need much love and prayer.

On 3 March, Turning Point celebrated 8 years working on Kibera. Thank God for this and pray for the continued success of the work and for wisdom, guidance and protection for all those involved.

Following last month’s update, here are some of the other lovely Kenyan folk who work with the TPT Team to help the children and families.

Eunice Achieng is the kitchen and playground assistant. Known as ‘Mama Millie’, Eunice is great at organising different group games for the children to play. And when the heat gets too much for Grace in the kitchen, Mama Millie is there to assist.

Florence Andayi is Project Teacher. She teaches the school preparation class to prepare them for entry to one of the local Government primary schools.

Magdalene Ngusye is Project Education Co-ordinator. She teaches the Transition Class, which is no small feat as she often has six or seven different levels in one room. She also monitors the progress of children that TPT is sending to local Government schools.

David Mutua is Project Assistant Pastor, providing daily Bible teaching and discipleship to the different groups of children at the Project.

Moses Obiti Murefu has a smile that lights a room! He is Finance Programme Administrator and his role involves setting up and training groups of the families who want to receive micro finance loans. He distributes the loans and then meets weekly with these groups to collect payments and offer ongoing business advice.

Margaret Munyambu is a Project Teacher and helps Magdalene teach the Transition Class. She loves getting alongside the children to encourage them and to see them doing well in school.

Godwill Omola is the TPFC Coach. The coaches the several football teams, meeting with the boys after school and at weekends to train. He also organises the fixtures. His role involves discipling and encouraging the boys in their faith. Godwill receives training and support from Ambassadors in Sport whilst he works with Turning Point.

And there are others, too. Please pray for all these people, who are vital to the ongoing work and success of the Turning Point Trust.
Jean and Michael Simmonds

This month we want to introduce you to some of the Turning Point staff. These are all Kenyans who live and work on the Kibera slum and all are Christians.

John Kariuki is Project Director, known affectionately as ‘Babu’ (Grandad). Kariuki oversees the day-to-day running of the project, managing all the local staff, accounting for project expenses and offering pearls of wisdom and insight to any who will listen.

Pastor Shadrack Mulinge is Project Pastor and oversees the spiritual teaching and discipleship offered within the project. He also counsels many who come from the streets and works closely with families to enable reconciliation to take place. He is also responsible for conducting annual home studies on all the children.

Eunice Mulinge is Shadrack’s wife and is Project Mama. Known to all the children as ‘Mama’, Eunice co-ordinates the feeding programme as well as teaching songs and providing simple Bible teaching for the younger children.

Jo, Jon, Kariuki, Pastor and Eunice together make up the Management team in Kenya.

David Mutua is Project Assistant Pastor and provides daily Bible teaching and discipleship to the different groups of children at the Project.

Grace Wanza is Project Cook and is perhaps the most popular member of the team as her cooking is second to none. Grace cheerfully cooks all the breakfasts and lunches served each day.

There are more staff and we will tell you about them next month. Please remember these folk in your prayers. They are lovely people who live lives of loving service in the most difficult conditions on Africa’s biggest (and worst) slum. Do ask us if you would like further information.

TURNING POINT TRUST NEWS: JANUARY 2011

The approaches that the Turning Point Trust receive from other Christian charities on Kibera slum are a sure sign that its work is effective and appreciated. Usually these are projects run by Christians living on the slum who, in spite of their own poverty, are trying to make a difference where they are and they ask Turning Point for advice. Mission in their community poses very different challenges from any mission work in our community!

The Wings of Life Gospel Centre is a small nursery for children in the Silanga area of Kibera. The project was set up by Pastor Jane who provides some basic teaching and a safe place to play for the children. The aims and priorities of the nursery staff are so similar to those established by Turning Point that a partnership has been established, facilitating some sharing of training, resources and experience. Before partnering with Turning Point, Jane would try to feed the children when she had the money to do so, but could not provide regular meals. Turning Point now supports her so that every day she can provide tea and mandazi, which are like flat doughnuts, traditionally eaten for breakfast in Kenya. A member of Turning Point staff also visits the project every week to support the staff and share news and experience from their Mashimoni project.

There are now two of these partnership schemes which ensure even more children are being supported and Christian slum dwellers are being encouraged that they can make a difference where they are. They are supported and valued, standards are assessed but their projects are not taken over.

Meanwhile, Gideon, the young man who has completed secondary education with Turning Point’s help and shown remarkable ability and commitment to making something of his life, is still gravely ill. He is currently undergoing dialysis in preparation for a very major operation on a huge, cancerous tumour. The cost of hospital care and treatment is straining resources but Turning Point will not abandon a young man who has shown great courage and who has great potential. Please pray.

TURNING POINT TRUST NEWS: DECEMBER 2010

Four year old Mary joined the main Mashimoni project on Kibera slum earlier this year after local community members pleaded with Turning Point to find room and help her. Her mother is an alcoholic who is often drunk and Mary has been beaten frequently; some neighbours say they saw her mother throw her out of the window on one occasion. She had regularly been locked out all day with nowhere to go and no food or water provided. When she arrived at the Turning Point compound Mary was severely malnourished and in poor health. She had missed out on crucial early childhood development and when the Kenyan staff team watched her in the playground they quickly realised that she had no idea how to interact with the other children.

Now though, the problems are being addressed. The staff are working with her family to tackle the problems at home and every weekday Mary has a good breakfast and lunch through the Turning Point feeding programme. Most importantly, she is receiving love and attention from all the project staff and learning that Jesus loves her too.

Children like Mary can only be helped if there is on-going support for the Turning Point Trust and, at this time of year they are able to raise funds through the Christmas Gift Scheme. Do look at the leaflets in the foyer where gifts range between £5 and £100 and help someone who really needs a present when most of us don’t!

Jean and Michael

TURNING POINT TRUST NEWS: NOVEMBER 2010

Charles is 14 and, like the majority of children who live on Kibera, he has had a difficult childhood. He is one of 3 brothers who lived with a caring mother who desperately tries to make ends meet by taking in washing. His father became an alcoholic and deserted his family and, although his mother did her best, the children were very often hungry. Charles dropped out of primary school and began to live on the streets because he could get more food than he had at home. It’s a dangerous life for a child, often leading to contact with folk who will use and abuse them and to glue-sniffing and other addictions as they try to block fear and emotional pain from their minds.

However, Charles is now part of the Turning Point Project and so much happier. He knows that during the week he will have two meals every day and he really values the transition class on the project where he is being prepared to return to school, saying that it will help him to be a better person.

Charles’ dream is to become a lawyer so that he can work with families. Particularly he wants to address issues of parental neglect so that other children are spared the experience that he has had.

Please pray for Charles, for other children who need to be rescued from the streets of big cities and for Margaret, a Kenyan teacher who believes that God has called her to work with these troubled children in the Turning Point transition class.

TURNING POINT TRUST NEWS: OCTOBER 2010

Some of you will know that, after eight years working on the slums of Kibera, Nairobi, Jo and Jon have, on the insistence of their caring trustees, taken a well-deserved sabbatical. They are currently in Canada with Hannah (8) and Isaac (5¾) and will be living in the Gloucestershire area for the last three months of the year before returning to Kenya after Christmas. Please pray for them as a family, for renewal of physical strength, for mental and spiritual refreshment, and for fresh vision as they return to the expanding work.

One of the new developments is the Pathways project, which supports children through primary and secondary school, then leading on to vocational training or college and even university. For slum children, these represent not the next expected step but the fulfilment of an impossible dream. Very many slum children in Nairobi are unable to complete even primary education (up to age 14) so these further stages are a wonderful opportunity for these people to lift themselves to a new and better life.

There are currently several young people at secondary school and since these are usually boarding schools, it also takes them out of the squalor of slum life into a cleaner and better environment. You can support children specifically through these schemes – just ask us for a Turning Point Pathways leaflet.

Will you please hold specifically in your thoughts and prayers the young man Gideon, who is 17 and is in his last year at secondary school. He is really gifted but is currently suffering from aggressive cancer. He is undergoing chemotherapy as we write and this will continue for 6 – 8 sessions, with a gap in between. Through all this he has maintained his place at the top of his year group and so far as is possible, he is continuing his studies and has revealed himself as a very able young man with huge potential. Please commend him to God and pray for his healing.

Over coming weeks we shall not be in church much due to other preaching appointments. However, leaflets and more information can be obtained – just ring us.

Jean and Michael

TURNING POINT TRUST NEWS: SEPTEMBER 2010

August is a very special month for the young people linked to the two Turning Point projects on Kibera because for just one week, all but the very young children will have a holiday away from the slum. For several years a boarding school about 20 miles from Nairobi has proved a good base but this year, because the work is growing and so many more children are being helped, a larger venue was needed and the children had to travel a bit further – but that made it all the more exciting! They all received two new tee shirts, new shorts, trainers and basic items like a toothbrush to enable them to go but, even with these costs and the hire of a boarding school with a swimming pool, football pitch and facilities that are such a luxury to these children, Turning Point needs only to raise £50 per child. That’s not much for memories that will last a lifetime and an experience that can broaden vision, affirm self-worth and change a life forever. However, the total cost this year of £7550 takes some finding!

The first week was for 75 of the younger children and then, the coaches that brought them back to Nairobi took 76 older children for the second week. It’s a time of good food, fresh air, fun and learning with sport, drama and craft activities and all in a context of prayer, Bible stories and reminders that whatever the circumstances of their lives, they are special to God. Jo and Jon now have to be in England at this time so that their children don’t miss too much school but Jo prepares the programme before they leave and shares it with Emily, their helper and the Kenyan team. They are helped by a church youth group from Woking who, year after year, raise their own travel costs and give up three weeks of their holiday to share in making this possible.

It’s been a great success, valued by children and the Kenyan team and very evidently blessed by God. Let’s pray that the truths they’ve learned and the glimpse they have had of a different life and of God’s love, will shape their lives in the years ahead.

TURNING POINT TRUST NEWS: JULY / AUGUST 2010

I wish you could have been there with us. Unless you are there, with the sights, sounds, smell and everything all around you, you can have no real understanding of how these lovely folk exist.

We went to the new Project at Kianda, on a different part of the Kibera slum. We walked from there to the original project at Mashmoni: it took 45 minutes and we were on the slum the whole time, without seeing the end of it. In both projects, children of various ages were being taught and fed. The breakfast, mid-morning, is a piece of mendazi (wheat bread – looks like naan) and a mug of chai (tea, Kenyan style – weak and with lots of sugar). Some children may have had nothing since yesterday’s food at the project.

The following day, we went to the farm at Kinangop, up-country from Nairobi. It takes about 1½ hours on roads varying from dual carriageway with pot holes to mud track. This is where the St Andrew’s money is being used to help the women and children who have moved there from Kibera and are learning how to farm. We took them a present: a long piece of rope (bought in Rose’s, Devizes) and you would have thought it was the crown jewels. The Mamas straightway started to jump, with one at each end and up to three jumping, some of them wearing wellie boots too! It was hilarious and we wondered where in the UK a piece of rope could bring such huge pleasure.

One of the Mamas, Rose, proudly invited us to see her new home (one of the phase 2 homes at the farm, which St Andrew’s is supporting, helping them on their way to independence). She has two rooms, one for sleeping and one for living, each about 10 feet square. Each room has a concrete floor, with mud walls and a high roof of corrugated iron. There are long gutters to catch the rain water and feed this into a huge storage tank at one end. Parallel to the housing block, and about six feet away, is the kitchen block, each one with an open fire in one corner. It is smaller than the main rooms and is separate for safety reasons. This home is a palace for Rose, after a shabby one roomed place on Kibera. There are a number of ‘long drop’ toilets and the surrounding green farmland and fresh air are a world away from where these ladies and their children were before.

The support of St Andrew’s for the farm project, and the individual support of some members, is so valuable in bringing hope and a new

By the time you read this, we shall be in Kenya with Jo and Jon, Hannah and Isaac.
We are also taking our other daughter, Ruth, and her two boys, Sam and Jack, so it will be a super family time. When we return, we shall have more news for you.
Meanwhile, please continue to pray for the work of Turning Point.

This month we can tell stories of some of the children who desperately need love, help and prayer.

Raphael Ojula was born in 2005 and is one of four children who stay in a small one-room house in Mashimoni. This family is one of the most needy in the project; Raphael always arrives hungry and often hasn’t eaten anything since the lunch he received at TP the day before. Both of his parents are HIV+ and Raphael may well also be affected. TP also supports his older sister Esther to attend primary school.

Elizabeth Akinyi was born in 2002 and both her parents died in 2007, so she now lives with her aunt, sharing a home with four other children. Her aunt works as a house help but does not make enough money to pay for Elizabeth and her older brother Biron to attend school. Biron is in Transition Class preparing to join Primary School. Elizabeth is also receiving treatment for TB.

Joseph Masanga, born in 2001, first joined the project in 2003 when he was only two years old, but he developed a skin disease and his mother took him home as he couldn’t play with the other children. In 2006 he returned and Turning Point has been helping him get his treatment with a specialist, although there has been little change in his condition. He is now in Preparation Class, working towards his entry exam for Primary School.

Don’t forget that, for those with internet access, you can learn more about the project at www.tptrust.org

TURNING POINT TRUST NEWS: MAY 2010

As a result of support for the Turning Point Christmas gift scheme, it was possible to purchase 159 school uniforms for children continuing with their education or going to school for the first time.

The football club are busy training with their new balls and de-worming tablets have been supplied to every child. Moses is hard at work getting parents started with new businesses under the micro-finance scheme.

In May, 19 children from Transition Class will join mainstream school. The teachers consider these particular children are ready for school and it will ease pressure on the class, which currently has more than 30 children at five different academic levels. The higher numbers this year are down to one child in particular, Peter Kyalo (pronounced Char-low), a 14 year old lad who has been in and out of the Project since 2004. He first came to us with his older brother, Timothy Ndile, when they were both on the streets. They are great kids, very likeable, but their home life is very hard. Their Mum has no work, is an alcoholic, and prostitutes herself to get money for rent, food and alcohol. She encourages the kids to go on the streets, so they can make a bit of money to bring home, but home is not an appealing prospect, and Timothy now lives on the streets permanently and hasn’t come to the TP Project for about three years. Every now and again he pops in, and he knows he is always welcome, but he doesn’t stay. However, Peter is staying at the moment and, what is more, he’s also bringing along lots of friends from the streets – hence the high numbers. Some of these friends stay, some don’t, but it is good that he feels able to bring them along.

We are wondering whether TP should establish a centre that caters more for street kids and the needs they have – maybe even with a residential aspect to it so that kids don’t have to return to the streets at night.

TURNING POINT TRUST NEWS: APRIL 2010

Time for Prayer….. They don’t just ‘get on and do it’. Everything that Turning Point does is soaked in prayer. Jo and Jon pray regularly with the Kenyan team about all aspects of the work and the needs of the children and their families. In the same way, the Trustees, back in the UK, meet regularly to pray and consider the right direction for the Trust. The Chairman, Peter, has recently returned from a visit to Nairobi to see the latest position on the ground and to talk and pray with Jo, Jon and the Kenyan team. He also joined in their lively celebrations for 7 years since TPT was established on Kibera (see www.tptrust.org )

Then there are the families themselves. As Jo has said, “You can take the Mamas out of Kibera (up to the farm) but it’s much harder to take Kibera out of the Mamas”. In other words, having spent all their lives to date living on the biggest and worst of Nairobi’s slums, and having been ‘taught’ – not necessarily with words but also by attitudes – that you are the bottom of the heap, no-hopers, it is very difficult for them to suddenly believe that they can seize this opportunity, that they can do this.

At the present time, major decisions have to be taken on a range of issues that will ensure appropriate management of the ongoing growth of Turning Point and the work it does. Jo, Jon, the Kenyan team and the Trustees are all praying about this very hard, to make sure they make the right decisions at the right time and in the right way.

We can all help and play our part by adding our prayers to theirs and asking that they will know the Holy Spirit’s clear leading and guidance in all the decisions they take, both now and into the future.

It has been said that “more things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of”.
Will YOU join in praying for all those involved, and for the children and families being supported? Thank you.

TURNING POINT TRUST NEWS: MARCH 2010

The Kianda project was launched in May 2009 on another part of the Kibera slum, separate from the original project at Mashimoni. Since then, the number of children attending has crept up to about 50 each day. These are two of the ‘characters’.

Munyalo is 5 and though very small he becomes so bold when he recites memory Scripture verses; he knows more than a lot of the older kids!

Clinton is 11 and was in school but dropped out a year ago because his Mum could no longer afford to send him. He has a great sense of humour and loves making the smaller kids laugh with his crazy dancing.

January was the start of the new school year in Kenya and there are several children of school-going age in Kianda. Turning Point hopes to bring these children into their established Transition Class for a year of studies before starting primary school. The year in Transition Class is an important one for these children as it is a time to readjust to routine and discipline and to catch up on studies. Most importantly it enables them to be in the care of TP’s loving and committed staff, renewing a sense of self-worth and excitement about what they can achieve. Bringing the children from Kianda into this class will be the next step for them getting back into school.

Please continue to pray for all the children on Kibera that Turning Point is endeavouring to help physically, educationally and spiritually.

TURNING POINT TRUST NEWS: FEBRUARY 2010

Thank you to those who have supported Turning Point at Christmas, either through the gift scheme or a donation. Jo and Jon tell us that £4000 has been raised in this way. They are very grateful for this.

The youngsters from Kibera who have been awarded scholarships to enable them to have secondary education, are returning to school this week. Some of the schools are quite a distance from Nairobi so members of the Turning Point team will take them.
The Secondary schools in Kenya cater for boys and girls over 14 years of age and the majority of them are boarding schools. This is good for the Turning Point young people as they experience how life can be away from the slum and are also taken away from damaging peer pressure at a formative time in their lives. They obviously like to come home and see friends and family but they look forward to returning to school and appreciate the opportunity offered to them.

It really is incredible for a youngster from Kibera who will have had no books, no electric light to study by, poor diet and a disrupted education and home life to be offered a scholarship for secondary education.

At present two girls and three boys are benefiting including Hussein, who lives at the farm and has an eye problem, and Benedicta whose stories I have told you previously.

This month I particularly ask your prayers for Gideon Mwangangi who is battling cancer while trying to make the most of his opportunity at school. He is a very able, promising student and Turning Point is ensuring he gets the treatment he needs. These youngsters have both the experience and the potential to work for change in leadership roles but they need our prayers and support.

TURNING POINT TRUST NEWS: JANUARY 2010

Wilson started to come to the Project in 2005, when he was living on the streets. Wilson’s father deserted the family when he was young, and when his mother died five years ago he ended up on the streets with his older brother Charles. He joined Transition class, while Charles was supported to go to a local primary school. They moved in with their Aunt in Kibera until their father returned. By this time, Wilson had completed his time in Transition and had entered primary school.

Unfortunately, they were not well cared for at home, so after school they continued to go to the streets round Kibera searching for scraps of metal or plastics to sell. A kind lady who lived next door cared for the boys and in 2009 when their father died, she became responsible for the boys. It would be culturally unacceptable for Wilson and Charles to stay with someone who was not a relative at their age so Turning Point pays the rent on the room where they live while the neighbour, Mary, cares for them. There was a marked improvement in Wilson’s behaviour during his time in Transition class, and he continues to show good attendance at school. Wilson is now in class four of primary school.

TURNING POINT TRUST NEWS: DECEMBER 2009

Eunice is now fourteen but lost her parents when she was much younger and, with her little sister, she was then moved from one place to another, staying with various members of her extended family. Sadly her sister also died and an aunt took her from Nairobi to Nakuru, a large town in the Rift Valley and there she was made to work as a house girl, mistreated and very unhappy. When she was eleven she decided to run away and manage alone and she then spent two years living on the streets of Nakuru, sleeping outside, scavenging and ‘borrowing’ so that she could eat. Eunice says she was terribly lonely and missed her mother very much. Eventually, knowing her need for family, she decided to try to find an older sister who had stayed on Kibera after the death of their parents. She got on a bus to Nairobi without any money for the fare but, wonder of wonders, nobody asked for her fare! Everyone assumed she was with someone else! Eunice found her sister and was offered a home by the sister’s mother-in-law who also brought her to Turning Point. Currently Eunice is working hard in the transition class that they run, preparing to go back to school and catch up on all the years of education she has missed. She says she is very happy now because, through Turning Point, God has given her another chance to go to school.

Please pray for Eunice and children like her who are finding love, care and hope through Turning Point.

TURNING POINT TRUST NEWS: NOVEMBER 2009

There continues to be good news about many of the youngsters in school and the team are noticing what a difference the experience of the summer camp, a very happy occasion, has made to some of the children. However, there are still great needs caused by both the global financial crisis and the drought that is affecting Eastern Africa. Please pray particularly for Grace, the teacher of one of the Turning Point transition classes preparing children for school. She has been working with the team for about five years and is greatly valued but recently her husband has died leaving her with six children, three of whom are triplet toddlers and one of these has cerebral palsy. The cost of the funeral and the need to care for her children in their tiny home on Kibera while continuing her work and coming to terms with her loss are all very overwhelming.

Many people have asked for news of the children they have been praying for since photographs were distributed two years ago, so Jo is trying to set up a system for updating anyone who would like more current information. Some children may have left the project as families sometimes are able to return up country or move to a slightly better slum. However, if you pass on the child’s name to Jean Simmonds we will get information if at all possible. The team really value the fact that individual children have someone praying for them.

TURNING POINT TRUST NEWS: OCTOBER 2009

The story of George, an 8 year old boy who is currently being cared for at Turning Point’s first project on Kibera slum, is an indication of the tragedy and need of the children Jo and Jon work with every day. George’s mother was HIV positive and died in 2006 and George is now also affected. Turning Point ensures that he is able to receive the anti-retroviral drugs which have led to a great improvement in his health.

Nearly two years ago, George’s father went missing, leaving him and his older sister Diana who is now 10, alone on the slum. A caring aunt took Diana into her home on Kibera but could not have George too so he was sent to live with family up-country and it was hoped he would be able to stay there in a much healthier environment. However, he has now arrived back on the slum, probably because the family cannot afford to care for him. Turning Point is caring for him and, in particular he is being helped in the class that they run to prepare slum children for their first experience of school. It is hoped that early in the new year, following visits up-country to the family, George will be able to return to the family and Turning Point intend to offer financial support so that he can again experience home and family life in a better environment and also attend a local primary school.

A few months ago I told you Daisy’s story: the fears about child abuse and then the news that she was HIV positive. Now, after several months on ARV drugs and with Turning Point building a caring relationship with the aunt who looks after her, stress is relieved, the aunt feels supported and Daisy is now a bright, happy child. Two more little people with a chance in life because of Turning Point’s work. Please pray for them.

TURNING POINT TRUST NEWS: SEPTEMBER 2009

While Jo and Jon have been working and speaking here, the Kenyan team have successfully run the two holiday camps for 60 children each week, giving them some experience of how life is beyond the slum. These weeks give them rich memories that inspire their commitment to education, deepen their understanding of God’s love and provide a time of fun, fresh air, good food, space to play and a more normal life experience than they usually have. The camps are run at a boarding school about 20 miles from Nairobi and this year, as the second week for older children got under way, 14 of the younger ones aged about 10 and 11, who had just been taken home, arrived back at the school. They had walked the 20 miles from the slum to ask if they could join the second week because it is so special to them. It happens every year but the answer has to be ‘no’ because if they were allowed to stay, the others would walk back too and 120 is just too many to feed and accommodate! As usual, they were fed and given a lift back to the city.

Jo and Jon are very grateful for the welcome and support they receive from St Andrew’s and ask that you continue to pray for them now that they have returned to Kenya.

TURNING POINT TRUST NEWS: JULY 2009

Since asking for your prayers for little Daisy who attends the new project at Kianda, medical tests have revealed that she is HIV positive. However, sad though this is, the drugs now being used to treat her do improve her quality of life considerably and will prolong her life and ensure she has regular medical attention. She is doing well with Turning Point’s help.

Benedicta, a teenager from the original project, who has been awarded a scholarship to a secondary boarding school for girls, has so impressed the school that she has been selected to be head prefect. For a girl from Kibera to go to secondary school is wonderful in itself, to be head girl is a real affirmation of all that the project has been able to do for her.

Jo, Jon, Hannah and Isaac are coming home now for their annual trip. They will come and go among family and friends for about six weeks – but it’s far from a holiday! There are lots of speaking engagements, trustees meetings, health checks – and hopefully some time for them to relax too. They will be sharing in St Andrew’s service on 9th August, Hannah’s birthday.

We are very grateful for the gift of an antique wedding ring and other jewellery that had just been in a drawer for many years and was offered to us to sell for Turning Point. It raised over £100 so if anyone else has old jewellery that they know they’ll never wear and would like it to be used to help the children on Kibera, please talk to Jean or Michael Simmonds. £100 feeds a lot of empty little tummies!

As I write the new project begun at Kianda, another part of the huge Kibera slum, has been operating for a week. Between thirty and forty children have come each day and the new Kenyan team employed there are working well together. It already has a good feel to it and the team share the Turning Point priorities and values. Please pray for them and especially for Daisy, an orphan who is 7. After joining in the fun at the start of the week, she was very quiet on Wednesday and had bruises on her face and a burn on her hand. Mary, the project Mama at Kianda, talked to her and was told that the aunt she lives with had beaten her and poured boiling water on her hand. Mary went to see the aunt and talked about Daisy’s injuries but the aunt insists that Daisy fell in their hut and there is no way of knowing the truth. However, a close eye will be kept on Daisy and if there is abuse, the aunt knows that the Turning Point team are aware. Without the formal structures for child protection that we have in this country it is difficult to deal with issues like this but careful monitoring, help with family problems that cause stress and building trusting relationships can prevent abuse continuing. By the end of the week Daisy was having fun again and joining in with everything.

Please continue to pray for rain across the region and especially for the mamas at the Turning Point farm facing their first real crisis. There have been some heavy showers but nothing like the normal amount of rain for this time of year.

Firstly, early this month, Turning Point is opening a second project in a different part of the slum called Kianda. The global recession is causing great hardship to the poor and the trustees have felt for a while that God was leading them to replicate the work in another of the slum villages. So a small site has been prepared over the last few weeks, causing great curiosity among the neighbours. It will take some time to build trust among the people and to convince them that bribery has no place in Turning Point’s work. As with the first project, it will begin in a small way with a feeding programme for children, a Sunday school and weekly church service and provision for medical care when needed. Please pray for Mary who will be the project Mama and Pastor Shadrak who will lead the services and already offers so much at the first project and community farm.

Secondly, the process is underway to select and then prepare some single mothers, who will form the second group to leave the slum and start a new life at the Turning Point farm at Kinangop. This is where the tithe from our Star project fund raising is being used to build African homes into which the first group of mothers will move, leaving the communal land and facilities as a training area for the new group to learn the skills they need to grow enough vegetables to feed their families and sell for an income. The promise of independence, regular work and a healthier life in a beautiful area seem almost too good to be true to many of the women, so please pray for these mothers, the children, and those who work with them.

Hussein, an orphan who has been part of the Turning Point project for several years, was living on the Kibera slum with his Grandmother. But when he was 13 she had the opportunity to remarry and move up country and left him to fend for himself. Turning Point have cared for him, educated him and ensured he had treatment for an eye condition that troubles him. In 2007, because the eye specialist advised that he needed to get away from the dust and pollution of the slum, he went to live at the community farm where the money from our Star Project tithe is helping to fund new homes. He attended a local school and thrived, enjoying space to play, fresh air and a healthier diet. At 14 he took the Kenyan public examinations which would normally mark the end of education for a child from the slums. However, Hussein got 50% and, although not a brilliant grade, it is very commendable for someone who has lived most of his life with so little help, so many problems and no books or electricity to enable study.

A school that offers some scholarship places to Turning Point children was impressed by his efforts and determination and now he is in his first year at boarding school and doing well. Hussein has hope for the future and the cycle of poverty that has blighted his life is being broken.