Hear from Saint Luke’s member Laura Singley about Maji Mazuri:
How did you first get involved with this partner?
I was familiar with name Maji Mazuri from being a Saint Luke’s member for many years, but to be honest I really didn’t know much about it at all until the fall of 2019 when I learned that there was an outreach opportunity to go to Nairobi and help with projects at the school in Mathare.
What is your greatest joy from being a part of this mission partner?
My greatest joy is remembering the beautiful smiling faces of the children attending the Headstart School in Mathare. While driving into Mathare I was preparing myself for a place that was hard to acknowledge people could live with so little when we have so much. I was expecting a place with despair and hardship. What I found was a place of incredible hope and people with a belief in themselves and faith in God’s love. There was no despair, no pity for their current situation, only joy and gratitude for what little they had and the opportunity provided to them by Maji Mazuri.
What do you want others to know most about this mission partner?
I want others to know that Maji Mazuri is at its core not an emergency relief charity to help those in need of food or clothing. It is a way for young people of the Mathare area to work their way out of poverty and into a profession. Every year young people born in one of the poorest places in Kenya graduate from the Headstart school and take full time employment in professions they were trained in by Maji Mazuri staff. Maji Mazuri offers a helping hand, not a handout. I also want others to know that things which may not mean very much to us or feel significant in our lives can have a huge impact on others in an entirely different situation. The improvements that we were able to contribute at the Headstart School were very minor in cost and effort, but these changes made a significant difference to the school. Mainly showing other people that we care to help them is a huge emotional and motivational boost to the students.
Is there a person you have met through this mission you wish others could meet?
We met several amazing people on this trip but one in particular that made a big impact on me was Griffins. He serves as a role model and leader to the kids at the Headstart School and leads them in dramatic arts. He has such a positive outlook and instilled confidence in every student that they could be anything they wanted to be if they worked hard enough for it. When I think of why I will continue to support Maji Mazuri and hope that Saint Luke’s continues to support them it is because of people like Griffins who I have seen spreading God’s love with his own gifts and talents.