Community Service
September 28, 2018
Every so often we encourage the girls we mentor to carry out acts of service towards their families, relatives and the greater community. Most of the girls at Kimuka school live in homesteads with their extended families; they are brought up by the community, so to say.
The communities function systematically; there is very little room for love and affection from the parents. In acknowledgement of this fact, we taught the girls the 5 love languages which are: 1) acts of service, 2) words of affirmation, 3) physical touch, 4) gifts and 5) quality time. We agreed that we will tackle one language per week and see what results we obtain. The girls are to practice the love languages at school, then later, at home when the school is closed. The girls picked acts of service as the theme for last week and visiting a children’s home was how we decided to practice this particular language. The girls sacrificed their snacks for the month of August and September, and we used the cash to buy food stuff that we shared with the children. They cleaned the children’s home from corner to corner, cleaned the windows, changed and fed the babies, cooked their meals and put them down for their afternoon nap. When the babies woke up, they fed them milk, played games with them and calmed those that were too young to play. They learned by example, and they did a very good job while at it.
After the time with the babies, we had a time of discussion; each girl gave their experience for the day. Some spoke of gratitude for having parents, others spoke of responsible sexual behavior, most of the babies at the home had been brought in by teenage mothers who could not cope with the responsibility. They learned that children need love and care, and that adoption is a good thing, whether one has children or not. Helping the needy touches God’s heart, don’t abandon a child, instead take it to an Adoption Center so the Center can help find qualified adoptive parents for the child.
The girls also got to learn that team work produces very quick results; they all joined hands to cook and the meals were ready on time. Talents were also realized. Some girls are very good at preparing certain meals, and they amazed the rest with their culinary skills. We taught the girls that cleanliness in the kitchen and disinfecting cooking areas is a very necessary part of cooking, as hygiene, especially in the kitchen, is paramount.
Actually, all of the 5 love languages were practiced on this day. The girls cleaned and cooked for the children (acts of service), they soothed the small babies and spoke lovingly to the older children, they were quick to pick them when they fell down while playing (offering words of affirmation). The girls carried the babies and hugged them when they cried (physical touch). They also gave them candy and other goodies (gifts), and finally, we all spent (quality time) with the babies and their care givers, something neither group gets often.
The home has a maternity unit and the girls visited some mothers who had just delivered their babies; they took pictures with them.
It was a day well spent and the girls returned to school by 5pm accompanied by the 3 teachers who accompanied us. The group consisted of 40 Choice Club members.
