聽 聽 聽Nicole Andrew of Carlyle will soon trade her desk job at Andrew Agencies for a six-month mission trip to the slums of Nairobi, Kenya, where she will 鈥渄o whatever I can鈥� to help single mothers and their children step out of the cycle of crippling poverty.
聽聽聽聽 Andrew will be working with the Jacaranda Community (), a mission founded and run by evangelists, Garry and Brenda Kean, who have roots in both Toronto and Kenya. The couple and their children moved to Kenya (where Brenda was born) in 2006. Since then, the Jacaranda Community has utilized a multifaceted approach to their ministry, which aims 鈥渢o meet spiritual and physical needs throughout the city of Nairobi.鈥� The couple focuses on training single mothers to sew, and also provides care, protection, and education for their children while the women learn and later work, at their trade.
聽聽聽聽 鈥淚'm going in doing whatever needs to be done,鈥� says 20-year-old Andrew. 鈥淲hether it's teaching with the teachers, helping with the feeding program, preparing meals, or working administratively on the office side of things. I may also be helping Garry and Brenda with some organization and planning and trying to set up a Sunday School curriculum, or even helping to teach the ladies to sew and do beadwork.鈥�
聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 really respect Garry and Brenda's approach,鈥� adds Andrew. 鈥淭hey really believe in teaching people to be self-sufficient and that is also reflected in the curriculum that they are trying to implement at the three schools they run. Basically, they are serving three slum areas in the city of Nairobi. They are all preschools, but one school has expanded, and is offering a grade one curriculum.鈥�
聽聽聽聽 鈥淲hat they are trying to do is to teach the teachers, as well. Right now, schools in Nairobi still use a lot of learning by memorization. It works well to a degree, but the kids are so smart and they are capable of learning so much more. One thing the (Jacaranda Community) schools are trying to do is to teach the kids reading, writing, and math in a way that will set them up to be lifelong learners and to enable them to learn beyond just memorizing stuff and instead, enable them to use what they've learned in any situation they might be in.鈥�
聽聽聽聽 鈥淭hat might mean using visual and tactile methods of teaching, so they can put what they've learned to practical use.鈥�
聽聽聽聽 To that end, Andrew is taking 鈥渁s many school supplies as I can,鈥� to Kenya. 鈥淧ens, pencils, erasers, crayons, notebooks. I'm taking as much as I can with me, because they really have nothing and they utilize everything.鈥�
聽聽聽聽 Andrew is already an experienced missions volunteer, having made numerous trips to Mexico and within Saskatchewan, both with Carlyle's Onechurch and on independent trips with her family. In 2012, she made her first volunteer trip to Nairobi.
聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 knew I wanted to volunteer three to six months this time,鈥� says the customer service representative and early childhood teaching student. 鈥淚 researched a lot of places and opportunities, but I decided to return to Kenya, partly because my friend, Grace Smyth (of Carlyle) encouraged me to go back a second time, like she did on her volunteer trips to the Philippines.鈥�
聽聽聽聽 鈥淔or me, there are a lot of mixed emotions when it comes to helping people,鈥� says an emotional Andrew. 鈥� You could almost say it's kind of addictive, but I don't do it for me. People here-my family, my church family, my friends, and people in town- are so supportive. I'm just so grateful to live in my country and my home here in Canada.鈥�
聽聽聽 鈥淲hen you're there (in Kenya) once, you see how little they have. Even if I showed up there with no money or no gifts, they would still be so grateful to have someone here to listen to them and to encourage them when they're struggling and hurting.鈥�
聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 know Nairobi and I love the people there. There is always that one place that feels like home and it's a giving and receiving and a growing and learning trip-on both sides.鈥�
聽聽聽聽 Watch for updates from Nicole in Nairobi in upcoming issues of The Observer. Stories may appear at irregular intervals, depending on when Andrew is able to send them. 聽 聽聽Nicole Andrew of Carlyle will soon trade her desk job at Andrew Agencies for a six-month mission trip to the slums of Nairobi, Kenya, where she will 鈥渄o whatever I can鈥� to help single mothers and their children step out of the cycle of crippling poverty.
聽聽聽聽 Andrew will be working with the Jacaranda Community (), a mission founded and run by evangelists, Garry and Brenda Kean, who have roots in both Toronto and Kenya. The couple and their children moved to Kenya (where Brenda was born) in 2006. Since then, the Jacaranda Community has utilized a multifaceted approach to their ministry, which aims 鈥渢o meet spiritual and physical needs throughout the city of Nairobi.鈥� The couple focuses on training single mothers to sew, and also provides care, protection, and education for their children while the women learn and later work, at their trade.
聽聽聽聽 鈥淚'm going in doing whatever needs to be done,鈥� says 20-year-old Andrew. 鈥淲hether it's teaching with the teachers, helping with the feeding program, preparing meals, or working administratively on the office side of things. I may also be helping Garry and Brenda with some organization and planning and trying to set up a Sunday School curriculum, or even helping to teach the ladies to sew and do beadwork.鈥�
聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 really respect Garry and Brenda's approach,鈥� adds Andrew. 鈥淭hey really believe in teaching people to be self-sufficient and that is also reflected in the curriculum that they are trying to implement at the three schools they run. Basically, they are serving three slum areas in the city of Nairobi. They are all preschools, but one school has expanded, and is offering a grade one curriculum.鈥�
聽聽聽聽 鈥淲hat they are trying to do is to teach the teachers, as well. Right now, schools in Nairobi still use a lot of learning by memorization. It works well to a degree, but the kids are so smart and they are capable of learning so much more. One thing the (Jacaranda Community) schools are trying to do is to teach the kids reading, writing, and math in a way that will set them up to be lifelong learners and to enable them to learn beyond just memorizing stuff and instead, enable them to use what they've learned in any situation they might be in.鈥�
聽聽聽聽 鈥淭hat might mean using visual and tactile methods of teaching, so they can put what they've learned to practical use.鈥�
聽聽聽聽 To that end, Andrew is taking 鈥渁s many school supplies as I can,鈥� to Kenya. 鈥淧ens, pencils, erasers, crayons, notebooks. I'm taking as much as I can with me, because they really have nothing and they utilize everything.鈥�
聽聽聽聽 Andrew is already an experienced missions volunteer, having made numerous trips to Mexico and within Saskatchewan, both with Carlyle's Onechurch and on independent trips with her family. In 2012, she made her first volunteer trip to Nairobi.
聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 knew I wanted to volunteer three to six months this time,鈥� says the customer service representative and early childhood teaching student. 鈥淚 researched a lot of places and opportunities, but I decided to return to Kenya, partly because my friend, Grace Smyth (of Carlyle) encouraged me to go back a second time, like she did on her volunteer trips to the Philippines.鈥�
聽聽聽聽 鈥淔or me, there are a lot of mixed emotions when it comes to helping people,鈥� says an emotional Andrew. 鈥� You could almost say it's kind of addictive, but I don't do it for me. People here-my family, my church family, my friends, and people in town- are so supportive. I'm just so grateful to live in my country and my home here in Canada.鈥�
聽聽聽 鈥淲hen you're there (in Kenya) once, you see how little they have. Even if I showed up there with no money or no gifts, they would still be so grateful to have someone here to listen to them and to encourage them when they're struggling and hurting.鈥�
聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 know Nairobi and I love the people there. There is always that one place that feels like home and it's a giving and receiving and a growing and learning trip-on both sides.鈥�
聽聽聽聽 Watch for updates from Nicole in Nairobi in upcoming issues of The Observer. Stories may appear at irregular intervals, depending on when Andrew is able to send them.
