Gladways Mercy Centre School

History of the school:

Gladways Mercy Centre School started in 2004. It was started by a group of woman in the community which was named Gladways self help group. Each member of the group paid a certain amount of money in order to pay for the school rent. There was 20 members within the group when it began. Principal Mary was the chair woman. The school was registered by the social services in 2005. In 2005, the group members realized the school would not make a good profit so they started leaving one by one. The school consisted of mainly orphans, therefore, they were unable to pay for the school fees. Principal Mary was then left to run the school alone. Although it was difficult she never gave up because she believed it was her calling to help educate the children. Soon she was left with 5 orphans who had been living with their Grandmother. During this time she was also elected as V.O.O (Voluntary Children Office) by fellow community members. She then began rescuing vulnerable and homeless children and bringing them back to the Mercy Centre. When the orphans began school they were very happy to be able to learn but they still had no money like most of the other children. In 2013, after a downfall in the community, Principal Mary found there were some children who needed shelter, protection, food, education and love. She had noticed there was no one providing for them so that's when she began to provide for the orphans herself. By the grace of God, even though she struggled, she was happy providing for them and acting as a motherly figure. Everyone at the school is wishing for is prayers and good wishes for the children. God bless you and thank you for your support.

Personal stories:

Grace Jahenda:

Hi, my name is Grace Jahenda and I am twelve years old. I began at Gladways Mercy Centre School in 2012 participating in Class 5. I used to live with my single mother and 4 siblings in a very tiny home. My mother was an alcoholic, jobless and used many different drugs. I was living in very unsafe conditions. My father left us at a very young age after abusing my mother, my siblings and I. It was reported by my neighbours to the council of our situation and then myself, and my sister were both rescued thankfully by Principal Mary. We now both live with Mary along with 16 other orphans in her home. If it wasn't for Mary we would both still be stuck in our prior home, not attending school, and suffering daily. I am blessed to live with Mary now as we have food, shelter, warmth, love and the opportunity to attend school.

Elius Shavala:

Hello, my name is Elius Shavala and I am thirteen years old. I came to Gladways Mercy Centre School in 2012. I used to live with my single stepmother in a 2 bedroom home. My mother left me when I was 5 years and my father also disappeared when I was very young. It was reported by the community that I was being beaten, not attending school and had no food to eat. When I was at home I was forced to sleep standing up as I had no bed to sleep on. The neighbours were also trying to help feed me as my stepmother was not able to afford food for me. I now also live with Principal Mary alongside the other orphans. If possible my dream is to be able to finish my studies and go on to study at University. However, we currently have no schooling sponsor and many of the students at our school can not even afford the current school fees. I also want to say thank you for all of the help so far and any further help we may receive. Thank you.

Eveline Nasimuyu: (school cook)

Hello my name is Eveline Nasimuyu and I am currently the school cook at Gladways School. My job is to cook breakfast and lunch for all of the kids attending the school. I myself am currently living in a 1 bedroom home with 11 children, 7 of which are my own, my sister, and 4 of her children. We live in a very basic home with no electricity, no water and not enough room for all of us to sleep. My sister is a single mother and my husband is a hustler with no permanent job. My sister and I can both not afford school fees for any of our children and are really struggling with money at the moment. I also have a 4 month old child which I bring with me to cook at the school as there is no one to take care of him at home. Our rent each month is only 1500 shillings, (15 dollars) but we still find it hard to gather that much money with so many children to care for. I am currently borrowing food from Mary for my children and can not offer basic health care for my children. One of my girls Sheylar had a very bad head fungal infection but thankfully the volunteers were able to provide help for this problem. This procedure cost 5500 (55 dollars) which was impossible for us to afford. I am very grateful for any help we can receive and am trying to stay positive for myself and my family. Keep praying for us. Thank you very much.

Gladways Mercy Centre

P.o box 184 Uthiru

Nairobi Kenya

Phone: 0727753320

Email: gladways2008@yahoo.com