The Daystar University Mentoring project partners with Vulnerable Children Caregivers of Athi River Child Based Organizations to provide psychosocial, spiritual and cognitive support to children through home/ institutional visits. Mentors in the project provide orphans and vulnerable children with protection while advocating for their rights to the larger community. The project targets 400 orphans and vulnerable children in Athi River District in Eastern Province of Kenya and 500 students from Daystar University providing mentorship to the orphans and vulnerable children in institutions run by various child based organizations in Athi River District.  

Mrs.Beatrice Ndirangu: Co-founder, Daystar Child Mentoring Project.

Daystar University recognizes the debilitating impact of poverty, particularly on young children aged 5 -12 years. Many children in slum areas live in poverty as evidenced by their lack of basic education, good nutrition, shelter and medical care. Children from poverty stricken areas traditionally perform at significantly lower levels than their peers in stable income families on standardized national exams. They enter post primary education at lower rates than their peers from better economic standing families. Many of them do not thrive to access college education and to attain their full potential

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Empirical research has also shown that the lack of a single caring person in a child’s school and family environment is a significant factor in the disadvantaged child’s decision to drop out of school (Malinda, 2005). Add to that the fact that for many children from low-income families, there are no family member role models who have attended college to provide guidance to the children as to which courses to take in high school, available financial aid opportunities, and other considerations.

Providing continuous one-on-one mentoring to children from poverty stricken families can address these factors. Our mentoring project provides an important strategy for assisting disadvantaged children based on successful mentoring practices world wide like the "Perach" in Israel  and "Balu und Du" in Germany

It is also motivated by the African model where adult people walked alongside younger people and mentored them to become what society viewed as well adjusted, capable individuals. Mentoring in the African setting served psychosocial, spiritual, professional and educational goals. We want to reclaim this fading glory.

Dr. Harrahs N. Malinda: Co-founder, Daystar Child Mentoring Project.

One of the goals of the Daystar Child Mentorship Programme is to develop a model Mentorship Program that can be adopted and implemented by other Campuses or organizations in Kenya to respond to children’s needs. We aim to improve the academic success and post primary aspirations of the Mentees who are orphaned and vulnerable. Participation in service projects is a required component of the Daystar University vision to servant –leadership and corporate responsibility.

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In addition to addressing specific children’s needs identified through the project, we aim to collect essential data on our Mentees  to enable us examine the impact  and response of our Programme in the lives of the Mentees, mentors, families and communities. This will particularly enable us to identify ways in which organizations and the government can provide support services to disadvantaged children, particularly through mentoring and tutoring and establishing secure relationships. We welcome you to partner with us in training our mentors, sharing experiences on best practices in mentorship, research and partial tuition scholarship to our volunteer mentors.

A Mentor should posses the following qualities:

1. Born again Christian: In this regard, the mentor should be willing to invest time in prayer for the child being mentored, have a reverence for God, desire to be a friend to the child and be willing to  put the interests of the child  above their  own, display positive Christian testimony through words and deeds, live a life of credibility, of wholesome character that provides the basis of witness, have a heart for children that is empathetic and sympathetic and that moves to action with compassion.
2. Be a  good listener
3. Be committed to servant leadership as time is needed to meet with mentee at least once every week for one-three hours. Commitment is also needed to complete mentor-feedback forms and to act on voluntary basis.
4. Be accountable to the Programme by giving regular feedback as required by the programme
5. Be willing to sign the Child Protection Blue print document and live to its expectations. This document spells out contact required of mentors to protect children from abuse in situations where a mentor is not honest.
6. Be willing to sign the code of ethics/ conduct with Daystar University that details expected relationship of mentors with mentees.

Selected mentors begin training and orientation on mentoring a month after they are selected and start visits to their mentees thereafter.

By becoming a mentor, you can impact in the live of vulnerable children through:

• Being faith models to the children
• Providing disadvantaged children stimulating experiences and opportunities to develop in a holistic manner.
• Developing and maintaining good socio-emotional relationships with disadvantaged children.
• Facilitating a sense of responsibility  towards disadvantaged children
• Assisting children to reach the highest potential to grow into responsible citizens (by enabling them to reduce risky health behaviors e.g. substance use and teenage pregnancy and exposure to sexually transmitted diseases/ infections).
• Enhancing children’s school attendance and retention enabling them to become independent and life-long learners.

As a mentor, you can also expect to gain the following benefits from the mentoring experience:

• Have an improved awareness of children rights  and needs
• Enhanced communication and socialization skills
• Gain basic working experience and employment skills
• Develop higher self-esteem, life coping skills and planning skills.
• Develop leadership in mentees lives

Ms. Elizabeth Achieng: Facilitator, Mentorship Programme, Child Dev. Deprt.

The term ‘mentoring” refers to a supportive relationship that is characterized by constructive role-modeling, encouragement towards raised aspirations, and by positive reinforcement for the achievement of desired goals. One of the goals of the Daystar Child Mentoring Programme is to  achieve a model mentoring program that can be adopted and implemented by other institutions, organizations and even churches to respond to children’s needs.

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We aim to improve the academic success and post primary aspirations of the participating mentees. Mentor’s do work directly with mentees in an effort to instill in them the essential value of volunteerism.

Further, participation in service projects is a required component of the Daystar University vision to servant –leadership and corporate responsibility. At Daystar, we have a biblical mandate to respond to children needs. In Mark 9:36, 37 the Bible states;“Jesus took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me, but the one who sent me.”

By going to the communities and institutions to mentor orphans and vulnerable children, we are expanding the kingdom of God and being hospitable to children. This is also God’s command to us : “to go out to the streets and country lanes and invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, to my banquet so that my house can be full and you will be blessed”. (Luke14:13 & 23). We do this work all on voluntary basis because we know that Our Lord will reward our selfless efforts. “Although they cannot pay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous”.

We invite you in Jesus name to partner with us in going out to the streets, homes and in communities to look for children and win them for Christ through our words and deeds. We welcome you to help us support God’s children so that they can grow and develop in the way Jesus did- in wisdom, in stature, in fear of God and of man.

Fredrick Lichuma: Mentorship Program Facilitator...
	"This is one of the best things that have happened to me as a student at Daystar. In mentoring, I have the opportunity to positively and purposely influence and guide young minds. This mentoring project targets children who are at risk because of physical or socioeconomic factors which predispose them to making bad choices and going down negative paths..."

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"...Our interventions in their lives through the various activities we do help correct such behaviors. I very much appreciate the activities we do with our mentees: taking a walk together, guidance and sharing ideas and thoughts about life, storybook reading and assistance with homework, sporting/ playing together, attending church/Sunday school, watching television together among others..."

Mr. Gilbert Ngaira : Mentorship Program Facilitator, Daystar University
	Name: Gilbert Ngaira Tel:      0723 575 597 Web:     www.ympvcafrica.com ........................................................................................................................ Mentorship to me has been a daily process of development from my friends who are where I want to be and can share their experiences and challenges that have made them what they are today.

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From a young and naïve street child, proper guidance and direction given to me by my mentors has made me what I am today, a responsible, positive, confident and influential servant-leader.

That is what Christ called us to be, create positive influence around us, that which will influence and grow the church of Christ. By influencing the orphaned and vulnerable children, one is directly affecting the future generation which will reduce the crime rate and increase responsibility and good stewardship. I really thank Daystar University for the exposure that it has given me over time to ensure that I get the right knowledge and to enable me reach more children in Kenya and beyond for the transformation of our continent.

Visit the Mentorship Program for Vulnerable Children for more information about Gilbert Ngaira, and his involvement in Mentorship initiatives. Follow this link

To learn more about our mentoring project, to partner with us and to participate by supporting us, you can contact Dr. H. Malinda

The University with a Difference.

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Mentorship Project in the slums