Child Bride

The summer months have been full of joy as we’ve hosted more than 100 visitors at The Well!  We’ve loved the curiosity, creativity, and energy these enthusiastic folks have carried in through the front gate.

We’ve also had the blessing of having some fantastic college students intern at Oasis, one of them being our own daughter, Rachel!  Here's what she has gotten her fingers into.

Meet, Jackie.  She’s around 12 or 13 and is sweet and shy mixed with determined and smart. She’s comes from a community where only half of the girls attend school and where most of them are married off at an early age as one of multiple wives.  She’s among those who have not had the opportunity to attend school. But she walked to the local school one day, on her own, approached a teacher and begged for help. She was slated to be married, as another wife, to a much older man and she wanted out.  Thankfully, this teacher had the resolve to step in and completely alter the course of Jackie’s life. 

Jackie arrived at The Well last month and joined the preschool class.  She had never heard English spoken and knew only a few words in Kiswahili. When Rachel arrived, we paired them together and the two began a life-altering journey together. Within a week, Jackie had learned some simple commands, the first half of the alphabet, and her numbers though 15. By week two, she knew her shapes and colors, could do simple addition and subtraction, and could answer a few questions in English. Last week I cried as she read a few three letter words and understood they had meaning! 

Both Rachel and Jackie are resolved to learn and it’s been fun to see their friendship flourish and their joy in spending time together! She's also been helping in the science and social studies classes. We're so thankful to have her around this summer!