Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Difficult children

This month, we had to expel one of our older girls. We learned that she had been stealing money from the security personnel as well as attempting to do the same from volunteers, and unfortunately this has been going on for some time. Since stealing is such a serious crime, and she had been warned several times -- and, equally importantly, our little ones view the older kids as role models -- we had to let her go.

She has gone back to her home in the slum, and from there we will help her continue her education. She will finish the school year at the current school, and we'll provide the transportation to get her to and from. Then, next year her mother will enroll her in a private school near her house, with our support.

Letting her go was an unfortunate and difficult decision, and even though she wanted to return to KM, everyone involved seems to be pleased with the resulting solution. It helps her continue her education and sets an example for others regarding behavior that is not tolerated at KM.