Ms. Linet Ochwila
Literature and English teacher
“Working at St Al’s has changed my entire perspective on the world. At the end of the day I feel like I’ve made a difference; like I’m helping to change people’s lives.” Ms. Linet Ochwila, 30, is a Literature and English teacher at St. Aloysius Gonzaga Secondary School in Nairobi’s Kibera slum. “It’s so rewarding to work with these hardworking students from such difficult living situations. I’m inspired by their courage and determination.”
Linet has been at St Al’s since it opened in 2004 and she appreciates teaching more and more each year. Though small in stature, Linet has a large and joyful presence in the school. She mentions that it’s difficult for St Al’s to retain good teachers because the state schools pay so much more than St Al’s can pay. But for Linet, “The financial sacrifice is worth it. It’s a priceless feeling to see these students happy and achieving to their potential. Their ambitions are rejuvenated by hope once again.”
Working at St Al’s is more challenging than at other schools. The adult staff members are often drawn into the dramas of the students’ lives. These orphaned students often have no other adult role models and so they come to the teachers to share problems at home. Besides offering a caring smile and compassionate ear, she says, “We teachers sometimes collect the gently used clothing of our own families to give to our students.”
Linet has 3 young children of her own but feels a “motherly” bond with the students as well. She speaks admiringly of one of her male students as if she was his proud parent. “He is a changed man since coming to this school. He was an agnostic and now he teaches catechism through his parish. He’s passing it on and finding how useful he is to help others. I’m so happy for him.”
The school has tried to respond to the unique needs of the students. They have added life skills classes, catechism classes and several clubs to meet students’ interests. The “Girl Child Initiative” and “Girl Share” sessions allow the female students to learn from each other about dealing with the unique problems that adolescents experience in the slum. They gain awareness and feel empowered and they even improve academically once their domestic stressors are properly dealt with.
Compared to other schools St Al’s teaching staff works as a mutually supportive team. Linet appreciates how the leadership has healthy, open and supportive relationships with the teaching staff. She would be grateful to see more professional development opportunities for teachers. She also regrets that the cramped, hot and loud classrooms are not ideal. It’s true that some classrooms are wall-to-wall desks and the teacher is pinned against the chalkboard! She looks forward to moving to the new building next year.
Linet mentions how the “interest from stakeholders, well wishers and benefactors makes the students feel important and valued and it empowers them to do more.” They all know that education is their best way out of the poverty they endure. Education “opens up their career options, helps them discover their hidden talents and interests and helps them to come alive.” She feels confident that St Al’s is achieving its mission of forming well rounded “Men and Women for others” who can change their lives and then their society.
~ by Fr. Jim Collins, SJ
To learn more about and support St. Al’s, please visit the website http://www.sagnairobi.org/ or call 1-800-922-5327 at the Chicago Province of the Society of Jesus - http://www.jesuits-chi.org/
