Every child wonders what they will do with their future. I know when I was little, I had all sorts of dreams about my future. I went through lots of ideas, like veterinarian or zookeeper or writer. Do you remember what you dreamed about being when you grew up? The Kinship kids think a lot about their future too! They have their own dreams and struggles about what they want to do when they grow up.
Watuwa was born with a disease that plagued him through all of childhood. This disease made it difficult for him to speak and to perform well in school. When he came to the Matibo Kinship Project, he was quiet and unfriendly to those around him.
But then one day, Pastor William stumbled upon Watuwa repairing a flashlight. He took apart the whole flashlight, reconnected some of the wires inside of it, and then put it back together. It worked again immediately! Apparently, he’d fixed a lot of flashlights lately. In fact, Watuwa had been fixing the flashlights of all his friends in the Kinship. The boys told Pastor William that “[Watuwa] is a joy and blessing to us.”
Watuwa may not be as academically talented as his peers, but he is very talented with mechanics. And he uses this skill to help his friends! In the future, his talent could help him enter a technical school, and develop skills that could help him for the rest of his life. Quiet Watuwa has also been able to feel as if he has a way to contribute to his community through this gift. He’s been able to connect with the other children through helping them with their flashlights! For a Kinship child, a flashlight is a precious possession. It provides light if they have to get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, and can help them finish their homework at night once the electricity has gone out for the day. Watuwa fixing their flashlights is a big deal!
Watuwa needed a safe place to learn the things that he was gifted in. It was easy for him to become discouraged about his struggles at school. He had told Pastor William that he wanted to study so that he could earn a good income, and help others who are helpless like Kinship United has helped him. During his time in the Matibo Kinship Project, he has been able to discover his true passions!
Now, his talents in mechanics will allow him to both pursue something that can help him earn a good income and continue helping others with his gifts! Watuwa now has a way to pursue his dream!
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