In December 2025, at Camp ChristWill, we experienced a simple but powerful mentoring moment with youths from the neighbourhoods.
The Spark from One Young Man’s Strength
It had begun a week earlier, when a young man came asking for casual work. Work was available, and though he looked smaller than the task at hand, he surprised us with incredible strength. As we talked, I wondered: If this young man carried such strength and uncertainty, how many more like him were out there?
Gathering on the Grass: Stories Shared
So, in December, I invited a small group of young men to join us. Ten showed up. There was no work this time. They simply sat together on the grass, and we listened to one another.
From them, I learned about the quiet struggles of growing up with very modest means. Some were being raised by grandparents doing their best, while others faced the absence of parents seeking escape from tough realities. Their clothing was simple, and their opportunities few, but their determination was unmistakable.
There are moments in life when even those with privilege, knowledge, or comfort must pause to listen to which way the wind is blowing moments to discern that behind every headline about a “troubled youth” is a young person who has been left to choose between survival and belonging. Because sometimes, the real crisis may not be in an absent parent, but in a system that refuses to offer a conducive atmosphere for survival.
In our conversation, they spoke of their hunger for education, their confusion about the world, and their uncertainty about the future. It was a reminder that many young people do not lack potential; they lack someone willing to see it.
Why Mentoring Matters: Showing Up to Listen
This small beginning reminded us why mentoring matters, not to give answers, but to show up, to listen, to give young people a space where their voices count, and to show them how to direct their energies to greater heights of life.
Thus, we concluded with this: Even with all their challenges, the boys carried something priceless—raw strength, eagerness to learn, and a spark of belief in tomorrow. And beneath the wide skies of Laikipia County, there was a deep need for mentorship to offer belonging and hope.
In December 2025, that spark found a place to breathe, at eMentoring Africa.
Gichure HM Andrew
Director, eMentoring Africa