My name is Gabriel Maina and I am a counseling psychologist by profession and I also practice modern farming and creative recycling. I am a child of Elizabethan Vendramini Sisters who have nurtured me and given me best opportunities in life. I was part of the team that helped sister Agnes to officially open Vendramini Community Centre which is another beautiful educational centre dedicated to offering technical skills to young people. The centre looked serene and beautiful a place where your soul feels at peace.
I was given a chance to be part of the educators’ team in the Centre and I was in charge of the creative art, urban farming and the TOPUCU program. My personal experience working at the Centre was amazing for it was also a learning opportunity for me to add more skills. The Centre is very important for the young people in our community who lack skills that are important in providing economic stability. Most young people who attend the programs at the Centre gain more hand on experience since the Centre is well equipped with learning materials and equipment to make learning more practical. During our creative art class with my students we train them on how to reuse waste materials in a more sustainable way to make the world a better place. We also train on urban and organic farming where we guide our students on how to make vertical gardens from waste materials to promote food security. We established several vertical garden in the Centre made from recycled materials to help produce healthy vegetables in the Centre and also be a training ground for our students in urban farming.
At the Centre we also offered a complimentary program called TOPUCU which is an empowerment program dedicated to transform bad habits in order to become the person you want to be. TOPUCU is a very beautiful program that I would highly recommend to others who want to undertake the transformational journey. We trained many students on the TOPUCU program and they continue to give us positive feedback on how the program is helpful in their personal growth. We also engaged all our staff and colleagues in the program through the TOT program in order to mentor students in a more positive way.
I am a proud son of vendramini and I will always be. My personal journey with all the vendramini sisters have been wonderful for I found a family and a home that I never had. I am very happy that now we have a community Centre where community members can gain important skills to add more value to their lives. we keep all of you in our prayers as we ask God to grant you the serenity to continue empowering our community and shining a light in their darkest moment.
Serenity prayer
God, grant me the serenity
To accept the things, I cannot change
Courage to change the things I can
And the wisdom to know the difference
