No, not the motown Philly R&B group from the 90’s. This Boys to Men story is a little different. It has to do with circumcision. In rural areas of Kenya, male circumcision is often a right of passage into manhood and it is not uncommon for males between the ages of 14-18 to have the procedure done. Many young men during this time of being initiated into manhood are vulnerable to gangs and the pressures of some locals that want to indoctrinate them into a morally corrupt way of living. Camp Brethren Ministries (CBM) saw this as a excellent opportunity to share the truth of Jesus Christ and educate these young men on what it biblically means to be a man while also helping them adhere to the culture practice of circumcision.

The Boys to Men program was created a few years back and each December young men from the surrounding area of Naivasha come to CBM to have the procedure done and be educated on some of the challenges they face from a biblical perspective. The young men come for 10 days to CBM where a nurse performs the procedure and then they spend the remainder of their time in recovery. During recovery, men from the ministry spend time with the young men educating them on a variety of topics including choosing friends, peer pressure, drug/alcohol abuse, HIV/Aids, time management, self identity, and youth and development. At the conclusion of the program there is a graduation ceremony and each of the young men receive a certificate. I witnessed the graduation ceremony the year and below are a few pictures from the event.