A stable, loving family is the foundation of a strong community. Understanding this, we organized a family strengthening and marriage counselling workshop in Ilesi zone, Kakamega, held at Vihulu Friends Church on 02/11/2025. Couples and widows turned up to learn how to strengthen family bonds, resolve conflicts, and build a foundation of love and mutual understanding.
The guest speaker, Pastor Michael Nyongesa taught on the core values that sustain a healthy family—love, humility, understanding, trust, compassion, prayer, peace, and harmony. He emphasized the importance of stability—where families plan together, take care of each other grow together, and create a shared vision for the future.
Key takeaways included the need for parents to be actively involved in their children’s lives—physically and emotionally—supporting their education, careers, and social well-being. Participants also explored essential topics, including family values, effective communication, and healthy conflict resolution.
Trust and understanding were also key topics, couples were urged to practice open and honest communication, listen actively, and seek to understand each other rather than reacting impulsively. Humility was stated to play a crucial role in fostering harmony, as letting go of pride and being willing to apologize to prevent conflicts from escalating.
Beyond these teachings, the session encouraged families to practice conflict resolution by communicating openly and honestly, since families that engage in open discussions and align their goals tend to solve problems more effectively and build stronger, lasting relationships.
It was demonstrated how all these virtues shape stronger relationships between spouses, parents, and children.
As families left the workshop, many expressed gratitude for the eye-opening discussions and pledged to apply the lessons learned in their daily lives.
