Educate Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Kenya

In this update, we wanted to introduce you to two siblings at our school: 13-year-old Cecilia and her younger brother, Emmanuel, who is 10.

Cecilia and Emmanuel are pictured above with their mother, Elizabeth, now 35. According to our founder, Kwamboka Okari, “Traditionally, Margaret Okari Primary School is an educational institution for orphaned children. However, when Elizabeth brought Cecilia and Emmanuel to our school and explained her circumstances, we could not help but admit them.”

Until 2011, Elizabeth was a young, married mother, working and earning enough money to take care of her two children and put them through school. Then she fell ill, developing stomach pain and a large growth that protruded from the left side of her stomach. She went to a local hospital where she was prescribed medicine that provided no relief. In 2012, with symptoms worsening, she was admitted to another hospital, where she ended up staying for eight months. During that time, her husband left her and abandoned their children. Now, several years later and a de facto single mother, Elizabeth’s condition continues to worsen. She has developed four protruding growths and is unable to work. No longer capable of supporting her children (there is no social safety net to help with medical care or child support), Elizabeth brought them to our school.

Cecilia is now part of our sixth-grade class, and Emmanuel, who fell a bit behind in school due to his mother’s illness, is in second grade. “Both are very bright kids,” Kwamboka said, “determined to succeed in whatever they do. We have very high hopes for them.”

Thank you, as always, for your generous support. We work very hard to deliver the best possible education to kids in need, including Cecilia and Emmanuel. Thank you for giving them a chance. We couldn't do it without you!

With gratitude,
The Margaret Okari Children’s Foundation Team