Educate Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Kenya

This update comes from Founder and Executive Director Kwamboka Okari, who wanted to introduce one of our newest students, five-year-old Mark (pictured): 

Mark was brought to our school for an interview earlier this year. One might wonder what sort of interview a five-year-old is expected to take. However, because the number of children brought to our school is very high, and the number of slots limited, we have a policy of conducting some form of interview in order to determine who we will admit. We try hard to admit the children who need us most and who will benefit most from the education and support we can provide.

On the day Mark came to our school to interview, he did not come with a death certificate. Since we are a school and home for orphans, one of the requirements of admission is a death certificate of either a mother or a father or both. We use this in addition to information provided by children's relatives and community members to ensure people do not take advantage of us or deceive us in order to get their children into our school. Unfortunately, people have attempted that in the past, especially given our reputation as one of the best schools in the region. Of course, we want to make sure we remain a school for children most in need.

When we asked Mark for a death certificate, he started crying. So one of our teachers pulled him to the side and sat him down and asked why he was crying. What he told the teacher between sobs made the teacher also start to cry.

Eventually, he explained that “I do not know where my father is and my mother is crippled.” It turned out that his mother had a polio attack, which left her crippled, and soon after the attack, Mark’s father abandoned them. Mark's mother, now physically handicapped, is unable to work and unable to care for Mark or support him in school.

After evaluating the full set of circumstances and meeting his mother, we determined to admit Mark to our school. He is now part of our kindergarten class and is settling in well. He says his favorite subjects are English and Kiswahili – hopefully a linguist in the making!

Our kids come to us having faced very difficult situations, often at very young ages. We really work hard to create a safe and nurturing environment for them and to use our years with them to provide the best education and foundation for success we can. Thank you for your help, which makes this work possible!

~Kwamboka