Physical Health Kenya Project #12442

Empowering 37 Orphans Through Education in Kenya

by Nyumbani

Project Report | Dec 4, 2014
Norah - in her own words

By Norah | Nyumbani Village Resident

Norah and her grandmother

The life I am living today would have no meaning, in fact it could be worthless if I had no account of what I have gone through, where I came from and who I am today. What I hope to become will be greatly influenced by this account.

My life with mum,

I can only say very little about my mother because she passed away when I was in Class two. However, I do recall her voice saying to me “You have never stressed me, whenever I send you to do something you never complain.“ She used to repeat these words until some neighbors thought that I was her favorite child. Some neighbors as times asked me why my mum liked sending me and not the other children. I always answered them by saying, “she says I never waste time.”

My life in school and Nyumbani Village,

I had great expectations about my life and envisioned success in academics and life in general. I saw a bright future on the horizon. My father worked in Mombasa and supported his family to the best of his ability. He came home monthly and if for some reason he didn’t come he sent shopping and money with his colleague who came from a nearby village. I hoped to work hard in school so that I could get good marks which would encourage him to pay my secondary education. I was a bright child and my dad was always happy to reward me my good performance whenever he came.

August 13th, 2003 will forever remain a dark day because it is the day we received sad news that my father had passed away. It was a very painful experience because we did not know what to do next. My elder sister who was taking a tailoring course at the time was now the head of the family. I was in class six and two of my siblings were in primary school.

We all experienced great difficult trying to cope with life without parents and no source of support. The remaining two years of my primary school were a living hell because of biting poverty and lack of parental care. At times neighbors would drop by with baskets of food to check on us. My distant uncle at the time came to see us, but he had very little to offer because he was equally poor. As time went by my uncle and the neighbours no longer came to see us. We tried to survive by looking for manual jobs in order to get a few coins for food. My youngest brother would be left at home because he was too young to perform any job. I tried to work hard in my studies even though it was under very difficulty circumstances. Sometimes we did not have food and had to go to school on an empty stomach. When I did my class eight exams I got admission to a good Provincial school. However, since I knew we did not have money I quickly forgot about the admission letter and concentrated on getting manual jobs to earn money for food.

Through interaction with Father Julius, a priest who was stationed at Nyumbani Village, he came to learn about our plight. A social worker from Nyumbani Village came to visit and was moved by our situation. We were admitted at Nyumbani Village. Our being at Nyumbani Village was like a dream come true. I could not believe we had enough to eat, we had shoes for the first time in a very long time, attended school and we did not need to do manual jobs anymore. We were placed under the care of a grandmother, Syokau Mutisya who took care of us. I was admitted at St. Ursula Girls secondary school. I worked very hard and at the end of four years I was admitted at Amani Counselling Centre and Training College where I undertook a course in Social Work and Community Development. I chose this course because I would like to help other children that are going through difficulties. It is my way of giving back to society. I hope to start my degree course as soon as funds become available.

I am eternally grateful to all the people who fund Global Giving because your funding has made possible for people like me to have a second chance in life.

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Sep 5, 2014
Ezekiel's Story of Gratefulness

By Mercy Wangai | Assistant to Nyumbani Executive Director

Ezekiel

Ezekiel almost despaired before he joined Nyumbani Village. He narrates the story of his life: My name is Ezekiel and I come from a family of seven children. Before my siblings and I were rescued and brought to Nyumbani Village we had suffered so much to the point of despair. Our parents died when I was in class eight leaving us destitute. Things took a turn for the worse because with no one else to turn to, my siblings looked up to me to provide for them. Our grandmother who would have taken care for us did not have the means because she also depended on our parents for support. Basic needs like food were hard to come by because the well-wishers who supported us immediately after our parents died went away shortly after, leaving us alone. The extended family members were not interested in our plight. It was a very difficult time for me because I did not have the means nor capability to care for my family and at the same was trying to attend classes. My grades dropped drastically because of the burden I was carrying in my mind and heart not knowing what tomorrow would hold for us. I later joined Form One at a school nearby but I was sent home now and then because of lack of school fees. The year that followed my younger sister called Agatha also joined secondary school but she suffered the same plight and spent most time at home because of lack of school fees. To say we were miserable is an understatement.

In 2009, We joined Nyumbani Village which was a huge blessing that changed our lives. Whenever I look back, I always wonder what would have happened to my family had Nyumbani Village not come knocking when they did. At Nyumbani Village we felt like we were in heaven. We were fed, clothed and all our basic needs were met. I re-joined secondary school and continued uninterrupted because my school fees were fully paid. For the first time since our parents died, I could concentrate on my studies without worrying about basic needs. I am not ashamed to say that after a little while there was a noticeable difference in our health, we actually put on weight.

Upon completing my secondary school education I joined tertiary college where I pursued a course in Business Administration. I successfully completed my studies in May, 2014. At the moment I am busy sending out applications for employment to different organizations. It is my hope and prayer that someone will reply to my application and offer me employment.

I would like to thank all the donors who supported me through Global Giving because through your generosity you gave me a second chance in life. If things had remained the way they were, it would have been hard to survive. It is because of your assistance that I can now happily look towards the future with a lot of hope.

Links:

http://www.nyumbani.org

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Jun 4, 2014
Alex's Journey

By Mercy Wangai | Assistant to Nyumbani Executive Director

Alex

We would like to take this opportunity thank you for your support and generous contributions toward our project “Empowering 37 orphans through education in Kenya.” Your generosity has enabled the youth in our program to acquire the much needed training that will open many new opportunities for them. In addition, once the students become self-reliant, they are also able to assist their families. Yours is a GIFT that keeps on giving and in the end many lives will be touched.

Education continues to be our top priority in Kenya, and especially in Nyumbani Village. The results for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education were released on 3rd March, 2014. Our secondary school, Lawson High School (LHS) came 2nd in Lower Yatta district with only a 0.025 mean grade difference behind the school ranked 1st. Four of the top five students in the district came from our school, and 21 received a University entrance grade.

Alex almost lost hope before he was admitted to Nyumbani Village. Alex was the second to last born in his family. He explains “before I was admitted in Nyumbani Village, I went through so many challenges; lack of food, fees and torture from some of my neighbors." His mother passed away when he was in class eight. Following her death, life took a turn for the worse. He elaborates “my mother had spent all the money she had and even sold off assets to pay for her treatment. When she finally passed away we were left destitute. Having no one to look up to, my siblings and I had to fend for ourselves.” During his last school term in class eight he had to work as a house boy to earn money for food. Luckily, Alex managed to sit for his end of year examination but he could not join a secondary school due to lack of school fees. Alex says that “I was admitted in Nyumbani Village after one and a quarter year of struggle. My admission changed my life. I could not have been happier because for the first time in a long time I had plenty of food, decent shelter, parental care, medical care and education. I felt as if I was in paradise.”

Alex completed High School and while awaiting the results of his Form Four examination, he was engaged in activities at the Village. “I wanted to give back to the community, so before joining college I volunteered in the livestock unit”, Alex says. He was always ready to learn and when an opportunity was offered for him to learn to use a computer he was very happy. When the exams results were released, Alex chose to go into the field of electrical engineering. He explains, “I identified a problem of power outages in my country and decided to pursue electrical engineering as a way of helping my country achieve one of its vision 2030 goals of providing electricity to all Kenyans.” Alex has completed the five month attachment which is a requirement for his course and he was recently trained on the maintenance of a solar power station in order to help maintain the solar system installed at Nyumbani Village.

Alex concludes “I thank all the donors who supported me through the Global Giving umbrella because without your help I could not have been able to acquire the knowledge and skills that I have. This has opened up many opportunities for me now and in the future."

We couldn't agree more! With a security net from our donors, students like Alex are a shining example of what hard work, determination, and resilience can achieve. Thank you!!

solar power station

training

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