Empowering 37 Orphans Through Education in Kenya

My name is Meshack born in Masinga in 1997 in a family of three. I have a brother and sister and I am the middle child. My mother passed away when I was four years old so I do not have a memory of her apart from what I have been told. I was informed that my mother was called Esther and she was a hard working woman who assisted her husband and shouldered the family financial burden by doing manual jobs. Through both their efforts they managed to provide a decent life for us all. After the demise of my mother things changed so much because my dad had a difficult time raising us. This situation was further complicated because at the time of her death my sister was only 11 months old. Raising small children is not the strength of most men. It became hard for my father to go out look for work with a baby. He really struggled because he had no one to care for the little one. 

He took me to a school that was nearby called Miangeni Primary school where my brother was also studying. It was a challenge for him to pay school fees so we were sent home often. He used to go to work in peoples’ farms with the baby so majority of the people did not want him working for them because they knew he would not concentrate with a baby needing care. However, there were good people who offered to care for the baby as he worked. With the meagre income he earned he struggled to put food on the table and educate us. There were days when we would go to bed hungry or we had only too little. This situation was becoming our daily struggle. Eventually my brother left school and started looking for work to supplement the household income. We went through struggles until the baby was about three years. My father was very unhappy about my brother and I were not in school because of lack of fees. So when he got a little money he paid our fees so my brother and I resumed school. That meant that there was no one at home to look after the baby. He decided to send the baby to our school and enrolled her to baby-class. Things normalized for a little but towards the end of 2006 my father started ailing. He continued to struggle to care for us but we could tell he was not getting better. He would go to hospital for treatment but he never recovered his strength fully. He always put a brave face even when he was feeling sick. By the beginning of January, 2008 he could barely get out bed. This was the beginning of our dark days again. Without his income we were left without food and no one to look up to. Sometimes neighbours would bring us food as they came to check on him but there were no guarantees about their coming. This meant that my brother and I could not go to school anymore.

My brother taught me how to collect firewood from the forest and sell. This helped us earn a daily bread. It was always very painful when we watched our friends going to school but this had now become our life. On 14th January, 2008 as we returned home from our usual jobs we found people in our compound. We ran into the house to check what was happening only to be informed that our father had died. What we thought was a bad situation had suddenly become worse. We cried our hearts out knowing that we had no one in the world. I knew that I would never attend school again and fetching firewood was my permanent way of life.

 During the funeral people came from far and wide. We met people we had never seen claiming to be our relatives. They comforted us and then left. My father’s brother took my sister and brother to his house to care for them while I went with a lady who said she was my aunt. Our uncle was not wealthy but he was fairly okay. The problem was his wife who did not want my brother and sister because she said they would infect her children. She was convinced that my parents died of AIDS and therefore we were all infected. She treated my siblings badly and denied them food sometimes. Things were worse for them especially when my uncle was away for work. When life became unbearable my brother and sister decided to return home. My uncle did not give up, so he continued feeding them and paying for their school fees.

I was living with my aunt far away but it was hard living without my brother and sister. I was enrolled to Ndelekeni Primary school. Living with my aunt was not easy because I was withdrawn, depressed, unhappy and I really missed my siblings. I did not concentrate in school and it was said that I was rude. It became impossible for aunt to host me so she sent me back to my home because she said I did not appreciate the opportunity she was offering me. Even though that was not the case I left and thanked her for her kindness. She took me back home where I found my brother and sister. Seeing them made me so happy. I felt like I was suddenly alive again. I ran and hugged them for so long. I did not care what the future held for us at home but being with my siblings was everything. I rejoined school and my grades started improving. When I was in class six our uncle who used to assist passed away through a road accident. That meant that our lives were going to change again. We cried to God and wondered why bad things were happening to us. We automatically knew that our aunt would not assist us since she never liked us anyway. Friends and neighbours came to our aid but it was not enough. That meant that my brother and I would have to stop schooling and look for means of getting food. People from a nearby church assisted from time to time. One day the aunt that had hosted me heard about a model village that was in Kitui and was admitting needy orphans and elderly grandparents. She was interested in finding out if they would assist us. She contacted them and one day as we returned home we found her and strangers waiting in our house. I did not know what to make of the visit but I was determined not to leave my siblings again to go live with her. She greeted us happily and introduced her companions as visitors from Nyumbani Village who wanted to see firsthand our situation and see how they would help. They asked us questions and took notes. They left us some food and promised to come back and assist us further. Life continued as normal for the next two weeks. They again returned and told us they were taking us to a nice place where we would have all the food we needed and also attend school. I was hesitant at first but my older brother said that we should go and see. We arrived at this beautiful place that had a massive gate with a symbol of a mother holding a child on its top signifying the motherly care offered in Nyumbani Village.

When we got inside I noticed very nice buildings and many children in uniform. I automatically knew there was a school nearby. Our admission was in the year 2011. That was three years since we became total orphans following the demise of my father. Hardship and suffering had become our cup of tea.

We were welcomed by happy people who were very kind and gentle. For the first time in a long time I felt so safe. They took us to a beautiful house that had other children and told us that would be our new home. I was so excited and I could not believe that the worst was now behind us. You cannot imagine how I felt when the lady we knew as “social worker” informed us that we would be joining school the following day. I cried tears of joy and promised her that I would work so hard and make her proud. I knew the road ahead was so bumpy especially because my schooling was not consistent but I was determined to make it.

I joined Hotcourses Primary School where competition was very stiff. I struggled to compete and dedicated a lot of time to catching up with the other children. I made use of the books and the library and I was not interested in playing until I got the marks that I knew I was capable of getting. The struggle to emerge the best and successful in academics became my only motivation. I was very happy when I noticed that I had started to perform well in school. I maintained good grades such that by the time I was taking my Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE), I emerged the best out of 97 students. I was so happy and proud of my achievement and appreciated how far God had brought me. The teachers and the entire Nyumbani Village community shared in my joy. I was enrolled at Lawson High School which is within Nyumbani Village. Through holistic care and quality education that was offered I continued to excel in my studies. In 2016 after four years of High school I sat the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination. I managed to get Grade B+ and was admitted to a Government University. I reported on 11 September, 2017 where I am currently pursuing a Degree in Communication & Public Relations. I am now in my second year and I will be graduating in August, 2021.

I am forever grateful to GlobalGiving for funding Nyumbani Village and for Nyumbani Village finding it fit to sponsor a poor child like me. When I remember about my journey and what would have become of my siblings tears roll down my cheekks. Poverty had a strong grip on us and it took God sending his angels to locate us. I now have a bright future ahead. An orphan like me can now walk in this world with confidence knowing that an opportunity has been availed to me. I will never forget where I came from but my past will not define my future because God has created good people like you who avail your resources to save children like me from the jaws of death and destruction. I am a different person from the little boy who had lost hope of ever making it in life to the confident man I have become. All limitations and barriers have been broken as result of being given an opportunity and me taking it to the fullest. Words fail me but I know that our God is never outdone in blessings.

May God blessing all those who support GlobalGiving because today a young man in this country of Kenya can now dare to dream of a good future.