Empowering 37 Orphans Through Education in Kenya

My name is Joel. I come from Ndalani village, Matuu location in Machakos County, Kenya. I am the first born in a family of two boys. My mother was not married and died of HIIV/AIDS in 2008 before we had joined school. We have grown up in the hands of our grandparents who where farmers and had very little to offer to us. My grandfather took me to school in 2009 at Ndalani Primary School together with my younger brother. Things were not easy for my grandparents. Taking care of us at their advanced age was a challenge. They were also not financially stable. Everyday needs were hard to meet and at times, we would completely lack the basics. Life was a big struggle. As time went by food became scarce and there was real fear of us dropping out of school to go look for food. Things continued to move from bad to worse. My grandfather had heard about a Home that takes care of children and elderly grandparents called Nyumbani Village in Kitui but he had no money for transport to go and check the place out. He longed for someone who would assist his grandchildren because watching them suffer and missing out on education was very painful for him. One morning he decided to go and talk to the Area Chief. The Chief gave him information about Nyumbani Village and the kind services that they were being offered. The Chief took the initiative to help my grandfather by making an inquiry at Nyumbani Village. The staff promised to come visit and assess our situation. It took a while but in October, 2011 staff from Nyumbani Village paid us a visit for assessment. They talked to my grandparents because we were too young to understand what was going on. At that time, I was in class 2 and my brother was in class 1. They left but promised to return at a later date. On 20th December, 2011, our grandfather told us the good news of us going to a new school and that he was to accompany us. We were very excited. At around noon Nyumbani Village social worker and driver arrived and drove us to this very beautiful place called Nyumbani Village. We arrived at around 3 pm and were ushered into this very nice house in cluster 21. In the Village every cluster comprises of 4 houses housing 10 orphans each with the person in-charge being a grandparent. Our grandfather told us goodbye and left promising to be coming from time to time to check on us. He also encouraged us to work hard and ensure we get good marks so that we can have a bright future. We were excited to find other children and grandparents in the cluster who gave us a very warm welcome. We were fed well and given rooms where the beds were well made. The next day we were given new clothes and shown around. The Village is vast and so we spent a good amount of time familiarizing yourselves with the place and meeting other inhabitants since schools were on long holidays. We settled quickly and enjoyed every moment. The days of not knowing whether we would have a meal were long gone. In January, we reported in the Primary School that is within the compound called Hotcourses. I joined class 3 while my brother joined class 2. I was a very hard-working boy all through my life in Nyumbani Village. My bother on the other hand dropped out of school when he was in form 2 and went back to the village where we came from. I promised myself to work hard not to disappoint my grandfather like my brother. I continued with my studies and worked extra hard so that my grandfather would be proud of me. When I did my final year of High school exams, I was over the moon when I acquired a grade of B- (minus). This brought so much joy to all the people who had journeyed with me especially my grandfather and the social worker. I am very happy to report that when the selection was released I received my admission letter to join Maseno University in September, 2022 to pursue a Bachelor of Education Degree, majoring in Special needs Education and Information Technology. This is my first semester and am very grateful to all the people who sacrificed their hard earned to money to fund GlobalGiving. Please be assured that your funds are really making a difference in the lives of children like myself. I am now looking forward to a very brighter future ahead. How I wish my mother would see me now. I came from a place of helplessness to the confident young person I am today. I look forward to taking my rightful place in the society, thanks to the support I have received. It is my hope and prayer that after graduation I will be able to impact the lives of destitute children by teaching and giving them hope of better days ahead. May God continue to bless all the donors who make it possible for GlobalGiving to help poor children like me. Thanks so much. Regards, Joel M.