Empowering 37 Orphans Through Education in Kenya

My name is Lenah.  I was born in October 1996. I have one brother, Musee. My mother was a single parent and we do not know who our father was.   She was the breadwinner and she took good care of us.  Unfortunately in the year 2000, my mother passed away.  My brother and I were too young to fully understand what was happening; I was 4 years old while my brother was only two years.  We were left under the care of our uncle who was single at the time.  He was very loving, kind and he provided for all our needs.   In the year 2002 he enrolled me in Class one at Tanganyika Primary School.  Life was good. 

In the year 2006 my uncle got married to a beautiful girl.  She was kind to us at the beginning but as she settled into the marriage she started mistreating my brother and me.  She forced us to do all the house chores and my brother who was only five at the time got a good beating for not doing the chores to her satisfaction.  We used to cry so much especially when we remembered that our mother was never coming back to rescue us.  The worst came when our uncle changed.  He was controlled by his wife who wanted us to be sent back to our mother’s house.  One day our uncle came home and announced that we were bad children and we needed to leave his home.  With tears rolling down our cheeks, we set off to our mother’s house not too far away. 

Since we had no one to care for us, we survived through begging from our neighbours.  Food was not assured so we sometimes went without eating.  It became hard for me to go to school leaving my brother behind to look after the home.  I dropped out of school in class four to care for the home and look for food.  I started visiting a nearby town begging for food from passersby and whatever I got I would share with my brother when I returned in the evening.  This became my daily route and some people were generous while others were mean. 

One day as I was going about my begging business a lady approached me and asked me why I was on the streets instead of being in school. I tried to ignore her but she persisted.  She asked where my parents were since at my age I needed to be in school and not on the street.  I eventually opened up to her and informed her that I was an orphan and I needed food for myself and my brother who was waiting at home.  She was very moved by the story about the death of my mother and the trials and tribulations I had gone through.  She bought me food and some modest shopping to take home.  She told me she wanted to meet with me in town the following day.  When I arrived at home we were very happy because we had enough to eat that day and a bit of shopping to last us a few days.

The following day, I went to town to meet with the good lady.  She told me she had contacted someone at Nyumbani Village who was willing to come to our home and assess our situation.  She asked me to take her to my home so that she would be able to bring the person who was to help us.  When we arrived at my home she was moved to tears when she saw my brother and our poor living conditions.   Two days later a miracle happened and we were visited by people from Nyumbani Village. They explained that they were taking us to a better place where we could have enough to eat and attend school.  When we arrived we were shocked to see so many beautiful houses, so many children and very kind adults who welcomed us.  We were taken to one house headed by a grandmother and offered water for bathing and clean clothes. We were informed that that house was going to be our home.  The next day we were admitted in the school that is in the compound called Hotcourses Primary School.  I had stopped believing that there were good people left in this world, however, that faith was restored following the love and kindness that was accorded to us upon arrival.  Later when I talked to the other children who lived in the Village I came to learn that others had also gone through traumatic experiences. We lived together as brothers and sisters and the grandmother who headed the house became our mother.

I worked very hard in school because I wanted to ensure that I would have a bright future and hence a better life.  I did my Kenya Certificate of Primary Education in the year 2011 and attained a good grade that enabled me to join Lawson High School.  I worked hard throughout the four years of high school and in 2015, I sat my Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education exams.  When I got my results in 2016 I gained admission to Nairobi Technical Training College where I am currently undertaking a Diploma in Business Management.

Life in the Village is beautiful and I have learned a lot. I have learned that Nyumbani Village is able to educate destitute children like myself through the kind donations they receive from Global Giving.  I am an example of what your funding has been able to accomplish.  I have received quality education and I am currently enrolled in one of the best colleges in Kenya.  My future is bright and poverty and suffering have become a distant memory.

I wish to thank all the people of goodwill who support Nyumbani.  When my uncle disowned us and kicked my brother and me out of his life, we thought that was the end for us, but God through His people have changed our destiny.  I can now dare dream of a great and successful future.

May God bless each one of you.