Success Stories
Tobby G. - 7-year-old goatherd
He is a 7 year old orphaned boy, who was taken in by a distant relative after the death of his parents. The relative couldn’t afford to pay his $120/year school fee, so he dropped out of school in second grade. This meant that while his friends and classmates went to school, he stayed at home and helped with the chores – fetching water from a nearby river, gathering firewood, etc. Eventually his foster family decided to make him useful – they got him a job in the village as a goatherd to earn “his keep”. While kids his age talked about their school, games or superheroes, Toby couldn’t relate as he had to worry about pleasing his employer. A local pastor brought his case to out attention and he is now back in school’ He has turned out to be a brilliant cheerful boy who looks to the future with as much hope as any other boy his age.
Jared Oketch – Lynching and necklacing
Jared’s parent died when he was a 12 years old and his brother 13 years old. They had no other family to take them in and were soon thrown out of the apartment they had shared with their mother. Cold, homeless and hungry, they became prey to all manner of predators and sexual deviants. By age 13 and 14 they started engaging in petty crime and resorted to pickpocketing to feed themselves. Jared’s world was rocked by yet another tragedy when his then 14 year brother was caught and lynched by a mob using necklacing( killing by putting a burning rubber tire around his neck). He watched as his brother screamed in terror and pain while the mob jeered and mocked him. Terrified and alone in the city, he ran into the first church he saw with an open door. After several exchanges among pastors, he was put under the charge of Mr and Mrs Samuel Odhiambo, one of the pastors we work with. Jared is now 18 years old and attending a trade school where he is training to be an auto mechanic. His fee of 340/year is paid through the generous donations of our supports.
Joseph's Story - Developed Peptic ulcers from hunger and stress.
Joseph N. is currently a first-year university student at the university of Nairobi. His father died shortly after he was born and was raised by his poor and sickly mother. They have lived on the charity of the local church and he worked hard in school, hoping to build a better future for himself and his ill mother. At age 17 he graduated high school and managed to secure a place at the University of Nairobi.
His church tried to fundraise for his college expenses but didn’t raise the full amount and he ended up on the streets after being kicked out of the hostel he was staying due to lack of rent. He was in danger of being kicked out of college too, for lack of tuition. Cold, Sick, hungry and severely depressed, he called his pastor. His health was also severely broken as he was bleeding from untreated peptic ulcers made worse by starvation. The pastor reached out to our org and the little funds we sent him are sustaining him in college. He is able to pay his tuition, rent and eat at least once one meal per day.
Victor’s Story:
Victor was born with a double whammy of tragedies – Born blind and in crippling poverty. His parents died during his infancy and he was left alone in the world. A pastor’s family took him in. They raised him together with their other children and they noticed he wasn’t an ordinary child. He is gifted with music. He has learnt, without any formal training, to play almost all musical instruments. He is now a teenager and has a burning desire to serve God in the music ministry. He got admission to college for blind students, but his foster family is unable to afford the fee of $5000 needed for his 3 year college training.
Thanks to Educating Orphans Inc, his prospects and future look bright. Instead of languishing in darkness or begging on the streets, like so many in his situation, he is in college and looking with hope towards the future filled with music and song and fellowship.
Shirly's Story – “I want to thank those who brought hope into my life”
Shirley A, is a vivacious 23 recent graduate from MOI university.
After high school, she tried to raise funds for college by braiding hair and working as a house help/maid. She started her university study, but dropped out by year 2 due to lack of funds. Unable to continue her studies and seeing her hopes dashed to pieces, she fell into deep depression and despair, dreading the future. Her pastor reached out to us and by the grace of God, our organization was able to get enough funds to enable her to go back and finish her studies. She recently graduated with a degree in Education and has since secured a job as a high school teacher at a prominent high school in Migori county, in Kenya. On her graduation day she sent us a message: “I want to thank those who brought hope into my life”