Meet the Children

 This is Emmaculate. She and her brothers live with their mother their father died 6 years ago. Emmaculate is 12 years old. She lives in a two room mud house in Dunga, Kisumu, which is near the shores of Lake Victoria. Emaculate likes singing and drawing. After school she helps the family by washing clothes and cleaning around the house. Her mother has struggled to feed her and her brothers over a number of years. Her mother now works as a cook and cleaner at our nursery school.

Johanes is now six years old. His mother died of HIV AIDS leaving him with his father. Having no training and no prospect of getting work, his father became an alcoholic and was unable to look after him properly. Johanes often suffered injuries caused by his father when drunk. Johanes is now staying with one of our social workers in Manyatta. Through sponsorship he is now able to attend our nursery school and get the love and care that he needs. He has settled well into his new life and is a happy normal boy.

Wellington is now 19 years old. He stays in a village about an hours drive from Kisumu. He stays with his mother, brother and niece in a 2 roomed mud house with an iron sheet roof. His father died of HIV AIDS related diseases some years ago. Wellington's mother is unable to find work and so uses the little land they have to grow maize and beans to help support the family. She is often ill and unable to work the land and so needs help from the children and neighbours to keep the weed down. A sponsor, through TKWL, is providing for all the educational and medical needs for Wellington and helping provide food each month for the whole family. Wellington finishes primary school this year and hopes that his grades will be high enough to get a place in a good high school next year.

Cynthia stays with her mother and father on a slum estate called Manyatta, in the city of Kisumu. Her mother is a part time cleaner and her father, after suffering from a stroke, is no longer able to work. Cynthia has one brother and her mother also looks after four other children in her house. After three years of learning at our nursery school (Community Light Nursery School), Cynthia got top marks during the interview process at a very good private school. Through sponsorship she is able to attend this school, which means she now has the opportunity to reach her full potential. Sponsorship has also meant that her mother is more able to look after the other children in her care.

Faith attends the Simon Newberry Nursery School. She is the youngest in her family and her parents struggle to make enough money to feed the family. Her family originate from Kisii and found themselves in difficulties in the recent troubles in Kenya. They had to leave their home for a short time but are now back in Kisumu and Faith is happy to be in school which she really enjoys.