Empower Kenyan Girls with Education

MEET J.

J. is currently a Junior in High School. She works hard and gets good grades. Her class is very competitive in terms of performance, but J. maintains her good grades. She is very good in writing and reciting poems, and public speaking in general. She has joined the high school music club to better her talent.

J. is the youngest of five children. She lives with her mother and two brothers near Makindu town. The mother who has been the sole breadwinner in the family has been struggling hard to provide for her children. She does casual jobs in Makindu town and at the neighboring households to earn a living and support her family. 

J. is a responsible girl both at home and at school. She loves school, cooking and helping in kitchen work when visiting the Children's Centre. With a little help and support, this girl will thrive.

MEET R.

R. is a bright, humble, focused girl, who is the third born in a family of six. She lives with her ailing mother, who is very weak and impoverished by AIDS. Her two older brothers had no one to pay for their education, and thus dropped from school and have been doing casual jobs for a living. R. and two of her siblings have been supported by Makindu Children’s Program for many years. R. graduated from high school and exited our program last term.

Her challenges notwithstanding, she emerged victorious in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Examination results, scoring a B grade which will enable her pursue higher education. She has been assigned to pursue a teaching degree, and should do quite well given the chance. Please help her rise out of poverty and help support R. who can then help support her family.

Juliet’s mother died of AIDS in 2003. At just 6 years old, Juliet found herself orphaned and responsible for herself and her little sister. She had already learned the burden of responsibility by caring for her sister and mother during the last year of her mother’s battle with AIDS.

The two sisters went to live with their Grandmother, aunt and cousin in a slum in Makindu town. This household had no money, and so Juliet and her sister continued to suffer. When staff at Makindu Children’s Center (MCC) learned of their situation, they enrolled the two into the program. At last the sisters had daily access to food and support. The Center would cover their school costs, thrilling Juliet as she enjoyed school very much. The orphaned sisters visited the Center regularly over the years and embraced the family and   community of MCC.

Juliet was in the sponsorship program while in primary and secondary school and enjoyed writing letters to her sponsors and drawing pictures for them. Juliet has always been quiet and polite, organized and hard-working, and determined to achieve her goals. This allowed her to score well enough to qualify for university education. Juliet graduated from high school, exited the program in 2015 and dreamt of attending university. No one in her family had the means to pay university fees and tuition, but a few generous donors agreed to sponsor her and so she started university in 2016.

Juliet excelled in college and overcame many challenges. She became pregnant her freshman year and gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. Her grandmother died. Juliet was robbed at knifepoint and had everything stolen, including her laptop, her cell phone, and other important items. Thankfully, she was not physically harmed, nor did her son witness the attack.

This summer, Juliet graduated from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology with a Bachelor of Science in Mining and Mineral Processing. She is highly employable and will soon land a job. Her education should allow her a salary that will cover all of her expenses and those of her sister. Juliet’s son will probably not experience poverty, a remarkable feat for Juliet and one for which she is so very grateful to her sponsors and Makindu Children’s Center.

Thank you for breaking the harsh circle of poverty for this remarkable young lady, her sister, and her son!

There are many others in our program like Juliet. Please consider helping us help other children escape poverty by funding their basic needs, including education, nutrition, health care and shelter.