Mama Brian’s Story
Have you ever woken up to the certainty of having no food until lunchtime?
That is the routine every day for Brian’s family, who lives in Nairobi’s Kwa Njenga urban slum. “They have never thought of breakfast,” says his mother. Maybe, if they are lucky, there will be something for lunch. And if not, for dinner. If they even do not have food at night, then they pray, drink water, and go to sleep.
Brian, who is 12 years old and in the 5th grade, has been sponsored for our new LIFT program, meaning he has started the year with a new uniform, shoes, books, and paid school fees. Like any child, anywhere, he has big dreams. He wants to be a pilot someday, so that he “can fly up into the sky,” and also, so he can help his mother. His first thought is to buy her food and clothes some day, once he is grown.
Will you help Brian, and children like him, to achieve his dreams of helping his family? Your gift also can prevent children like him from growing up in orphanages, which is often the pathway families in extreme poverty are forced to take, when they can no longer support their children.
Fardosa’s Walk to School
Do you remember how you got to school at age 11?
Fardosa wakes up in the morning, prays, gets dressed, and starts her walk along this route through the Kwa Njenga slum of Nairobi. Her father doesn’t make enough money to provide breakfast and she never knows if lunch will be available. Sometimes her father is able to provide a few coins so she can buy something small to eat. When we met with Fardosa and her father in January it was clear that her father has love for his child, but his low paying job makes it hard for him to provide the life he would like Fardosa to have.
At Light Up Hope we want children living in poverty to stay united with their families and at the same time receive food, education and health care. That is why we are launching our LIFT Program which provides support and empowerment to families in challenging situations. Our social workers meet with the families and build relationships to begin empowering the guardians while providing for the basic needs of the child.
You can sponsor a family for just $35 per month through our LIFT program, which connects families to the resources they need – food, education, and health care – to stay united and strong. When families are united, communities are empowered. We are looking for 30 families to sponsor our 30 Kenyan LIFT families.
We officially launched LIFT on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14. Won’t you help a Kenyan child to feel their parents’ love? Go to our website to learn more or to donate: https://lightuphope.org/about/lift-family-unification/