childrens stories

Dear Tuungane Community Foundation,

Rebecca MagireUncategorized

My name is Juliet Muthoni Wambui, the last-born daughter to Jane Wambui. I am a student in Nyandarua High, currently in form two. My mother is a single parent who has done everything in her power to educate me and my older sister. As a tea vendor on the beautiful market of Kenol, her meagre income has never been enough to cater to our food, clothing, housing and educational needs but somehow my mother always ensured my sister and I remained in school at all times. However, 2020 was an especially hard year for me and my family. In addition to the pandemic that restricted my mother’s income, she fell seriously ill leaving us with little to no funds to even pay for our rent.  In previous years, my sister and I have always helped our mother in her business during school holidays. We would often cook the tea and clean her utensils as she left to deliver the drink to her customers. But with her illness, we could not deliver the tea as we ourselves had never interacted with her customers. When the time came for me to join form one, I remember how my mother tried to borrow […]

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From the Streets to Class-a LIFT success story

Rebecca MagireUncategorized

Brian Scott, one of our LIFT beneficiaries in a young man who has faced significant challenges his young life. When his mother, Gladys, got married to Joseph Scott, Brian hoped he had found a safe place to call home and a father to fill in the gaps that his biological dad had left. However, the dynamics of a blended family did not favor the young boy who would eventually find himself at the receiving end of his step-father’s anger. As the situation escalated to physical and psychological abuse, Gladys was left between choosing his son and her husband. When the situation at home did not improve, Brian Scott ran away from home and became a street child for over a month before his mother tracked him down and arranged for him to live with one of his aunties. The initial arrangement was that both Brian’s parents would contribute towards the upkeep of the boy while he lived at his auntie’s place. However, the plans did not work and Brian found himself back at the streets of Korokocho market. At this point, Brian’s teachers started spotting him at dump sites and called the organization in an attempt to salvage the young […]

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The Story of Monica Mwongeli

Rebecca MagireUncategorized

Hi, my name is Monica Mwongeli and am a student at Kenyatta university pursing a degree in Nursing through the funding from Tuungane Community Foundation. Growing up, I remember visiting the local clinic on days medical officers from Nairobi would visit just to see the nurses. Back then, the simple white dresses with crisp rubber shoes the nurses wore symbolized the epitome of achievement and importance. I dreamt of one day becoming a nurse and working in a big hospital like Kenyatta National Hospital. At the time, things at home were okay and my dreams of becoming a nurse did not seem so farfetched. See, I am the second born in a family of five children between two living parents. In the first 8 years of my life, both my parents had stable sources of income with my mother working odd jobs in local farms and my father working for a huge factory. My parents were both very caring and I enjoyed spending time with my siblings after school. However, life happened and our family’s bubble was busted by one tragedy after another. It all begun when my father had an argument at work with one of his colleagues. The […]

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Christmas Shopping – a gift from our child sponsors

kellyUncategorized

  We celebrated Christmas with our sponsored children a little bit differently this year. Thanks to the generosity of our child sponsors, the Colorado team who visited Hope Children’s Home in November was able to take the children shopping for their own Christmas Gifts. Here is a note from Renae Loring, Light Up Hope Board Member, about her experience taking the children shopping: Kids are kids and teens are teens no matter the language, country or culture.  We saw this so strongly the day we took the kids shopping… The kids all arrived at the same time to a Wal-Mart type store called Nakumatt- “You Need it.  We’ve Got it.”  The story building had a moving walk way to get to the 2nd floor where the clothes were.  Most of the kids had never experienced one.  You could really see the kid’s personalities come out.  The adventuresome ones jumped on with smiles while holding on tight.  The timid ones needed an older hand to grab to muster the courage to step on.  But then it was all smiles!  Funny how things we don’t even think about can become part of the fun.  The kids loved picking out their own clothes!  Most of the boys took a quick […]

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New playground installed

KellyUncategorized

We are so thankful for the amazing generosity of all who attended Light Up Hope’s annual fundraiser, Barn Fire and the generosity of two very special girls and their birthday party fundraiser.  Because of their generosity Hope Children’s Home now has a playground installed for the younger children!  Our Kenyan partner, Alice Afwai shared with us the reaction of the children to having the new playground, “They have been seeing them (playgrounds) on TV, and in papers, now they have one, God is real!” One of the children we were particularly thrilled to see enjoying the playground with a big smile on his face is Jeff.  We first met Jeff in April of 2014.  At the time he was living in a dire situation with his Grandmother in Nairobi.  After Jeff’s mother passed away and his father abandoned him and his sister, Mary Grace, they were left in the care of their elderly grandmother.   When we met with his grandmother she shared with us that she loves Jeff and Mary very much, but the burden she was bearing was too much for her.  Inside a small one room home on the outskirts of Nairobi the grandmother was responsible for […]

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