“My hope was resuscitated, my dreams fueled, and my vision sharpened,” says 27-year-old Eric, a Tumaini alumni. Eric is grateful to his sponsor, Mulinge, who supported him from the time he was in 8th grade through completion of his university education. Quoting a Chinese saying, this is what an ecstatic Eric said about his sponsorship: “No appreciation is enough for great kindness. But here, I still want to thank Mulinge for his kindness, which has bequeathed me hope and courage to live a better life.”
Like the majority of the vulnerable children that we partner to sponsor, Eric comes from a very humble background: “I come from a family of two (children), I and my elder sister who is now married. Our parents passed away when we were of tender ages, 3 and 6 years respectively, and we were left under the fostership of our aged and financially needy grandma. We lived in desperation…. I experienced even more difficulties because I was the youngest, incredibly in need of parental care which was excruciatingly unavailable. Meals were hardly available expect porridge most times. I was hopeless and helpless.” Eric was then introduced to Tumaini by one of his elementary school teachers who knew of the family’s desperation. This intervention led to Eric’s sponsorship in 8th grade.
Today, Eric is an Auditor for Jirani Smart Limited Kenya having graduated from Maseno University. Talking for himself and other vulnerable children who have benefited from the sponsorship program, Eric added the following: “Tumaini has instilled hope not only in me but also many other vulnerable children whose lives would have otherwise ended down in the drains. Right from loving us, minding about our welfare, and organizing come together, faith-based meetings camps, among others. Tumaini made us feel valued, cared, and being part and parcel of a family; something which, most of us lacked before you came into our lives. We can dream again, dream big and have great visions because you are solidly behind us to fuel and support those visions and dreams. I cannot thank God enough for you.
Eric’s success story is especially worthy of sharing because he was sponsored by a fellow for all those years. It is good to see several Kenyans getting involved in giving hope to vulnerable children and their communities. But there is room for more local Kenyans to participate in child sponsorship and other avenues of giving hope to vulnerable communities. For anyone who has been looking for an opportunity to give a vulnerable child in need some hope, you can start your sponsorship TODAY either by going online or calling our office.