Her day starts at 6:00 am and ends at 9:30 pm. Stacy, who is 11 years old loves learning and is currently in sixth grade. Her little sister, Sandra is 4 years old and in kindergarten this year. The two girls live with their mother Catherine in a simple home in the rural SE region of Kenya. Recently, our team visited Stacy’s family and spent a better part of the day with her as she went about her daily routine.
Like any other school day, Catherine wakes up early to prepare breakfast for Stacy before the 1.5 miles walk to school. At 7:00 am Stacy is usually in class with other students for a one-hour personal study time. Regular classes start after the 8:00 am roll call and remain in class with a couple of short breaks until lunch hour at 1:00 pm. Like most of their neighbors, the family does not own a vehicle so during lunch breaks, Catherine must walk to school to bring Stacy a hot meal since their school does not provide meals. Expressing her gratitude to their mother, Stacy said: “My mother makes sure there is lunch for me and my sister." At 2:00 pm, classes and sporting events run till 5:00 pm and that is when Stacy walks back home, just in time to help her mother with a few house chores. Stacy said, “I get home quickly after school to do my evening duties…I get goats back from the field, wash utensils and I get back to books as my mum prepares supper. After eating supper, I go to bed around 9:30 pm." The same routine continues for five days.
Stacy and her mother are grateful to Kim & Jennie for providing sponsorship. They have given this hard-working girl a chance to grow and discover her God-given passion and career. Catherine put it well: "I thank Tumaini for supporting my daughter with school fees, medication, and food…My work is to make sure that the kids get food while in school…." Indeed, Catherine is a good role model of what we aspire to in parents/guardians of sponsored children. She fully understands partnership and role in the life of her children. This partnership is critical in achieving maximum benefit for the children. Let me take this opportunity to appeal for Sandra’s sponsorship as well. Sponsoring Sandra will be a huge hand-up to Catherine who is doing her best to raise her two girls. If you would like to offer her support, please email us or sign up here. It costs just $38 a month to give hope to a vulnerable child. Sponsorship does make a difference!
Thank you for giving hope to the most vulnerable.
Sincerely,
Stanley Mutunga
President/CEO
COVID-19 UPDATE:
As of Tuesday, June 1, 2021
The daily positivity rate has slightly gone down. Indeed, on Monday, the positivity rate stood at 5.3%.
Since schools re-opened for in-person learning a couple of weeks ago, there has not been any sharp rise in new cases. Terrific news!
Except for passengers traveling from India, international travel restrictions have been lifted but still with covid protocols specific to the country being observed.
There were 2,192 new positive cases, a slight decrease from the previous week bringing the total to 170,735.
There were 99 deaths this past week which is slightly higher compared to the previous week. Total deaths stand at 3,172.
Nightly curfews (10:00 pm to 4:00 am) were extended for another 60 days.
Some 969,489 people have been vaccinated so far.
We continue to thank God for His protection. Except for one guardian who tested positive for Covid-19, all the children and their families that we support remain safe. Our staff is all doing well and continuing to serve.
