Joel Ndung’u was struggling to keep up his high marks at Sweetwaters Secondary because his family home had burnt down and he and 11 members of his family were taking turns sleeping in a tiny mud hut. His mother, Pares, was legally blind and his father was often absent.
We decided to use our emergency funds to build a three bedroom tin house. We added four beds and mattresses, two couches, a coffee table, a cabinet, jackets, shoes, blankets, food and household supplies.
We took Pares to Nairobi for a weekend where she was able to have her eyes checked by an optometrist. She was extremely short-sighted and got her first pair of glasses.
Joel was then able to continue his studies and successfully completed Form 4. Although he only scored a ‘C’ on his final exams and was unable to go to university, he has far more employment options as a graduate of high school.
