Grandma Mary’s Kids

David, Joseph, Denis, Hannah, Peter and Mary lived together in a small town called Mai Maihu with their elderly Grandma Mary, when they were introduced to Silvia Knittel in 2008. At the time, they had very few resources and were having to miss a lot of school just to gather food and water to sustain themselves. 

After providing food for them for a year, Silvia discovered that the family was being exploited (donations of support for food, goats, chicken, clothing, etc were being taken by others). Silvia asked Grandma Mary if she would like to move to Nanyuki (a town close to the Ol Pejeta Conservancy) and have the kids become part of PA-MOJA’s scholarship program. Grandma Mary happily agreed. So, in 2010, the family packed their belongings and started a new life far from anywhere they knew and the kids all started school in grades appropriate for their current abilities.  The transition was challenging at first, but with the support of Ian Muiruri and many community members, they have all progressed very well in their studies and their life. Silvia and Alison have spent a lot of time with the kids over the years as well, where they especially tried to instill the ideal of ‘paying it forward’. As such, the kids have gone to local children’s homes to connect with kids, tutored some students in their communities, been involved with Butterfly Effect and done a number of skype/zoom calls with students in Canada to help promote understanding across cultures.  

Currently, in 2022, David, the eldest, is attending University in Mombasa to become a social worker.  Joseph is taking a course in IT, Denis is attending culinary school, Hannah is finishing her last year of high school and Peter and Mary are both in their first year of high school.  The kids know if they work hard and persevere, they will be able to provide for themselves and their own families in the future. Their story has been an inspiration to PA-MOJA to show how providing the opportunity of education can create positive and lasting change. As David says, “From my story it is evident neither my siblings nor I would have gone to school without this support. I can’t imagine what our lives would have been like.”