Author Archives: elaine

Blessing (4) is a young man who was abandoned at birth. He was born in the war torn, Mt. Elgon region where he was found crying in the forest. A Good Samaritan woman cared for him and her own one week old baby for as long as she could. There was not sufficient food for both children so Blessing was severely malnourished when he came to us. He has regained his strength since being in our care and is now doing very well. Blessing is a great storyteller and also enjoys going to class in our in-home pre-school.  He is warm and kind to the other children, as well as polite and disciplined, always remembering to say “please” and “thank you”.

Edith (8) is the 6^th child from a family of 8. She is a total orphan.  Her father was killed by militia during the post election violence in the Mt. Elgon district and tragically, Edith witnessed the killing.  Edith’s mother died of heavy bleeding after the birth of Edith’s baby sister, Abigael.  Edith and Abigael were left in custody of their elderly grandmother who has a small farm.  She depends on casual jobs and selling firewood to provide for the children.  Life with the grandmother was very difficult and the children remained unclothed. Edith had shaggy brown hair and was very dirty and malnourished.  The poverty level was so high that Edith could not go to school. Edith was brought to Children of Hope through a pastor who sympathized with orphan’s situation.  Edith is polite, quiet and compliant.  Although she struggles to adjust to her new home at Children of Hope, she loves the other children and is very teachable.  Edith’s younger sister, Abigael, is also at Children of Hope.

Faith (3) Her father died in a road accident and her mother died of HIV/AIDS. Faith was temporarily in the care of various relatives, some of whom used her to make money rather than providing for her needs. When Faith arrived at Children of Hope, she had ringworm all over her head and body and was malnourished. Faith is now free of ringworm and has regained her strength. Faith attends our in-home pre-school. She is appreciative, sweet and loving and plays well with others.  Faith is confident when speaking, organized and eager to learn.  She loves to organize her clothes and play with dollies.  Her brother, Moses, joins Faith at Children of Hope.

Grace (7) is an orphan whose father died of malaria and whose mother died of HIV/AIDS. Grace’s older sister who was still in school initially attempted to care for Grace and her other five siblings, but that was too much for a young girl still in school herself. The siblings were divided up among other relatives. Grace was very sick and eventually was taken to hospital where she was diagnosed with HIV. Unfortunately rather than offering her greater care and compassion, her relatives mistreated her as a result of her diagnoses. Another aunt attempted to care for her when she discovered that she was being mistreated, but she was a single mom of six children already. This aunt eventually placed Grace in our care for which we are very grateful. Since coming to us she is now receiving antiretroviral treatment and is making slow progress physically. Grace now attends the Kitale charter school where she is eager to learn. Grace is very focused, organized,  and a good problem-solver. She likes to achieve, is very caring, loves babies and anything girlie.  She loves attention and affection as well as praise and encouragement.  A true leader, Grace is also gifted in prayer and loves to sing and pray for others.

Ivy (5) During the post-election violence in Kenya in 2007-2008, Ivy’s father was killed and her mother mysteriously disappeared through the hands of the militia on the same day. Extended family members were unable to care for her. Through the help of a local missionary Ivy was placed in our home in December 2010. Even though Ivy was of school age, she had never attended school. Ivy is now attending a very good charter school in the Kitale community.  She is polite and loves to play.  Ivy sometimes has difficulty staying focused, but is also highly motivated; knowing what she wants and making it happen.  She if full of energy and is good at sports.  Ivy has a brother, Terah, who joined her at Children of Hope.

James (7) lost both of his parents to HIV/AIDS. After the death of his parents, he lived with elderly grandparents for a while, but the grandmother was blind, and the grandfather was disabled. Because of their disabilities and poverty they lived in, the grandparents were not able to properly care for James and he was brought to Children of Hope. He had severe ringworm when he arrived at our home. He is now free of ringworm, and James is attending the Kitale charter school along with some of the other children from our home. James is very creative, respectful, laid-back and tenderhearted. While James has the tendency to be careless or forgetful at times, he is very intelligent and doing well in school.  He loves football. James has a younger brother, Zakayo, who is also at Children of Hope.

Joshua (3) is an orphan whose father was killed by the militia and whose mother died of malaria when he was very young. His stepmother who cared for him after his parent’s death mistreated Joshua. When Joshua was two he walked approximately 40 km with his older sister to find food and a place to stay. A kind woman took him in for a while and eventually brought Joshua to Children of Hope. His early life left him malnourished with some behavioral difficulties. Since coming to our home he has regained strength and is slowly developing more appropriate social behaviors. He is also attending our in-home pre-school.  Joshua is outgoing, curious, loves to discover, and is full of energy.  His energy regularly gets him into trouble, but he is getting better and is quick to apologize.  He is truly the life of the home. Joshua has a sister, Solphine, who is also at Children of Hope, and the siblings remain close.

Kevin (5) was orphaned as a baby. Both of his parents succumbed to HIV/AIDS. Kevin was placed with his elderly paternal grandmother who cared for him until she had a stroke that prevented her from providing adequate care for Kevin. Kevin is now attending a very good charter school in Kitale.  Kevin is polite, warm, and friendly and gets along with and enjoys all the children.  He is well rounded, gentle, easy-going, obedient and responsible.

Moses (6) His father died in a road accident and his mother died of HIV/AIDS. Moses was temporarily in the care of various relatives, some of whom used him to make money rather than providing for his needs and seeing that he went to school. When Moses arrived at Children of Hope, he had ringworm all over his head and body and was malnourished. Initially, Moses was very afraid of adults since he had been severely beaten by some of his relatives. He is now beginning to develop trust with our home staff, is free of ringworm, and has regained his strength. Moses is now attending a very good charter school in Kitale and is doing well in school. He is intelligent, humble, shy, and respectful and rarely gets in trouble. Moses is also very focused and organized.  Moses has a sister, Faith, who is also at Children of Hope.

Moses (3) was abandoned during the post-election violence when he was approximately one day old.  He was found by a security guard who cared for him as well as he could, but when the guard became homeless, taking care of Moses became impossibility. Moses was then brought to Children of Hope.  Currently, Moses is gaining strength and is also learning to exchange his survival skills for more appropriate social behaviors while attending our in-home pre-school.  He is playful, innocent, and loves to sing and dance.  Moses is a true “explorer” at heart; he loves to discover new places, especially enjoying trips outside the home.  Moses sometimes has difficulty concentrating and staying focused in class, preferring to play instead, but is quick and sincere to apologize when confronted.

Solphine (7) is the 6th child in a family of 7 siblings. The militia in the Mt. Elgon region killed her father in 2007. Soon after the death of her father, her mother succumbed to malaria and Solphine was orphaned. After the death of the parents, Solphine was taken into custody by a relative who mistreated her. Not long after she began living in this relative’s home, a woman found she and her brother walking alone on a road.  She was shocked to see how exhausted the children looked.  Solphine had walked several kilometers with her little brother, barely 2 years old at the time, and acted as his protector. The good Samaritan woman took Solphine into her home, but was unable to keep her there long term, due to her large family and no means to provide for additional children.  Over time, news of Solphine spread and a pastor, touched by their story, took her into his home.  Solphine was later reunited with her family under the care of their step- mother until she joined her brother, Joshua at Children of Hope.  Solphine cannot speak Swahili and also demonstrates characteristics of an abused child.  Solphine is polite and shy and usually wears a warm smile on her face.  She likes to be held close and loved. Solphine has never attended a formal school, but is participating in classes at Children of Hope and her teacher says she is eager to learn and progressing.  Solphine’s brother, Joshua,  is also at Children of Hope and the siblings remain close.

Joyline (1.5) belongs to a family of 4. She is the youngest of the children. In August 2010, when Joyline was only a week old, her mother succumbed to HIV-AIDS and she and her brother were left under the care of their aunt who also suffers from HIV-AIDS.  The whereabouts of Joyline’s father is unknown.  The aunt already had two teenage children of her own and, together with Joy and her brother, they lived in a single room home in the Kapsokwony slum.  The living conditions were deplorable. Due to poor diet and poor living conditions, Joy had developed a big-belly (characteristic of malnutrition) prior to coming to Children of Hope.  Joyline is now a playful toddler who is wary of strangers.  She can walk, run, and play with toys.  She has recently started “talking” and can say the words “mama” and “bye.”

Maria (3 months) is the only child of her mother.  Maria’s mother conceived her at the age of 14 through defilement by her employer.  As a result of the stress of the assault and resulting pregnancy, Maria’s mother developed a mental condition.  After the birth of Maria, she disappeared from her mother’s home and never returned.  Her whereabouts are still unknown. Maria was left in the custody of her grandmother who could not support the child due to extreme poverty.  The grandmother depends on casual jobs to fend for her own six children and could not afford an extra mouth to feed.  In the tribal culture, a child born out of defilement or rape is an abomination to society so Maria was neglected and the family hoped she would not survive.  As a result of this neglect, Maria was severely malnourished when she came to Children of Hope weighing only 1.9 kgs. Maria is now a healthy 4.8 kgs and very much loved.  She is playful, loves to play with her hands and legs and has recently started trying to talk.  She has good eye-hand coordination, smiles a lot, and likes moving objects.

Sammy (7) is an only child; both parents are alive but the father is mentally challenged. After realizing that Sammy’s father was mentally challenged, Sammy’s mother decided to leave the marriage and get remarried, taking Sammy with her.  Life for Sammy in the new marriage was not easy; everyone mistreated him until his mother decided to bring him back to her parents in Kapenguria.  She left Sammy with her parents, because, according to local tradition, it is considered taboo for a mother to get married and bring a child from a previous marriage into the new marriage – this can bring a bad omen to the children born into the new family.  In the care of an old grandfather, and without food and other requirements, Sammy continued to suffer.  Over time, he developed a big stomach (characteristic of poor nutrition), a big head, swollen legs and brown hair as a result of malnourishment.   Sammy was brought back to his father for care,  but there was no change in his life, just continued mistreatment and suffering.  Sammy has never been to a formal school, but is eager to learn. He seems to struggle with some developmental problems as a result of his earlier malnutrition and mistreatment.  He recently came down with malaria, but is healing well and is a very happy kid.  Sammy loves people and can often be found all over the home just standing and smiling at people or talking about cars.

Terah (6) During the post-election violence in Kenya in 2007-2008, his father was killed and his mother mysteriously disappeared through the hands of the militia on the same day. Extended family members were unable to care for him. Through the help of a local missionary, Terah was placed in our home in December 2010. Although Terah was of school age, he had never attended school. Terah is now attending a very good charter school in the Kitale community.  He is quiet and caring and does not like fighting; he is definitely a peacemaker.  Terah has a sister, Ivy, who is also at Children of Hope.

Zakayo (3) lost both parents to HIV/AIDS. After the death of his parents, he lived with elderly grandparents for a while, but the grandmother was blind, and the grandfather was disabled. Because of their disabilities and poverty the grandparents lived in, they were not able to properly care Zakayo, and he was brought to Children of Hope. When he came, Zakayo had severe ringworm and difficulty with gorging himself when offered food. He is now free of ringworm, and is eating normal amounts of food with the assurance that the next meal will always come. Currently, Zakayo is attending our in-home pre-school.   Zakayo is mischievous, funny, a good storyteller, very loving to others and good at sharing.  He is always happy, enjoys attention and is very teachable.  Zakayo has a brother, James, at Children of Hope.

Alex (10) comes from a family of 4. He is the eldest child. In August, 2010, his mother succumbed to HIV-AIDS and Alex and his sister were left under the care of their aunt who also suffers from HIV-AIDS.  The aunt already had two teenage children of her own and, together with Alex and his sister, they lived in a single room home in the Kapsokwony slum.  The living conditions were deplorable.  The whereabouts of Alex’s father is unknown. Due to poor diet and poor living conditions, Alex had developed rashes on his face before coming to Children of Hope.  Alex is energetic, mischievous, strong in spirit and eager to learn.  He now attends a charter school in Kitale and is doing well.  His younger sister, Joyline, joins Alex at Children of Hope.

Abigael (1.3) is the last born in a family of 8 siblings.  She is a total orphan.  Militia killed her father during the post election violence in the Mt. Elgon district and tragically, Abigael’s mother died of heavy bleeding shortly after her birth.  Abigael and her older sister, Edith, were left in the custody of their elderly grandmother who has a small farm.  She depends on casual jobs and selling firewood to provide for the children.  Life with the grandmother was very difficult and the children remained unclothed. Abigael was severely malnourished and arrested in development.  Abigael and her sister were brought to Children of Hope through a pastor who sympathized with their situation.  Abigael is still adjusting to her new home and often cries and is afraid of strangers, but has recently started babbling and walking. Abigael’s sister, Edith, is also at Children of Hope.