Children of Hope

Our Family 2012

elaine — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 22:58:30 +0000

Abigael

Alex

Blessing

Edith

Faith

Grace

Ivy

James

Joshua

Joyline

Kevin

Maria

Moses

Sammy

Solphine

Terah

Zakayo

Blessing

elaine — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 22:55:01 +0000

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

elaine — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 22:54:45 +0000

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

elaine — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 22:54:31 +0000

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

elaine — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 22:54:17 +0000

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

elaine — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 22:54:04 +0000

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

elaine — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 22:53:54 +0000

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

elaine — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 22:53:42 +0000

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

elaine — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 22:53:31 +0000

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

elaine — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 22:53:20 +0000

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.