Enos’ Story

To be a football player – that’s the dream route out of poverty for a 15-year-old boy growing up fast in Victoria Island, Kenya.

And the poverty experienced daily by Enos is real. His father is dead and his mother struggles to feed her children on the vegetables which she can grow herself.

For a child coming from a subsistence lifestyle, the support given by Sargy Education Centre is life-changing. At Sargy, Enos receives free tuition and a wholesome cooked meal five days a week. And while the school encourages him to develop his football skills with extra-curricular training sessions in the evening, it is focussed on giving him the basic academic skills which would allow him to pursue a more down-to-earth career. “Enos has been with us for six years,” says Samwel Okomo, head teacher of Sargy Education Centre. “He hopes to be a great footballer and is looking for a scholarship to allow him to attend football academy but he also aspires to be a nurse.”

With support from Blythswood, Enos receives a school meal every day he is at school which enables him to concentrate on his learning.

Nelly’s Story

An orphan in Kenya who went through primary school with support from Blythswood Care is now training to be a nurse. Nelly’s progress is testimony to the value of the schooling provided by Pamoja School, observes Sheena Griffin who raises support for the project near Kisumu in western Kenya.

“When Nelly’s parents died, the grandparents struggled to feed the three kids, let alone pay school fees for them. Nelly was a bright child so when she was 11 years old, her grandparents asked if she could live at the Magina Care Centre and go to Pamoja School. “She loved school, especially reading, and was soon top of the class. She always wanted to help people and from a young age hoped to be a nurse.” Sheena points out the importance of primary education to those who may have less aptitude than Nelly, and who do not go on to high school and professional training. “Being able to read makes you less vulnerable to exploitation. And it means that if you have the motivation you can learn anything. There is so much training online now, but without being able to read, where do you start?”

Blythswood funds the free school dinner which is so important to children from low-income homes at Pamoja School, and also contributes towards the cost of education. Sheena says: “Thank you so much for continuing to partner with us in this work.”

Alex and Rashid’s Stories

Eight-year old Alex and his brother and sister live in rural Kisumu County, Kenya. Their mother died and their father remarried, abandoned the family, and moved away. Only their grandmother is left to care for them. She is too frail to work, or even to keep their hut clean. Chickens wander in and out the open door and Alex has ringworm, for which he is receiving treatment at school. Most importantly, at school he gets fed - mealy porridge at 10 am and a cooked meal later in the day. At home the family depends on the charity of neighbours, just a little less poor than themselves. At school, Alex depends on the food sponsored by the gifts of Blythswood’s supporters.

Rashid is 10 and lives with his mother who cannot walk, and consequently can’t find work. He too depends on the kindness of neighbours and on the school-day provision made with your support at Mier Pamoja Education Centre.