I can just now look back to that day when I first met with Michelle with a smile on my face. This day changed my life.
July 2008:
I first saw her in my old school “Chuma Primary School”, where she and Mr. Mugo came to interview the top performing, humble pupils. I was very glad when I was chosen among the six pupils to be interviewed. I was wearing a green, tattered dress which was no longer the school uniform, but it was all I had. My toes peeped out of the shoes but none of this killed my determination or ambitions. I followed my mother’s advice to believe that “God will always have a way.”
These were the shoes I wore before Matanya’s Hope.
LIFE:
Most of the time, my mother falls sick and is unable to work, but when able, she works at a neighbor’s farm to provide food on our table. We don’t have our own home. We reside in a place owned by a good Samaritan who left his house when he moved to Nairobi. I hope I will be able to build a house for my mother.
My sister and I must wake up very early to arrive in school on time. We walk a kilometer from home to school every day. We are often hungry and have only tattered clothes. When I shared some of these problems with Matanya’s Hope, Michelle bought me a full school uniform and decided to look for a sponsor for me. I really thank her for this.
2009:
Michelle told me that I got a sponsor and I would now be able to go to a new school where I would board and would have plenty of food and water. There was a lot of competition compared to my first school, where I was always the top student. Although the students were far ahead of me, the boarding school environment gave me much more time to read. I no longer had to walk to school every day and I could attend extra studies until 11 P.M.
2010:
I sat for my KCPE (Kenya Certificate of Primary Education) and I was admitted to one of the top high schools in the Central Province of Kenya. Matanya’s Hope was always there to encourage me. They gave each and every student moral support and when Michelle came to Kenya, she always spent time with me at my school. Her visits encouraged me to work hard. I set my goal on being a blessing to my family and on motivating my new Matanya’s Hope family.
My sponsor, Patsy, gave me financial support by paying my school fees, but she also encouraged me with her frequent letters, cards and gifts. I treasure them to this day! I could not forget to pray for my sponsor, Michelle and the Matanya’s Hope Board of Directors in Kenya. Mr. and Mrs. Mugo encouraged me to work hard and to remain humble before God.
Here I am working hard in class during my first year in boarding school.
In school, I was elected as the class student leader as well as the agricultural representative. This brought me close to the teachers who were of great help to me academically. They encouraged me to work hard and finally, in high school, I saw myself getting closer to my goals.
2014 to Present:
This is the year that I sat for my KCSE (Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education). I scored a strong B which qualified me for University. Patsy and Matanya’s Hope gave me the encouragement and support I needed to make my dreams valid. It is hard to believe that a hungry little girl with barely a piece of cloth to cover her body can get this far! May God bless all of you. Truly, Matanya’s Hope is the light in a dark tunnel for me and for every other student they support in Kenya and in Tanzania.
Yours lovingly,
Joyce Wanjiku Ndirangu
