Stories of Hope
These are the children, families, and communities whose lives are changing — one uniform, one meal, one school day at a time.
"I want to be a teacher one day."
Amina lost both parents within two years. She moved to her grandmother's home in a two-room house that already held five people. There was no money for school fees, no uniform, no shoes. For one long term, she simply stopped going.
She would watch the other children walk past her gate every morning in their blue uniforms, and then she would go back inside and read whatever she could find — old newspapers, a torn Bible, the back of a maize flour packet. She never stopped wanting to learn.
"I wasn't sad about the uniform. I was sad because I thought I would forget how to read."
Her grandmother heard about HopeLink World from a neighbour. Two weeks later, Amina had a uniform, shoes, a backpack, exercise books, and her school fees paid for the year. She has not missed a single day since.
Today she is third in her class. Her teacher says she asks the most questions. Her grandmother keeps her report card wrapped in a clean cloth inside a tin, and shows it to every visitor who comes to the house.
SPONSOR A CHILD LIKE AMINANames and identifying details have been changed to protect the child's privacy. Story published with informed consent from her guardian.
Every Child Has a Story Worth Telling
These children all had one thing in common — someone believed in them at the right moment.
Baraka's Promise
Baraka walks six kilometres to school every morning. He used to do it barefoot, and by the time he arrived, his feet would be cut and swollen. Last term, he received a pair of school shoes. His teacher says his attendance went from three days a week to five. He says he now runs the last stretch.
Help another childGrace Reads Everything
Grace was the top of her class for three years straight — but she had never owned a single book of her own. She borrowed, shared, and memorised. When she received a full set of textbooks through our school supplies program, she cried. Then she started a reading club for the younger children in her village.
Help another childThe Wanjiku Siblings
When their mother passed away, three children went to live with their 74-year-old grandmother on a small plot of land. She had no income. HopeLink World now supports all three — school fees, uniforms, and daily meals. The eldest wants to study medicine. The middle one wants to teach. The youngest just wants to play football.
Help another childJoseph Came Back
Joseph dropped out after his father lost work during a long drought. He spent 14 months out of school, helping his father with casual labour. When we found him, he was helping carry water for construction sites. Within a month, he was back in a classroom. He sat his final exams last year and passed.
Help another childFaith's First Meal
Faith used to faint in class. She wasn't sick — she was hungry. The school she attends now serves a hot lunch every day through our meals program. Her teacher says she has not fainted once this year. When we asked her what she likes about school, she said: "The food. And then the maths."
Help another childPeter's Second Chance
Peter was raised by his aunt after his parents died. She had five children of her own and could not afford to send him to school. He spent two years at home. HopeLink World now covers his school fees, uniform, and learning materials. In his first term back, he was named the most improved pupil in his class.
Help another childWhat People Are Saying
These children were not failing. They were hungry, and they had no shoes, and no one had noticed. HopeLink World noticed.
I give $25 every month. It is not a lot. But I get a photo each term and a note from the child. It is the best money I spend.
Before, I would sit outside and hear my friends inside the classroom singing. Now I am inside with them. I am one of them.
A letter from a child we support
Reproduced with permission
Dear friend,
I do not know your name but my teacher said someone paid my school fees and bought me a uniform. She said they do not know me but they wanted me to go to school.
I want to say thank you. I want to be a nurse when I grow up so I can help people who are sick like my mother was. She was sick for a long time. Now I am learning science and I understand more.
Every morning I put on my uniform and I look at myself in the small mirror and I feel proud. I did not feel proud before.
Thank you for remembering me.
Every Story Begins With Someone Like You
The next chapter is being written right now, in a village or a classroom somewhere in Kenya. You can be the person who changes it.