Samuel is just one of countless struggling children living among nearly 80,000 destitute people in a sea of corrugated metal shacks rolling through Kawangware slum in Kenya. Loss and uncertainty plagued the 8-year-old’s daily existence. Only hunger was a more steadfast companion.
Life at home mimicked the disarray of the world around him. Samuel’s mother abandoned him, his three siblings, and father. After losing his job, his father frequently left the children home alone while searching for work and food resources, but he often returned empty handed. When food security crumbled, hope rapidly deteriorated.
School offered some reprieve from the chaos. But lack of consistent nutrition ushered in headaches and exhaustion that made classroom concentration and academic execution virtually impossible. A saving grace, however, was the opportunity to have porridge during a mid-day break, and many of his friends would give him snacks when they could spare them.
In the evenings, Samuel and his siblings routinely sat around a pot as empty as their stomachs, hoping for something, anything to eat. But no one battles hunger on a daily basis without learning a few tricks to quiet the violence of abdominal pangs. Samuel regularly consumed plain boiled water to fool his body into believing, at least for a short time, that sustenance had finally been acquired. In those moments God seemed distant, and their prayers, unanswered.
The knock at the door was unexpected, the strangers with a bright red sack even more so.
“We are visiting from the Vapor Ministries center,” one of the men said. “Today we want to encourage you with the hope of Christ and bring you a gift.” As the men prayed, Samuel excitedly unpacked the bag in his mind, imagining what treasures were creating the numerous shapes pressing into its fabric. Even though he was confident it was food, the reality of that provision was almost overwhelming.
This young boy’s world was once filled with the unknown. His mother’s whereabouts, his father’s work opportunities, and his next meal, all unknown. Because of you, Samuel and his needs became known.
Today, he is enrolled in our Hasmin’s Friends program where he will receive quality education, school uniforms and supplies, basic medical care, and supplemental food in an effort to break the cycle of poverty and build a brighter future. You can help change lives like Samuel’s today with a special year-end gift. Click HERE to become a difference-maker today.
