As promised, I want to introduce you to our hilarious and fun-loving kids that we sponsor at Stahili. All of our kids were living in an orphanage where they were abused and being used for child labor. Now, they are living in a boarding school where all of their needs are met; it’s been a pretty remarkable transformation for most of them. The five most recent kids to join Stahili just arrived at school a month ago and seem to be adjusting well. Right now we are assisting 15 children and are looking to help 15 more in the next two years.  We provide tuition and boarding, school supplies, and cover their transport and living expenses when they visit family over breaks. At Stahili, we wholly provide for our children so that they have all the tools that they need to grow into happy and productive adults. Our children will be with us through university. While many sponsorship programs only provide for kids until they finish high school (if that), we want to give our kids the opportunity to be competitive in the job market and give them the same opportunities that we had growing up. So, enough about the program, time to meet our kids :)

Meet the Kids!

John

The infamous kid on my blog, John is now a sophomore in high school. John spent much of his childhood taking care of his ill mother and didn’t get the opportunity to start school until he was 12. As a result, he is very serious and hard working in his studies. His dream is to become a businessman in Dubai, and he enjoys spending time with close friends. He loves watching football (his favorite team is Chelsea) and is also a really good player! Last term, he won two first place medals in school for discus and 200 meter, as well as a second place medal for javelin.

Beatrice

Also a sophomore in high school, Beatrice is a smart girl who loves fashion. She will always offer to braid your hair or make you a bracelet. Her English is nearly flawless and she is very outgoing. Beatrice knows the importance of a good education and is happy to be in a boarding school where she can focus on her studies. She is the big sister to Mercy & Baby Joyce.

Moses

James

James is the big brother to Julius. He likes to razz on the younger kids but at the end of the day he is like a big brother to them. He loves football and electronics. He is a boy that always needs guidance but looks up to those who have stood by him and helped him to succeed. He loves his grandmother dearly, and is sound in his beliefs in good manners and good food.

Amina

Amina is the caring and perfect big sister to Abdallah (and to every other Stahili child). She is very charismatic, kind and well-spoken. She works hard in school and has stated that her goal is to score higher marks than the boys! Her only complaint is how early they get up at boarding school (4:30am) and for a while, our younger girls were having to force her to get out of bed! Amina is always willing to help and sees the good in any individual.

Alex

Alex is talkative with a sweet disposition. If he is proud of something good he has done, he can often be seen balling his hands into fists, puffing out his chest and walking around with a huge smile. He always works hard in school and looks up to one of his best friends, James.

Joseph

Joseph is somewhat quiet but almost always has a smile on his face. He hates taking pictures and covers his face most of the time if you try! He likes bicycles and isn’t afraid to pitch in to do anything involving the outdoors or manual labor.

Sospeter

Also known as “Sospeter Shopkeeper” or “Sossy,” Sospeter is by far the goofiest kid at Stahili. He likes to make funny faces, is sometimes seen trying to ride goats and although he doesn’t say much, he’s always making people laugh with his quirky behavior.

Mercy

Mercy admires her big sister Beatrice and playfully argues with little sister Baby Joyce. She loves school and is eager to brag about how much she has improved since being assisted by Stahili. If she has an opinion, she’s not afraid to tell you and we love that about her.

Ebenezer

Ebenezer deeply cares for those around him. He loves to be by your side or in your lap. Often you can find him holding hands with adults or seated right up against them. He is always offering to help, whether it is with laundry, preparing food, or anything else he might be able to pitch in with. An only child, Ebenezer was left by his mother at only two weeks old. He loves his Stahili family as siblings and works hard to make his sponsors proud.

Baby Joyce

Abdallah

Abdallah, younger brother to Amina, has recently become much more talkative. He is happy at Stahili and even happier now that he has glasses so he can see again. Abdallah is one of our brightest students and consistently scores at the top of his class. He loves his friends Julius and Daniel and is glad that they can go to school together. He dreams of one day owning a big, nice house and may be seen prancing around in women’s jewelry from time to time just to give everyone a good laugh.

 

Julius

Julius is known fondly for his sweet disposition and kind actions. He says his big brother James is his best friend and role model. He may be quiet, but don’t let him fool you- he is incredibly smart (scoring position 1 in his class for over two years). He loves playing with cameras and phones and is notorious for being the kid who always falls asleep…usually at the dinner table!

 

Lucy

Lucy is always laughing. It is hard for anyone who knows her to forget her big toothless grin that she once had. Lucy is shy at first, but once you get to know her she can’t stop giggling and winning the hearts of anyone who is around her.

 

Daniel

Daniel is one of Stahili’s youngest students. He may be small, but he has big dreams of being a helicopter pilot. Standing proudly in size one rainboots, Daniel can always be found as goal keeper in any football game. He loves to play and often can be caught carrying some wild critters home in his schoolbag… just for fun.