GO! | Fortune Learners Centre -Part II
The Unexpected
They say that God’s timing is the best timing. For the last five years or so, we have been seeking the good fortune of finding partners in our vision. It hasn’t been easy, we have had many challenges on our journey, but in June 2019, God put aside a day for Fortune Learning Centre and Global Orphan Relief to finally come together. It was great welcoming Scott to the school; the children were so happy with all of the new clothing, shoes, and backpacks they received. It was the start of a great partnership that has continued to bring smiles to the children’s faces. Come 2020, our partnership is now in full swing, and 30 orphans who have been attending school without having meals provided are now assured nutritious porridge and hot lunch every school day. Some of these children had been missing school due to their persistent hunger, but thanks to Global Orphan Relief, this is no longer a problem. Absenteeism is now a thing of the past.
This new sponsorship has also helped those orphaned children’s self-esteem. Before, these children would simply have to watch their classmates eat breakfast and lunch, while they had none. Some of the more courageous students would sometimes ask their friends for a bit of food, but this became a problem as the students’ parents found out they were feeding others in the class. This issue is now put to rest, and we thank GO! for taking that shame away from us. The orphans now attend school daily. They have improved in their academic performance and class participation, which will benefit them for years beyond 2020.
GO! was a big blessing to the older orphans who sat for national exams at Fortune in 2019. Three of the children, two girls and one boy, were at risk of dropping out of school before receiving sponsorship. Now, after excelling at their exams, they have been invited to attend prestigious schools around the country. Before GO!, the children had been increasingly down due to their inability to attend boarding school like the rest of their peers. I shared these challenges with Scott, and together we found a way to give these older students the same level of support as the younger ones. Now, given the resources, these students will go on to attend the secondary schools of their choice. Quincy and Mercy have joined St. Mary’s Lwak Girls High School, and Michael has joined Mbita Boys National School. With tuition, school uniforms, and books, the girls’ cost of attendance is $850, and Michael’s is $650 for the first term. It was not an easy task to raise this money, but I feel that it’s very important for these children to attend decent schools, and I have faith that God will provide ways for us to get enough sponsors to cover the balance of the year.
The support we received from GO! not only impacted the lives of the individual orphans who were sponsored, but also the staff at Fortune. The fees paid for the orphans were able to pay the teachers comfortably in January and February, as well as help us pay for the school’s rent. And, of course, I can’t forget the latest support GO! has given towards water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) to help us fight COVID-19 and other water and hygiene related illnesses. These illnesses have regularly made children miss school days, and this support will go a long way to positively impact the lives of entire student body of 140 children and 10 staff members.
Global Orphan Relief has been partnered with the Fortune Learners Centre since January 2020 based on our visit to the school in 2019. We are honored to be able to work with Charles and his team at this community school in the Kayole district of Nairobi, Kenya.
Today we serve 33 orphaned children within this partnership. These children are served and funded through our Scholarship Initiative. Fortune Learners Centre has been serving the vulnerable children of Kayole since 2013. To join our efforts to send orphaned children to school see our 2020 Scholarship Fund for more details!
You may send support or other correspondence to Global Orphan Relief, 16352 Prairie Farm Cir, Parker, CO 80134 or you may give also give electronically at Global Orphan Relief Children.
Movement of FAITH | Voice of HOPE | Act of LOVE