It was March of 2008, while I was visiting my Dad in Kenya, that I met this young boy named Kamau.
I had gone for a walk and on my way back to the house, I saw this boy sitting on a stone alone, outside a little house. I said hi to him but he did not look my way or respond. I said hi again and this time, in a very small voice, he responded. I continued to walk towards the main house but half-way there I felt the need to go back and talk to the little boy. I went close to him and I attempted to engage him into a conversation. I asked his name and he said "Kamau". I asked him why he was sitting outside looking towards the road as if expecting somebody. He informed me that he was waiting for his Mom to come from the market. (Kamau who was about 4 years old did not know that his mother was dead and would not be coming back). He also told me his father was in the farm working, and the rest of the family was inside the tiny house having something to eat. I asked him why he was not eating with them, but he did not reply. (I later learned that there was not enough food for Kamau - the step child) He looked hungry, his hair was dry, lifeless, and brown in color , he had a huge tummy, a sign of malnutrition, his clothes were tattered, and he had no shoes on his feet. I immediately asked him to accompany me back to my Dad's house so I could get him something to eat. He sprang up and we walked together.
As he was eating, I asked my sister to enlighten me more about the boy. She told me that Kamau's mother had been killed during the election clashes that had taken place the previous year due to ethnic/tribal cleansing, a few hundred miles away. His father had moved with him and his second wife and Kamau's step siblings to Bahati where my Dad had given them protection and a small house to live in, in exchange for helping him work as a handyman. I was told that Kamau wakes up very early in the morning, sits on the stone outside waiting for his mother to come back, not knowing that she had died. This was the saddest story I had heard so far. I there and then, knew that I needed to help this young boy and others like him in whichever way I could.
Unfortunately, when I went back to Kenya a couple years later, to join my family for my Dad's funeral. Little Kamau and his family had moved on and no one knew where they had moved to. My heart sunk but I vowed to one day find Kamau and help him with his education.
If you feel touched by this story of little Kamau and would like to partner with me, please help me find him and educate him and his siblings.
I will appreciate to hear your comments and ideas on how we can go about doing this.
Thank you,
Mumbi
I had gone for a walk and on my way back to the house, I saw this boy sitting on a stone alone, outside a little house. I said hi to him but he did not look my way or respond. I said hi again and this time, in a very small voice, he responded. I continued to walk towards the main house but half-way there I felt the need to go back and talk to the little boy. I went close to him and I attempted to engage him into a conversation. I asked his name and he said "Kamau". I asked him why he was sitting outside looking towards the road as if expecting somebody. He informed me that he was waiting for his Mom to come from the market. (Kamau who was about 4 years old did not know that his mother was dead and would not be coming back). He also told me his father was in the farm working, and the rest of the family was inside the tiny house having something to eat. I asked him why he was not eating with them, but he did not reply. (I later learned that there was not enough food for Kamau - the step child) He looked hungry, his hair was dry, lifeless, and brown in color , he had a huge tummy, a sign of malnutrition, his clothes were tattered, and he had no shoes on his feet. I immediately asked him to accompany me back to my Dad's house so I could get him something to eat. He sprang up and we walked together.
As he was eating, I asked my sister to enlighten me more about the boy. She told me that Kamau's mother had been killed during the election clashes that had taken place the previous year due to ethnic/tribal cleansing, a few hundred miles away. His father had moved with him and his second wife and Kamau's step siblings to Bahati where my Dad had given them protection and a small house to live in, in exchange for helping him work as a handyman. I was told that Kamau wakes up very early in the morning, sits on the stone outside waiting for his mother to come back, not knowing that she had died. This was the saddest story I had heard so far. I there and then, knew that I needed to help this young boy and others like him in whichever way I could.
Unfortunately, when I went back to Kenya a couple years later, to join my family for my Dad's funeral. Little Kamau and his family had moved on and no one knew where they had moved to. My heart sunk but I vowed to one day find Kamau and help him with his education.
If you feel touched by this story of little Kamau and would like to partner with me, please help me find him and educate him and his siblings.
I will appreciate to hear your comments and ideas on how we can go about doing this.
Thank you,
Mumbi
Read about some African families and
determine how you can get involved, thanks.
My names are Daniel Mutinda was born in Ukambani,i was born a healthy boy in a family of 8 siblings.But at tender age i developed complications and i was diagnosed with Cerebral palsy which left me disabled and unable to use both legs and my right hand.I was taken to Kenyatta Hospital but my situation did not change and my parents abandoned me in the hospital believing i had been bewitched.
After i was transferred to Dagorretti children Home where i had a chance to go through formal education and received specialized care and physiotherapy and later went to Limuru Chesire Home.i was lucky to get a scholarship in 1991 to study art and design which has made me who i am today.
I'm married with 3 children but my first born a daughter who was a third year student at Kenyatta university recently died.Two of my sons are still studying.
I have been trying to share my knowledge through teaching and mentoring young and disabled, i started from 1997 -2011 with the the poor families and disabled as a teacher at A.C.K church which was out of compassion but since then haven't been able to continue due to lack of materials and financial issues.I believe with the support from willing people i can be able to create employment to disabled which they can manage to support themselves and their families.
I'm glad to have known Jane who talked to her friend Mumbi about my story, I'm really happy Mumbi was kind enough to have listened about it and since then she has been very helpful .
My pieces of art include post cards, stitched cards, A4 Canvas and Graphic art.
