“I lived with my parents until they died 6 years back. Mary Anyango was 36 and Fredrick Otieno was 88. They did not have work and could only provide us food for dinner. Lunch and breakfast were only words in a dictionary. They were poor as church mice. I don’t have brothers or sisters. After my parents died, Director Michael came to our home and gave me a sponsorship to Achungo. I have been here now for 5 years.
Achungo is a very good school for me. When I was at the public school, I faced many challenges because my parents had no money for my basic school needs. I was sent home often because I could not pay school fees (for exams, etc.) and I would just stay home.
I was very happy when I got sponsored since I could not imagine that I would be able to learn in such a school where students wonderfully perform. I thought I could not be part of the school because everyone looks smart and neat compared to what I was used to. In my public school, pupils performed poorly because they got little attention from the teachers. At Achungo the students are orphans but they are happy being together.
I now live with my uncle who works in his garden and after selling crops he can get money to help us survive. Due to prolonged drought, sometimes he was not able to get a good harvest and this would make us face many challenges.
I want to become a doctor so as to help those who are sick. I won’t want children to be orphans due to lack of doctors to treat their parents. I would do my best to help children never become orphans due to sickness of their parents.
The best thing about Achungo is the love they have for orphans. I also like the way our teachers work body and soul to give us enough knowledge. Indeed, I love being at Achungo.”