Esther's case is special as narrated by Tusemezane Family Program officials. Tusemezane is translated as: Come let us talk/reason together -- Isaiah 1:18. and is a local CBO that provides early childhood education, ECD feeding program, life skills and economic empowerment for guardians. The program also partners with friends and other well wishers to support the education of boys and girls in secondary and vocational schools.

It was through the feeding program that we met Esther's mother. She came to seek help for her children to be enlisted for lunch provisions.

Esther Mwihaki is a 15 yr. old girl born in a small slum in Ngong named Mathare. She lives with her siblings, mother and stepfather. Esther is the eldest of six children. They live in a two room shanty, with a dirt floor. Both her mother and stepfather do not have a means of livelihood but depend on casual labor, which is rare. They are barely able to afford a meal a day. It is unfortunate that the family is still to come to terms with Esther's baby, another mouth to feed. The child's name is Faith Njeri, and is now 8 months old.

Esther has been through many challenges and hardships, the worst of them happened in mid last year when she was raped by an older man, who took advantage of her desire to excel in school by pretending to offer her extra tuition and assistance for her schooling, and she became pregnant.

Despite the challenges she has not stopped pursuing her dream of becoming a teacher and is working even harder to achieve her dream as she aspires to join high school next year. She has a unique talent as she is able to control and handle her classmates and even the younger ones. She is also a talented singer.

According to Lucy Shikuku of Tusemezane, she is a special girl because it would have been easy for her to be wooed into an early marriage, which is common for girls in the slum. Last year four girls stepped into early marriage to alleviate the hardships of such a poor life.

It will be a blessing to Esther and her family if she could find help to pursue her studies so as to achieve her dream of becoming somebody in society and bring a meaning change to her family status. Kindly feel free to ask for any other information you may require to facilitate Esther's support.

Thank you and God bless you.

Esther's Needs

We do not know for sure whether Esther will be attending a day school or boarding school at this time. What we do know is that we need to raise the funds for either one of those opportunities.

Boarding School/First Year: Approx. fees $400 - 450. Includes uniform, shoes, backpack, books and supplies for classes, room and board, tuition-mattress, sheets, blanket, foot locker, start up personal hygiene supplies and medical. An additional $20 per term is appreciated to assist with other personal hygiene products needed.

Day School/First Year: Approx. $300 - 350. Includes tuition, uniform, shoes, backpack, books and school supplies, one meal daily.

If you would like to consider a personal sponsorship with Esther please contact:

sponsor@heartsforloveworldwide.org

We try to come as close as we can to the actual fees needed for each student but they can only be approximate due to the fluctuating exchange rates. Fees for Esther can be lower or slightly higher and adjustments will be made accordingly. Although we prefer to receive the full payment for sponsorships, a three installment payment plan can be arranged.