Let me introduce to you 2 brave brothers; Julius Otieno (8
years old) and Kennedy Omondi (9 years old).
Julius, Kennedy and their mother are currently living with
the boy’s very elderly grandmother. This is because their father is in jail and
their mother is too severely brain damaged to look after them. The reason their
father is in jail?? It is because he was arrested one night after he had come
home and beat both boys over the head with a hammer. The mother has also fallen
victim to the father’s violence.
Julius and Kennedy in
their school uniform
As a result of the attack, Julius is now epileptic. This
means he suffers from seizures that lead to memory loss and permanent brain
damage. The severe side effects from the seizures make it extremely hard for
Julius to learn at school and hold him back from entering the next grade.
Both boys still have the scares from the attack.
Just a few
of the scares from the attack
Just a few of the
scares from the attack
The boys both attend Masinde Primary School, which is where
I met both of them and their grandmother.
When the grandmother walked in she was using a walking stick. She looked
frail and unfit to be taking care of herself, let alone 2 boys and their
mother. She visited the school to discuss school fees with the Principal and
try to extend her extremely overdue payments.
She owes 130Ksh for each child per month, which is around $1.50 each. The
grandmother is simply not able to fund the boy’s education and she has not paid
their fees in over 3 terms. She is too old and physically inept to work and
earn money. She can’t even afford shoes for herself or the boys, leaving them
susceptible to being infected by jiggers (a bug that enters the body through
the feet and hands. It eats through the flesh and eventually makes its way to
the brain).
Celestine (the principal), quite often has to pay the fees
to make sure there is money to pay the teachers, although she is on an extremely
basic Kenyan wage herself.
I am unsure what will happen to the boys when they are old
enough to attend High School. Not all schools will allow pupils to attend
without paying their school fees. Celestine is hoping to one day have a means
of income for the school. This is so she can cover school fees and give
scholarships to children showing academic excellence.
If these kids want a shot at a healthy life or feed themselves and their families one day, they need an education.
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