Emmanuel Titi was nine years old when his parents died from AIDS. The end of his parents’ lives meant the end of his education as well. Emmanuel and his siblings moved in with his aunt, who was unable to afford school fees. Emmanuel watched his older siblings come to terms with the reality of their future and lost hope in his own future without an education as well.

In late 2008, his aunt learned of the Ngong Road Children Association program for kids whose families were affected by HIV/AIDS. She applied for Emmanuel to be accepted, and he joined the program in early 2009 and was sponsored by the Halloran family. Emmanuel remembered the weeks of sitting at home and wishing to go to school before he was accepted to the program, and he pledged to himself that he would make the most of the opportunity. Last year Emmanuel was ranked first in his class of 48 high school juniors! He wrote this essay at Ngong Road Children Association’s August Camp last year about his memories before being in the program and how he now proudly shouts that, “He believes he can!” 

See Emmanuel’s full I Believe I Can Essay.

Emmanuel has different goals and perspectives than most young people his age and he makes the most out of every opportunity. He understands that there is more to life than what meets the eye and wants a different future for himself. Keep up the good work, Emmanuel!

Wycliffe Ouma joined the program in 2007. His widowed mother is HIV positive and was barely getting by with her fish stand on the side of the road. Through an HIV support network, she learned about Friends of Ngong Road. She applied almost immediately, and was overjoyed to learn that her son, Wycliffe, was accepted.

However, Wycliffe was not a strong student and graduated from secondary school with a D-. But he has always had a charming, out-going personality and stuck close to the staff at Ngong Road Children Association and his sponsor, Tom Gleason. Among Friends of Ngong Road and Ngong Road Children Association Wycliffe found positive mentors to help him build resiliency and he learned how to recognize and build on his strengths.

When Wycliffe graduated from high school he was faced with another challenge – his business course was more difficult for him than he had anticipated. With the trusted advice of caring adults around him, Wycliffe changed his path and took a barista course. Today Wycliffe is an intern at Connect Coffee and earns a comfortable income at least three times the normal slum wage.  This puts him on the first rung on his way up the ladder into the Kenyan middle class.  Wycliffe talks excitedly about becoming a manager and working his way into more responsibility at Connect Coffee.
Students who graduate from our program and add some post-secondary training are highly employable.  With the academic and leadership training they have received at Friends of Ngong Road and Ngong Road Children Association they are able to escape the slums and move into the middle class.

Way to go Wycliffe!

Emily was one of the first two students in the program, because she has been sponsored since 2006 by Paula & Kurt Meyer. Emily is an orphan who has grown up in the same house with her cousin Irene Nyambura (also in the program), Irene’s mother (who is her aunt) and her grandmother. Emily graduated from Nelson Mandela Academy and completed her secondary education at StephJoy Academy in 2014. After secondary school Emily attended Nairobi University where she earned a diploma in Procurement and Supplies Management. Today Emily works as the Procurement Officer at Ngong Road Children Association in Nairobi.

Emily has faced many challenges during her growing up years. When children are orphans in Kenya, sometimes other family members tell them they are bewitched or cursed. Emily has faced this burden. Although her family has usually had enough food to eat and she has had a place to live, life for Emily has been challenging without parents to guide and support her. Ngong Road Children Association has played an important role in her development.

During her high school years, Emily served as a leader in camp for three years in a row. She has a steadfast, loving personality who has made it through her teenage years with relatively little drama. 

Her sponsor, Paula Meyer, said: “I have spent time with Emily since she was 8 years old, seeing her usually twice each year. She is a wonderful young woman who is focused on improving her life. She is steady, intelligent and it has been my privilege to watch her change over the years. I hope for only the best for Emily – great jobs and a happy future.”