STARS Profiles
There are more than 60 STARS – Students Transforming Africa and Renewing its Society. Here are profiles of five STARS telling their very, very difficult stories. We edited them for clarity; otherwise each story is his or her story. In fact, they are less traumatic than what actually happened. Yet, each one voices hope with help from STARS Children Africa and their mentors. Their mentors are Pastor Joshua and Abigael Atieno, whose stories are in “Education and Character.”
Charles Amwayi
Edward Omondi
Velma Atieno
Ruth Elisha
Derrick Omondi
I Experienced Miracles – Charles Amwayi
As the first born of three children in my society, the first-born takes responsibility to make wise decisions and to care for mother and father when they are old. Such heavy responsibilities came very early in my life. My parents died when I was only age 8. With no relatives nearby, I cared for my younger brother and my little sister.
My community usually helped orphans who had no relatives. In recent years with more and more orphans, neighbors could give us shelter but often we received only a little to eat. Frequently I slept outside as they struggled to care for their own children and helping us was just too costly.
Even though my parents died, I knew that I must be educated. I want them to be proud of me. I want to help my brother and sister. I want to take care of myself when I grow up. With no money to pay for food or for shelter, I go back to school with what neighbors give for school fees. In 7th grade after not paying my fees for a while, I must drop out of school. I am so disappointed. How can I be an elder brother to my brother and sister if I have no education?
Then two miracles change my life for the better. One is the government decision to make primary education free that happened a year after I drop out of school. I immediately return to the 7th grade. I complete primary education and do well on the national exam to qualify to go to secondary school.
A second miracle is through a teacher who tells me that St. Luke’s Ministry supports secondary education for children like me who lost their parents and qualify to go to secondary school! Imagine my joy as Pastor Joshua and his wife, Abigael, give me a chance for Miwani Boys Secondary School, so that I can grow up to become a provider for my family. They not only send me to school; I also stay at St. Luke’s during my school holidays.
I am thankful to Pastor Joshua and Abigael to help me to grow up. They are like the father and a mother whom I thought I had lost.
I am grateful that I felt that God was on my side since 2003. Then later, at a youth gathering, I heard Nehemiah 3:1 and it touched my heart so I surrendered my life to Jesus. God sustained me and motivated me to continue to believe that one day I would be in class with my friends, which I am.
I have a dream that I will succeed in my studies and then become a missionary to help others in need, who like my siblings and me think we have lost everything.
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I Am Helped, I Want to Help Others – Edward Omondi
I know that I am fortunate to be at Miwani Boys High School. My Dad and Mom cared for my old Grandmother and me. However, I was only age 5 when my parents died. My Grandmother tried to care for us, but we ate little. She could only earn a little bit of money.
I was in primary school when teachers paid the fees and someone bought the required school uniform. But, I had to drop out to feed Grandma and me.
My now spiritual mother, Abigael Atieno, put me back Kileti Primary School. She was Vice Principal of the school and wife of Pastor Joshua Atieno and showed me compassion by giving a place to live at St. Luke’s Ministry Compound. I had food, clothes, and a place to sleep with caring spiritual parents.
I studied hard and did well in passing my Primary Eight exams. Then, STARS Children Africa sponsored me to go to secondary school. In my class of 85 boys, I work hard and am a top student.
I pray and give God the glory for my success. I see what He is doing in my life since giving my heart to Him during a church service as the preacher spoke on Acts 3. From then, I have a dream to become a missionary one day like Pastor Joshua, my spiritual father.
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I Can Dream To Be a Mechanical Engineer – Velma Atieno
I study in Ombeyi Secondary School and will take my national exam in December 2007. Thinking back, I remember feeling fine on my first day of secondary school on 24 February 2002. However, by the end of the day I had lost hope because my father had died. Only two months later, my mother became very sick and could not receive medical care because my father’s illness used all our money. I was the only one at home because I was much younger than my older sister and brother, who were married.
Mom grew weaker and weaker. She no longer earned from her business in the local market. Only the generous well-wishers kept us going. By 1 January 2003, Mom could not walk or talk and I did not know how to contact my sister and brother.
I vividly recall the evening of 4 January that Mom was not able to take porridge. It rains and thunders; I cannot sleep. I check on Mom and she is okay. Back in bed, I fall into a light sleep but I have a horrible dream that my Mother screams and is cut with a panga (machete). I wake quickly and I find that Mom died in her sleep. What should I do? I decide to wake a kind widow neighbor who comes and helps me to lay My Mom’s body in the sitting room.
It is still night. She leaves and I am alone in the house with my Mom’s body and no money. The next day relatives come but they demand that I give them Mom’s money or they would leave me all alone. I insist that I have no money. They leave; I feel so lonely. At 7 pm, another Aunt comes and asks me for money to buy the coffin and to pay for the burial. I sadly say that I have no money; she also leaves me. I do not know what to do so I just sleep in the house that night next to my mother.
The next day a nice neighbor offers to pay the burial expenses, but my Uncle persuades him to change his mind. Once again, the same relatives return to harass me for money; they do not help me and leave and do not return.
In a few days, a friend of my father comes to the house. He is shocked that Mom had died and offers to buy the coffin. Finally, a week later, I bury Mom, but I still do not know how to contact my brother or sister, and they do not attend the burial.
Relatives harass me at age 12 to either marry or leave the house. My Uncle has a husband for me; I do not want to marry at such a young age. The Uncle leaves the house, I lock the door and hide in a small room at a neighbor’s house. More relatives arrive to find my house door locked. They break down the door and search my house, but do not find me next door. My relatives inform my sister who I have yet to meet and the Village Chief that they have a husband for me, but I am refusing him. Thankfully, the assistant chief sides with me and does not order me to marry.
I return to the house and stay alone, but one day, relatives again come with a man who wants to buy the property. The pressure is too much; I am so lonely and feel so hopeless that I do not know what to do or who to turn to for help.
One night, I leave the house, walk for two kilometers, and sit beside the road for three hours. I feel that I have no hope, and everyone is against me. I feel despair and think of suicide. Much later, I return to my house and lock the door as I fear for my very life.
Feeling all alone with no one to care for me, I prostitute to get food and clothing. One day a neighbor my age confronts me about my behavior. She tells me that I will die if I continue as a prostitute and tells me to stop behaving like someone who has no hope. I stop prostituting. I want to go back to school, but I have no money to pay the school fees. I seek the principal of Ombeyi Secondary School and explain my situation. He invites me to the school even though I have no money for fees. I join secondary school and stay home alone. Without money to eat supper, I only eat lunch each day at school.
In my second year at Ombeyi, I am sent away because I cannot pay the school fess. I hear that other students receive support from St. Luke’s Ministry, so I stop there to talk with Abigael, wife of Pastor Joshua Atieno. Do you know that they agree to pay my school fees and have me to stay at St. Luke’s home!
I once had hope and lost it, but St. Luke’s renewed my hope. I am incredibly grateful to St. Luke’s and to STARS Children Africa for their help. Without them I am likely either married at a very young age or even dead. Now, I have a good place to sleep where I feel safe and I have care. I believe that God’s hand led me there, and now I believe that everything is possible with God. I am certain that I will make it and am sure of a good future. I can even dream of becoming a mechanical engineer.
Before I came to St. Luke’s I had been a “bad girl” and could not believe in God though my parents had been born again Christians. After their death, I forgot all that they had taught me. I felt as if I could not even pray to God.
My life changed after I moved to St. Luke’s when during a school holiday as a boy preached, I feel as if he is speaking directly to me. I quickly go down on my knees and pray. Others are surprised to see me praying, and also join me in prayer. At that moment, my life changes as God granted me salvation. Not only salvation, I also know that God has saved me from AIDS and from a life of immorality. Because of my faith in God even when I suffer, I know that I will succeed if I persevere and do not grow weary in well doing.
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They Believe in Me…a Girl – Ruth Elisha
I am older than many in my at Thur Gem Secondary School, but I am happy to be able to study. You see, girls in my community are not the first chosen to go to secondary school. Even harder than my being a girl is that I am the third born of four children, my Father died when I was only three years old and my only sister also died.
After my father’s death, we really struggled because my mother had been only caring for us children. She searched for reeds to make mats to sell. After a while, Mom developed a serious problem in her leg and was unable to go out and search for reeds any longer.
Instead, Mom made ropes out of sisal that she sold in the market. This earned so little that I could not go to primary school; I stayed home to help her make ropes. At age of ten and as the only girl at home, I took over all Mom’s responsibilities to make ropes to support the family because Mom’s leg became worse.
At the time, Pastor Joshua and his wife, Abigael, were just beginning their ministry to children. Abigael knew us because she had cared for my older sister who passed away. When they learned about my Mom’s condition and my situation, they helped us and placed me in primary school where to study until Class 3.
Mom’s health worsened. I left school to take care for her and the house. To feed us, I went into the rice fields after the rice harvest for grain left behind. Oh, how we struggled to survive for about two years!
Again, Abigael met us and put me back in school. This time I went into Class 6 and continued until Class 7. But, I was unable to concentrate in school because of thinking about Mom struggling at home.
Desperate for money to support her, a boy promised me anything in exchange for being his girlfriend. I became pregnant at only age 15 and dropped out of school again. However, Abigael never gave up on me. After giving birth to a baby girl, I returned to school and progressed to secondary school. I never dreamed that I would attend secondary school. I recognize that I am receiving God’s grace to be in school today. Although many times I had lost hope, I now have rediscovered a sense of hope and faith in God’s promises.
Abigael and St. Luke’s ministry not only care for me, they care for my entire family. Mom is in extremely poor health and receives support to widows. My daughter, Wendy Achieng, lives at St. Luke’s home, along with my younger brother. My older brother married and earns money carrying people on his bodaboda (bicycle).
I am thankful that I believe in Jesus Christ as my Saviour. In Ahero, I felt that the preacher talk directly to me. As I consider my own needs and recognize that this world’s things do not satisfy, I say that there is nothing permanently good in this world. I had been in the church singing group, but I realize that singing does not give security and eternal life as Jesus does.
I am extremely grateful to God for what He has done in my life. I have seen Him provide for all of my needs in response to my prayers. I dream to be a missionary in the future so that I can spread the Bible, the Word of God.
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Once Hopeless, Now I Have Hope – Derrick Omondi
Being in Ombeyi Secondary School, I have hope for the future because I was hopeless not long ago. I am the first born of three children. My younger brother is also in Ombeyi. Our much younger sister is in preschool. Our father abandoned Mom and us when I was very young. I never knew why he left because my Mother would only cry when I asked her. I miss my father.
Mom became very sick. She could no longer do things at home and had to go to the hospital. I tried to care for her and missed a lot of school. Returning home, her health deteriorated and she was pregnant. My new baby sister’s health was poor and went into the Intensive Care Unit. Mom was still very sick had to return to the hospital. After both of them returned home, my brother and I did everything to care for our Mother, but she passed away in 2004. At that time, our four-week-old baby sister was still very weak.
What to do? We had no money. Relatives refused to help and even pressured us for money and Mom’s few possessions. We had nothing, but pressure continued. Finally, a Good Samaritan bought Mom’s coffin and provided for the burial.
Just imagine, the night before Mom’s burial my relatives quarreled over her body. Some were drunk and insulted us boys. They said that we do not belong to the family and chased us from the house. I could not handle the quarrels and insults and thought of hanging myself as an easy way out. But who would help my brother and weak, little baby sister if I die? I changed my mind, I am now so glad that I thought of them when I felt so weak.
On the next day on the way to bury Mom, I asked a woman to care for my baby sister. My relatives still claimed that we had Mom’s things and would not help us. Finally, only my brother and I buried our Mother. After the burial, relatives came to the house and took Mom’s few clothes and possessions and my brother and I could do nothing to stop them.
Thank God, one uncle took compassion on us after returning from being away during my mother’s death and burial. He offered us three children to stay with him, his wife, and their three daughters. We lived with them for several months, but life was very difficult because our Aunt was unhappy with us being there. My sister’s health improved and my uncle put my brother and I back into school. However, I could not concentrate since my Aunt was not happy and I felt that we were spoiling their marriage. Thus, I asked my uncle if my brother and I could return to our home. He agreed, but our baby sister remained with him.
When we returned to home, we found our Grandmother there. We moved in with her and continued with our schooling but my brother soon returned to live with our Uncle. Although I felt like nobody was on my side, I remembered how I was encouraged by praying to God and reading the Bible.
My brother, a male cousin and I passed our Primary 8 Exams to qualify for secondary school. Relatives paid my cousin’s fees secondary school fees, but they would not pay for my brother and me. After requesting help from our kind Uncle, my brother entered the same secondary school as our cousin, though our Aunt wasn’t happy with it. Our relatives bought things for our cousin, but they did not help my brother.
One day Pastor Joshua and I met along the road. After telling him my story, he took two other boys and me to St Luke’s where he and his wife, Abigael, chose me to receive support from STARS Children Africa. I am extremely grateful to the grace of God to go to school when thousands of my age-mates cannot go because of the fees. I see many despairing boys my age in the streets; I thought that the streets would be my future, too. I earnestly pray for boys who are going through struggles and hardships that I have.
I praise the Lord for Pastor Joshua and Abigael who now feel like my father and mother. They encourage me with the hope that I find in Jeremiah 29:11 that tells me that God has a good plan for me and I am longer afraid.
I also thank God that my Mother forced us to go to Sunday school even as she was too sick to go. There, I met with other youth who asked God to prepare us for salvation. After I met Abigael and experienced God at St Luke’s, I knew that I needed God to overcome my challenges. I found in Romans 10:10 the inspiration to seek salvation and I now believe in Jesus.
I want to become a great preacher and to run a business so that God will use me to reach others. I love going to St. Luke’s to learn more about the Bible, am very involved in prayer and Bible studies, and frequently share the Word of God with others. I really enjoy preaching and praying with people. I strongly believe in the power of God. I can say that I used to have no hope, but through STARS and St Luke’s, I now recognize that God has a good plan for me and I am full of hope for my future.
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