“Kama si shule, kwetu tumeisha” – “Without education, we have no hope.” On this African Child Day, we remember how important education and support are for children in Africa.
Edwin is one of over 1,200 children treated by Dentists for Africa in Kenya. Sponsorship program accompanied or accompanied. Opyio Francis Mwai, an employee in the Kenyan sponsorship office of Dentists for Africa, tells his story.
“I still remember the day I first met Edwin Omondi vividly. It was about a year and a half ago, when I was hiking through the hilly terrain of Koliech – under the hot sun, along dusty paths, across dry riverbeds. My mission: to document the living conditions of the newly sponsored children. When I reached Edwin’s homestead, he wasn’t there – he was deep in the forest gathering firewood.”
Later I got to know him: a quiet, watchful boy with a serious gaze. Edwin was 15 at the time, the eldest of seven siblings, a half-orphan. His father had died of throat cancer, and his mother fought for her life every day. Edwin cooked, fetched water, washed his younger siblings – childhood unfolded amidst responsibility and worry.
His mother, Jane, told me in a quiet voice about her own shattered dreams. But when she learned about her son’s sponsored placement, a genuine smile flickered across her face. “This is hope,” she said. “A future for Edwin.”
Today, Edwin is a boarding student at St. Michael Preparatory School, in seventh grade, and is thriving.. “Kama si shule, kwetu tumeisha,” he says – “Without education we have no hope.” He misses his family, but he knows why he’s here. At school he can learn, play, simply be a boy.
When I meet him today, he looks at me with an open gaze and a firm voice. Edwin wants to become a pilot. And I believe: He can do it.”
For us, empowerment means:
Sustainable schooling, including in boarding schools if necessary
▫️ Medical and dental care
▫️ Social support provided by our local partners on site
Our goal is to give children like Edwin a real chance at self-determination and a better future.
We thank all sponsors, partner organizations and companies that share and actively support this vision.
📣 Would you like to become part of this commitment? Contact us!