Written by Cedric Odendo – HHFL Alumnus

I am always very grateful for the love, support and the good morals that HHFL instilled in me. At the center, I learned about responsibility very early in life. Through the exposure given at HHFL, I got the tools to be self-sufficient, intelligent and responsible.

With all the life values obtained, I can confidently feel that I have become a role model to many of the young brothers and sisters in the project, and everyday I am working hard to be at my best, knowing at the back of my mind about the many people that look up to me. From time to time, I spare time to speak to the children. They are very curious to know what I am doing, and perhaps be inspired into nursing and medicine. I remember during one of the sessions, the younger ones were amazed to hear about cornea harvesting as one of the things we were doing at Lions First Eye Hospital. A story about one of my visits is here on this Link. This has been my second job since I came out of nursing school, with the first one having been in an orthopedic hospital at Athi River, a town located to the East of Nairobi.

This year, in spite of the Covid-19 economic ramifications, I have enrolled for a higher diploma in critical care nursing. I am a student at AMREF International University. I have always had this dream of rising higher in my studies since I finished my basic nursing course in 2017. All along, I kept it a secret and a promise to myself that I would make savings and get myself into a university. I am happy that I have been honest to myself and lived to see this dream finally materializing.

Classes have been held virtually for a big part of the year because of corona. I was faced with a challenge of attending online classes, as I did not have a laptop. HHFL was very kind to me by issuing me with a nice laptop that is my study room for now.

With this course added to my CV, I will be more qualified and marketable locally and internationally – which is my ultimate goal.

I am very grateful to everyone who has stood with me and walked the steps of life with me. This includes Hanne Howard Fund and their donor base, especially The First Group from UAE. You are the wings that carried me high before I could fly myself, and for supporting many others who are in need I pray that God may bless you.