Written by Leonard Juma, 14 years old 

My name is Leonard Juma and I am 14 years old. I was born on May 13 2000 in Nairobi at a place called Racecourse. This is where I was raised and where I lost my mother. My grandmother tells me that my mother died of colon cancer when I was two years old. I can’t remember her face because I was too young. After my mother died, my grandmother took over the care of me and my two siblings and we moved to Ngong Forest where my grandmother had a little job in a tree nursery. She worked very hard but she had to also take care of three other kids and that was stressful for her.

I started going to school when I was seven years old. My school was called Ngong forest primary School but I suffered a lot there. There was no school bus for transport and many times I went to school with an empty stomach. I thanked God for little bit I did get. The teachers were not very nice and I was not learning very much. After one year, my grandmother whom I love very much came to HHFL project and asked Mama Hanne to sponsor us. Mama Hanne let me, my brother and my sister (Patricia and Elvis) join the project because she is a kind-hearted person. We were so happy for the opportunity she had given us.

When I joined HHFL, everything in my life changed. I enrolled in a new private school called St Nicholas where there is good transport, good food and the teachers treat us well. I like it there and my grades are much better. My brother and sister are happy too and I am happy to be with them at the project.

I play ball games, board games but my favourite is soccer here in the project. We even do exercises for healthy living. We usually eat fruit every evening and in the morning, we eat porridge. I feel so good to be in this programme and it makes me want to work harder in my studies. I will do my best to repay mama Hanne back what she has provided me with and what she has given my young brothers and sisters. I thank her for all the support she has granted unto me.

Having a sponsor would mean a lot to me. I will be able to continue with my education without any stress because I will know that there is a special kind hearted person somewhere in the world who cares about me. I would be very happy if I had someone who I could talk to, share my pictures with, become good friends with and do many things together. I would ask lots of questions about his/her country because I am so curious. I hope my wish will come true some day.

To learn more about sponsoring Leonard, click here.