Written by Isaiah, HHFL IT and Admin

We have walked a long way with Nicodemus (Nico as we often refer to him) from his very vulnerable tender age when we enrolled him into the programme. We took him when he was very ill.

Most of us can clearly remember it when he held tightly on to the hands of Mama Hanne and Mama Marianne when they visited him in the hospital where he had been admitted. At some part of last year he also got down with pneumonia which got us us all pretty worried.

One of our volunteers at the time, Milagro from Argentina, got very much involved in the medication and fundraised within her home community to restore Nico’s health.

Last year was his final year of primary education and he has been very determined to clear primary school. He is not very gifted in book work but Nico is very artistic and makes good use of his hands.

He had an interest to become a very powerful and trained carpenter and we went round looking for a good place for him. He took himself to Don Bosco Boys Town Institute in Karen for an interview in mid 2016 but unfortunately for his age he could not be enrolled there.

We then booked an interview slot for him at Don Bosco Institute in Embu where he went and impressed the interviewers! This week on Tuesday morning, Nico officially left for Embu under Mama Margaret’s care to go and join the institute for a carpentry and joinery course that is going to last him 2 years.

Nico will be using the boarding facilities which means we are going to miss him for a while until they get their termly break.

The Institute is in Embu, a short distance out of the busy town but in a very serene environment and very close to Mount Kenya and near Nanyuki where Mama Hanne and Baba Ted can pay him a visit and make him feel more at home away from home.

He left here with a very huge smile, an assurance that he is going to give it his best to become that which he always dreamed of!