Real News! November 2009.

Hello Everyone!Here is another opportunity to share with you about all the blessings that we have received from God as this year comes to an end. We hope that all has been and is well with you. We have enjoyed some sunshine and some amount of rainfall. This rain has been experienced also in the dryer parts of the country and we are very thankful to God!

Farewell 2009!
As we wind up this year, we have many reasons to thank God for! Firstly the support you sponsors have given to our children throughout has played a big part in enabling the children to finish this school year. We thank God for enabling our children who were form four candidates to finish their secondary education. We have faith that they will perform well since they are Real Stars!! 22 of them will be attending the Diguna Camp in December for the teenagers.

Thank the Almighty for His Blessings!God has blessed us in so many ways in the past months. To start with, in August we were able to buy some of the children in our programme some textbooks that they needed. Most of the times, it is hard to get the specific books that they need. Since they were on holiday, we were busy with getting shopping for them and also items for those who were taking their final examinations. All that would not have been possible without your commitment. (God Bless You Greatly!). We were blessed to have two volunteers from Nairobi, Kenya. These are, Miriam Ayaa and Agnes Andeso. Miriam joined us in May this year. She lives in Kawangware Slums with her elder sister. She is orphaned. She will be starting secondary school next year (2010). She has been of great help most especially in the office errands like mailing, filing and recording the petty cash expenses. Agnes joined us in late July. She lives in Satellite with her elder sister. She is also an orphan. She will be with us until May or September 2010 when she will join The Catholic University of Eastern Africa to study Law. She would like to be an Advocate for the rights of children. She has been very helpful in taking the case histories of the new children getting into our programme and doing the home-visits and follow-ups on some on some cases. September was not as busy except for the time when the children were reporting back to school. All of them were able to get to school in time. In the month of October we were blessed to have a volunteer named Allyssa Adams from the United States. She is studying Peace and Conflicts at Daystar University in Kenya. We did a home visit with her to two sisters. Allyssa left a while later. We were joined by Gloria Namwo from Kenya who is studying Community Development at Railway Training Institute. Gloria is on attachment with us for three months. She is of great help especially when it comes to fieldwork. She also assists in taking the case histories. Something we are thankful to God for as sometimes it gets hectic in the office. This month of November was not any busy especially because we had to take a break of two weeks so that we are replenished to tackle the busy month of December.


Let’s offer Christ the Manger of our Hearts!

As we approach this very beautiful celebration of the Birth of our Lord Christ Jesus, Real Stars wishes you all a Merry Christmas and a prosperous new year! We ask you to help us pray for the safety our children during this December holiday as some might be traveling to upcountry to be with relatives during this festive season. Pray also that our children will be prudent during this long holiday so that they don’t engage in activities that would affect their lives.


Let me introduce you to a Real Star! – Miriam Night


Miriam Night is a 12-year-old girl who lives in the heart of the slums of Kibera. She is the third born in a family of five. She has never met her father and her mother passed away in 2005 leaving them under the care of their maternal aunt, Grace Nasila. Her elder siblings (Patrick and Nang’osi) live on their own. Patrick plucks tea in a farm in Kiambu, Central Kenya while Nang’osi does odd jobs at Rongai which is located on the outskirts of Nairobi City. Miriam and her younger siblings (Richard and Diana) live with this aunt, together with her 2-year-old daughter Scorvia.





Miriam Night with family











Their aunt who was unable to send them to school due to lack of fees would leave them unattended as she went to do the odd jobs. This caused Miriam and her siblings to start borrowing food in the nearby market and neighbouring estates and they ended up bumping into Rose. She got them a well-wisher who has been providing them with food regularly. However, Miriam and her siblings could not join school yet due to lack of finances. During this time Miriam and her siblings were left to care for their cousin Scorvia. However that changed since Rose managed to get both Miriam and Diana a sponsor who caters for their school expenses and they have since been attending school.




Richard, Diana and Miriam












Miriam’s younger brother, Richard, who has also been out of school will be starting school soon. Miriam and Diana were forced to repeat their previous classes and this has motivated them to work even harder.

We at Real Stars wish you God’s Blessing during Christmas & A HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010!

Dem Herrn Befohlen,
Shalom,

Rose Muiu

Real News! July 2009.

Praise the Lord for He is good. His love endures forever!First of all, we here at Real Stars want to thank all of you for your support and love for these children. Without you they would not be where they are at today. You have changed their lives forever and God will surely bless you for your generosity.

In the past month we have got our very own mail box! So now we have our own address and can quit using Rose’s. We also got our Pin number to help us file for deductibles on taxes! On top of that we got our own bank accounts – one for Shillings and one for Euros! In Kenya it is very very difficult to get these things and we have received them quicker than we anticipated! Thank you Jesus! Another blessing we have this month is Jackie Cooper, a university student from the United States that has come to help us for the month. She is studying International Business and Operations Management at the University of Minnesota. Jackie has completely redone our filing system and is helping us upgrade our technology and data.

In everything through prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God! And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds! We ask that you pray for the health and safely of all our kids, especially as they start school holidays. Also, it hasn’t been raining as much here as is needed so we pray that God will send the floods down so we can have a good harvest and that water wouldn’t be in such short supply. Sometimes people have to walk for kilometers to find a water source.

And now I would like to introduce a Real Star – Brian Musa Omollo!
Brian grew up in the Kibera slums and in the midst of his hard childhood found that he loved to sing. His parents couldn’t afford to send him to school, but his extended family paid for him to go until he started receiving support from Real Stars. He is taking a 3D Animation course at university which he couldn’t otherwise do without the support of Real Stars sponsors.

Brian originally wanted to study Mass Communications, but when he was applying to university and told them his passion was music they suggested he get involved with cartoons instead. He loves the course and loves composing. He knows that because he trusts in God his life is going somewhere. He longs to provide for his family, especially for his five younger sisters. Many of Brian’s friends have turned to the streets and become gangsters, some have even been shot, but he is relying on the promise that God has a purpose for him so he joyfully continues with his studies.
Brian was born in Mumius, in the countryside. He lived with both his parents until they moved to Nairobi when he was 2 years old. At 5 he started nursery school. Then His parents moved back the countryside and he lived with his two lovely guardians: his grandmother and grandfather. His only brother died from illness at age 6 when Brian was still in primary school. When he started primary school his grandfather and uncles paid his school fees until year 8. After that his father paid for his education up to Form 2 when he was unjustly arrested for being in the vicinity of a civil dispute over land. He has been in jail for 2 years and has not yet been released even though he was not involved in the dispute. Such is the justice system in Kenya. God blessed Brian with a sponsor when he was about to enter Form 3. While Brian was still living with his grandparents, his grandfather became sick and passed away. Then Brian’s aunt moved from Nakuru to live with him and her son, Musa Ramadhan. Ramadhan should be in Form 1 but can’t afford school fees even though his mother now works security in Bomas. Brian has his own house near his aunt’s where he lives with and old friend, Collins. They live in a one room house, with sheets for bedroom walls, and no electricity, but Brian never loses hope and always has a smile on his face. His cheerful attitude is contagious as he talks about the future.
Collins, Brian, and Ramadhan at their home in Kibera

When he gradutates from school, Brian wants to open his own music studio and work as a producer for other people’s music as well as his own. He prays that God will bless him with money so that he can open a children’s home for the children of Kibera slums.
Since he grew up there he knows the problems the children face and wants to help them. He would also like to help with church building, especially in the countryside.

Brian likes watching football and his favorite team is Manchester United. His favorite player is Rooney because he is rough around the edges, and that reminds him of where he grew up. Brian also likes to play Playstation at his friend’s house, who has creatively started a business where kids can go and pay for PS time. He prays that God will bless him with a computer for his studies.

Real News! May 2009

Hello!

It is such a joy to be able to keep in touch with you all and share the wonders the Lord is doing in the organization through your support both spiritually and financially.

Hope that you are doing well and continue to enjoy the love of our Lord Jesus and his faithfulness.

We are excited to be enjoying this rainy season and hope that it lasts. We have been experiencing a time of drought and our prayer is that the rains will be around long enough for the crops to have a productive harvest.

The children have gone back to school for their second term and we are glad that they are all well.

Daniel Wakoli lost both his parents to HIV in 1995 when he was just two years old. He is a Ugandan national and came to Kenya to visit the aunty. He dropped out of school due to lack of money.

He had been staying at home until his uncle met with Rose and she decided to follow his story and Thanks to God he got a sponsor.
They wanted to go back to Uganda to reunite with the family members and therefore got a school in his home country. Although he went late he performed very well in his exams.

Wycliff Bulimo hobby is playing football and he always aspired to see young boys develop their talent and decided to coach a group of around forty boys. They not only teach football but also follow up on the lives of the boys and ensure that they are enrolled in school and they perform well. He cleared high school and is now doing driving to get his license so that he can earn income as a driver.

Real News! January 2009

Hi all! (Jambo)
It’s a blessing to have to God’s mercies and love each day of our lives and we here at Real stars are so excited about the New Year.

School Reopening
January was a busy month as children were busy doing their shopping and going back to school.
We are thrilled to have enrolled 15 new students to different schools.(Leah Mueni, one of our students with her shopping ready to go to school.)

Countries Disaster
Kenya is experiencing a serious drought which has claimed the lives of many who go for days without food or water. The boreholes in the very hot districts dried up and people had to walk for kilometers to find water. Life had become so hard that in December there was a riot due to the increase in our staple food, maize.

Elizabeth Munee’s Story
She was brought up by her mother not knowing who her biological father is to this day. Her mom’s right leg was crippled and she plaited people’s hair for a living. She died in late 90’s after a short illness. Now she lives with her aunt. Rose was informed about her by her Mum’s Pastor. Thus, she took her to Homeless children Home where she was working then.

Elizabeth Munee is a former Homeless Children
International (HCI Kenya) beneficiary who later joined Real stars and thanks God for the opportunity that she has had. Her life has never been the same again for she has grown both spiritually and physically.

She had lost hope of ever studying law to fulfill her career because the tuition fee was too much for her. But she never lost hope for she knew God had great plans for her life. During this time she was working for Sterling bride, a bridal shop which operated under HCI Kenya. She was a temporary employee and only got a little wage everyday. She saved some money and was able to enroll in a college in town to study video productions which she later realized wasn’t her passion.

She developed a liking to work with the community and after consulting, she learned about social work and community development as a course. She found a good college but yet again the tuition fee was too high. She approached teacher Rose for help and she devoted to finding her a sponsor. She enrolled with the little money she had and believed that God would open a way for her. And miraculously she got a sponsor immediately who she enrolled. Since she needed at least 2 more sponsors due to her course load. Rose met her former sponsors the Schellenbergs who also decided to support her! God is so good!He always comes through on time!

Real stars has done great things in her life and she thanks God for giving her the chance to be who she is today and with the spiritual growth that she is receiving she can’t thank Him enough. It feels good not to keep thinking of not going to class because of school fee balance and thus being able to concentrate on studies.Machakos Trip
Silvia has been volunteering with us and got the great opportunity of taking Winnie to her new school. This being the first time they went for last minute shopping trying to decided what was the basic things she needed.

They left on a Thursday afternoon having spent most of the morning looking for school shoes and getting her size wasn’t easy for they had to go to four different Bata shops around town.

With the traffic on Mombasa road they got to school at 6:30pm luckily the teachers were still around. She registered and within 30 minutes they were through and
Winnie was a student again thanks to Real stars.Winnie’s mother died when she was very young leaving her and her small sister behind. The maternal aunt took them and raised them together with her own five children.


She finished primary school but had to delay in joining form one for lack of money and had to stay at home to help her aunt. She got enough money for one term and enrolled at a day school next to her home.

Come second term there was no more money but a good Samaritan showed up and was willing to pay for her education, little did they know that he wanted her for a wife. The aunty didn’t approve and the man wasn’t happy and almost raped her. She luckily managed to run away and that is when she was brought to Real stars and Rose helped her get a sponsor and a school in machakos.

She is now happy in school and working hard to catch up with what she lost.

Meet some of the Stars

Meet Fridah, She is one of the girls sponsored by Real Stars, she is one of the Stars! Fridah comes from Mathare and is currently a student at Forest View Academy. She loves singing and poetry. She is a born leader and at her tender age she is already leading worship service at her local church during school holidays.

The joy of seeing a child in school

Hello Everyone!
We take this opportunity to thank the almighty God for his mercies and love throughout the year 2009 and the beginning of 2010. This being our first newsletter for this year, we wish each and everyone a happy and blessed new year. God is good all the time as that is his nature so we need not fear, doubt or panic in unpleasant situations but rather, we should trust him for answers.

Despite the misfortunes of losing cows due to drought, the Lord has been so gracious and merciful by sending down rains in December which has given bumper harvest even in drought areas. The harvest is plentiful and we thank God for that and pray that it will continue to be well with us.
January has been a busy month due to payment of school fees and also working with more needy children wanting to continue their education in the secondary school.

We are also grateful to have Christine Amanfu, a Counselling Psychology student from Daystar University to do her internship with us.


The Story of Dhahabo Dido

Dhahabo was born on 19th June 2007. Her parents live in Moyale with 3 of her siblings. Dhahabo is a standard 4 girl living in Kibera in Nairobi with the eldest sister


Sara since the age of 5. She was enrolled in school in 2007. Her school fees then were being paid by her brother-in-law Jarso. She transfered to Changing Times School in 2008 since the fees were cheaper. With an increase in the school fees, it has been difficult for the sister and the husband who does odd jobs. They planned to marry her off but luckily the owner of Changing Times School learned about this and was able to inform Rose who helped Dhahabo to get a sponsor.

She is now a standard 4 pupil at Machakos Academy Primary School as a boarder.

There are a large number of such girls who need help and we are praying and hoping they can be helped. Education will help empower girls in such situations.
John Njau
John Njau is a 10 year old boy who Hannah Kniess an intern form Germany bumped into at Nakumart Prestige, one of the big supper markets in Nairobi.


Both parents are dead and John stayed with his Auntie and two brothers in Kawangware .Due to poverty, he stopped

School and has been on the street for the past two years.

Hannah took him to stay with George a friend in Kibera for a month while looking for a school for him. Hannah introduced him to Rose to be placed in school as he expressed the desire to continue his education. Luckily John has not been affected socially by the life he led on the streets and this will make it possible for him to cope very well in a boarding school set-up. With the help of Hannah, John has sponsors and is in Machakos Academy Primary School class 2.

God is good to his people and when we put our trust in him, he does not disappoint us. As the news letter was almost done, God showed his love and mercy towards Joseph Mukundi. Hallelujah, he has a sponsor


Joseph Mukundi
Joseph born on 16th April 1992 just finished class 8 and was admitted to secondary school but due the poor background, was finding difficulty in raising the fees. Thanks to God he has a sponsor who will help him realize his dreams for the future.


Joseph Mwangi lives in Kibera with his father and brother. He finished class 8 in 2009 (last year). Their mother left them when they were very young and she now spends her days drinking. Their father is the only breadwinner in the family and from his meager earnings he is only able to provide for the basic needs of his children. Joseph and his brother were able to finish primary education since it’s free. However Joseph has no hope of joining secondary school because his father cannot afford the fees. Joseph came to know Rose through a friend who is also on the waiting list of Real Stars programme.

Jesus told the disciples, ‘Let the children come to me for theirs is the kingdom of God’. God loves children and he is glad when they are taken care of. The year 2010 has started on a good note and hopefully it will continue so that more children will be taken care of. God bless all of you with good health, long life and prosperity as you bring his joy to others in need.