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Samuel Irungu
Samuel is ten years old and came to the Shelter in March 2006, where he
was reunited with his brother, David Ngang’a. He was born on the street
and knows nothing else; his mother is mentally ill and lives on the
street. Samuel has no idea who his father is. He is a sweet boy and is
making a wonderful recovery. He says he likes football, Swahili,
sausages and mashed potatoes, cats and dogs. And he would like to
become a mechanic because he likes cars. |
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Samuel Mwangi
Samuel is always smiling. He still bears the facial scars of his time
before the Shelter, which he joined at the age of eleven in 2005. He
used to get beaten by his teachers for turning up late to school and
then punished by his mother when he returned home. A vicious cycle
ensued and he started running away from home, eventually taking to the
streets where he spent five months before being rescued by the Shelter.
When asked why he would turn up late for school, he said it was because
he ‘likes sleeping’ and he used to go and hide somewhere to sleep.
Reading between the lines, there must have been a reason for his
exhaustion…He has settled in wonderfully at the Shelter. He is table
tennis champion and very good academically, always top of the class. He
has just started attending the local state school and his dream is to
become a Doctor. |
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Samuel Ochieng
Samuel is sixteen and joined the Shelter in 2003, having spent one and
a half years living on the street. His father died when he was very
young and his mother struggled to support Samuel and his three brothers
- Samuel was eleven when he left home in search of food. He has a
gentle and endearing character, likes reading and the bible and would
like to become a carpenter, get married and have three children. |
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Simon Kamau
Simon, aged fourteen, has only been at the Shelter since July 2006. He
lost his father years ago and this year his mother died too, leaving
Simon and his brother in the care of their older brother, a recent
Shelter graduate. Then the older brother was persuaded by someone
meaning well to leave his job to do a training course, which meant that
he could no longer provide for both his brothers so the Shelter has
saved Simon from resorting to the street. He is a shy boy but is
settling in well and has already made friends here. He likes learning
Swahili, playing football and eating rice. His dream is to become a
carpenter and have four children. |
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Simon Wambugu
Simon ran away from home at the age of fifteen when his parents
threatened to kill him after finding out that he had been stealing. He
comes from Central Kenya and escaped to Naivasha, where he had only
been on the street for one week when a Shelter staff member found him
and took him to the Shelter. That was two years ago. Simon is now
seventeen. He likes gardening and carpentry and has made some cupboards
for the dormitory. He also likes acrobatics and is an excellent
goalkeeper. He would love to be a driver but is more likely to get work
using his carpentry or gardening skills. |
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Stephen Mandela
Stephen, now twelve, joined the Shelter in November 2006. He had taken
to the streets to escape physical abuse at the home of an aunt where
his parents had left him to go in search of work. When his parents
returned to find him on the streets, he was punished by further
beatings and ended up running away from home again. After a month back
on the streets, he was rescued by the Shelter. He still occasionally
sees his parents, sister and two brothers but now has the chance to
break out of the vicious circle he was trapped in. He enjoys football
and maths, has a girlfriend in Naivasha and dreams of being a doctor so
that he can help others. |
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Stephen Muiruri
Stephen, now a well-adjusted and endearing sixteen-year-old, was only
eight when the EAWL teaching and feeding programme found him on the
street. His answer to why he was on the street is very simple: no food,
no clothes, no parents. He still had to sleep on the street until the
Shelter was built in 2003. He still sees his two brothers and two
sisters occasionally. He likes carpentry and his ambition is to become
a welder. |
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Wilson Njuguna
Wilson ran away from home at the age of eight because his grandmother
didn’t have enough money to take care of him after his father died. His
brother, Joseph Njoroge, also now at the Shelter, had left home ahead
of him. Wilson spent four months on the street before joining the EAWL
teaching and feeding programme that preceded the building of the
Shelter. He was among the original cohort of boys to move in when
building was finished in 2003. He is now twelve and a great acrobat!
His dream is to become a mechanic. |
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