SPONSOR A CHILD

Sponsoring a vulnerable child is the most impactful, and possibly one of the most gratifying experiences of your lifetime.  By spending slightly more than one dollar a day, you can literally Change a Life.

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CLCL’S SPONSORSHIPS ARE TAILORED TO EACH CHILD’S SPECIFIC NEEDS

 

PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN

School fees, school uniforms, food, bedding, and medical attention are among items covered. After school fees are met, each child’s guardian is allowed to help determine what are their family’s most pressing needs. Some families may decide to continue using torn, hand-me-down uniforms for their child, so more food can be purchased. These decisions are made with our Social Worker, who then oversees the purchase of necessary items. The families are never given any money directly.

SECONDARY SCHOOL CHILDREN

The school fees are much higher and a sponsorship will cover these fees, generally allowing the child to be able to board at a school.  In Kenya, all but the very poorest students board for secondary school.

UNIVERSITY, COLLEGE OR TRADE SCHOOL

All of CLCL’s sponsored children are given the opportunity to attend University, College, or a trade school, depending upon their performance on Kenya’s Secondary Exams (KCSE). CLCL will supplement a sponsor’s donations to pay for a child’s tertiary education. Unlike in the U.S., advanced education is highly affordable. The cost for tuition, books, fees, and living expenses typically ranges from roughly $600 to $1,000 per year.

JUST TWO OF CLCL’S SPONSORED CHILDREN SUCCESS STORIES

SAMUEL

CLCL began sponsoring Samuel in 2016, when he was in Form 2 (the U.S. equivalent to being a sophomore in High School). Samuel was attending a Day School and struggled to pay his school fees. He often was sent home from school and not allowed to attend classes, because his family could not afford to pay the fees.

Samuel was living with his grandmother, who had raised him since being abandoned by his mother as a baby. Not only could the grandmother not pay for his school fees or school uniforms, but also, she could hardly afford food or her medical expenses. The two were living in a small and poorly ventilated house. Samuel’s father was also living with them on the family compound. While Samuel would have benefitted educationally by attending a boarding school, as do most Kenyan secondary students, he was so close to his elderly and ill grandmother, it was determined he would be better off to remain at the day school. This enabled Samuel to maintain his close bond with his grandmother, carrying her outside daily, so she could sit in the sun and breathe fresh air.

Without a sponsorship from Changing Lenses Changing Lives, Samuel likely would not have been able to complete his education. With a sponsorship, he was able to complete secondary school and graduate from a trade school.

He attended one of the best technical schools, where he chose to learn plumbing, and he could study without worrying about paying his school fees. Even before graduation, Samuel found a job at a water project. He now leads an independent life and can comfortably safeguard himself against the financial challenges which had plagued his family for generations.

In addition to providing financial support, CLCL has also cared for Samuel emotionally through our social worker. During Samuel’s sponsorship he lost three relatives, including his grandmother and most recently his father. He is grateful that CLCL offered a safe haven for him, especially during his father's illness. Our social worker ensures that all of our children have whatever type of support network they may need.

While CLCL paid for Samuel’s education, it was he who put in the hard work to succeed! Can you be the person who helps a child like Samuel achieve their dreams and find success?

ANTONY

When CLCL first met 10-year-old Antony, he was an exemplary performer in his second-grade class, consistently ranking in the top three. However, his academic performance would have been even better if had not had to miss class due to insufficient school fees and health challenges. Due to poverty, Antony begun school later than most of his classmates. This can often make a child not fit in with their peers. Added to that was that Antony suffered from Tungiasis, or jiggers, a parasitic flea. When jiggers enter through one’s hands and feet, they cause a painful infection, which can be crippling. And unfortunately non-infected children tend to mock those who suffer from jiggers. In their small, unmaintained house, Antony and his three siblings were exposed to many parasitic infections including intestinal worms, mosquitos, and jiggers. Jiggers are most often found in wet locations where people do not have cement floors in their houses. Antony’s house was built beside a hillside, and whenever it rained, mud from the hill washed into his house, covering the dirt floor.

When CLCL visited Antony in 2020, he was on our waitlist for a sponsorship. Antony left school and led us over the long trails to house. He was wearing over-sized men’s shoes, because the jigger infection hurt his feet too badly to wear shoes his own size. It had been raining the day prior, and his mother was shoveling mud from their living room. Once there, we learned that Antony’s parents worked irregular casual labor jobs. We also discovered that the parents too suffered from jiggers, and the painful infections greatly hindered their earning potential.

A member of the CLCL team decided that she not only wanted to sponsor Antony, but also that she wanted to donate the money needed to build him and his family a better house! With the sponsorship, not only were his school fees paid, but he and his family also received treatment for jiggers. Today, they have a new house and their jigger infections have greatly subsided. Thanks to a generous sponsor, now Antony can concentrate on his school work and on being a little boy!

A Life has been Changed!

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