Lives Impacted

In addition to Vocational Training, each of our students has an opportunity to receive Entrepreneurial Training. Most of our students who complete Vocational Training will go on to be self-employed and the knowledge and skills required to be successful in that endeavor are critical. Once a scholarship recipient has successfully completed Vocational Training and Entrepreneurial Training they are able to apply for a micro grant to cover up to 50% of the cost of equipment needed to start their business. Examples of past micro grants: tools for a mechanic, a mixer for a baker, a fryer for a caterer, a hair dryer for a hair dresser, a sewing machine for a dressmaker. This simple investment can very quickly help raise an entire family out of extreme poverty.

Joseph is one of our Secondary (High School) graduates that took advantage of our Destiny Leadership Development and Career Guidance Training. This six-week course helps our graduating scholarship students determine the best fit for training opportunities according to their skills, interests, and passions. After this course, Joseph decided to pursue vocational training in catering and is now on a Hearts of Hope Scholarship pursuing that career choice.

Margaret and John (pictured with our Program Manager, Madam Jane) recently graduated from Moffat Bible College with Hearts of Hope International scholarships. Both have trained and will serve in pastoral roles in local communities. John is gifted in preaching and hopes to pastor a church. Margaret is currently serving in praise and worship as she looks forward to an opportunity to take on a pastoral role. We pray they serve their communities well by coming alongside others and inspiring them to maximize their God-given potential, just as they have done and will continue to do.

Lizzy, a farmer and a mother of six, has been busy apprenticing with a local business in Dressmaking. Lizzy has an amazing heart for service! Before she started her apprenticeship she was active in promoting literacy through volunteer adult education programs in her community. Lizzy has a vision of serving the community by empowering the young generation. Her dreams for the future include managing a local uniform supply center as well as offering school uniforms to orphans in her community.

Peter is almost to the finish line of his two year training in Catering. He is currently doing an attachment at a hotel in the local town. He has taken full advantage of being able to work hard without worrying about school fees. Peter tells us “Thank you so much for showing me the way to achieve my goal.” Peter is happy with his training school and inspired by his friends. He is even taking on catering events outside of school with his friends to earn some extra income. Peter’s application caught our eye with his statement that “…nothing great comes easy and with God everything is possible”. Well said Peter, those are words to live by. We believe that Peter and his peers have the potential to change their community by lifting it out of poverty.

Hannah has been doing casual labor when it is available since she graduated from the eighth grade. In the mean time, she got married and had four children. Now at the young age of 44 she has decided to continue her education with vocational training. Hannah’s choice is Embroidery and she is in good hands apprenticing at a local business in a nearby town. As a busy mom, she has able to go to her apprenticeship training one or two days a week and still make excellent progress. Hannah’s goal is to start a business, increase her income and change her living conditions. Hannah proves that you are never too old to make new goals and learn new things!

Anastasia is 19 and after completing her secondary education last year she had a unique opportunity to work part-time in her aunt’s catering company. It was there that she developed a passion for hospitality. Thanks to a generous donor, Anastasia is currently training at a regional government school in Hospitality. She is hoping to earn a diploma and qualify to be a supervisor. Anastasia has a wonderfully positive outlook and is happy to be studying in an area of hew own choosing. Recently, Anastasia invited our Program Manger, Madam Jane, to come to her school in Nairobi for her practical exam. The menu included tomato cucumber salad, sweet and sour pork, mashed potatoes, julienne of carrots and french beans, pancake with chocolate sauce and coffee. She did a great job serving Jane and seven others at her table!

James is 21 years old and the youngest of 3 brothers all raised by a single mom and ailing grandmother who support their family by farming. Because the program was full, James had to wait patiently for several months to start his training for a certificate in Perioperative Theatre Technology (Scrub Nursing) . We put James on a waiting list, paid a deposit, and James persevered in waiting. As you can see in the picture, the waiting was worth it! We have a devoted sponsor for James, and this most recent school term, James is doing a practical rotation that will help him gain experience sterilizing equipment in the surgical theatre, receiving patients from the hospital ward to undergo surgery, and assisting the surgeon. He will then rotate to the Female Ward and lastly the Outpatient Department. Keep up the great work James, we are so proud of you!

Esther is married with four children and hopes to use her hairdressing training to become self-employed, contribute towards her families’ needs, and help the needy and vulnerable in her community. She says that Hearts of Hope International has given her hope for the future because now she has big dreams. Esther completed her training but wasn’t quite ready to open a business yet. We helped with a micro grant to pay for half the cost of a blow dryer so she can work out of her home. This is a great step for Esther as she builds her experience and her client base. Great job Esther, keep going one step at a time!

Teresiah is 32 and a single mom. At a very young age she took care of her ailing father. Teresiah’s dream has always been to be a nurse. She patiently waited for 13 years (since completing secondary school) for this hearts desire of hers to come true. Thanks to a generous donor, Teresiah has no fear about her tuition being paid on time and she can fully focus on her studies. Trust us, her grades reflect this peace of mind that allows her to excel in her studies. She has been training to be a Community Health Nurse for almost two years now. Her grades continue to be the very best! She rotates back and forth between the classroom and the hospital doing practicals. We are so proud of you Teresiah, keep up the great work!

Samuel was raised by his grandmother and had a lot of struggles with his education due to lack of school fees. His dream has always been to pursue a medical related course. Samuel was our very first scholarship applicant back in 2019. After three and a half years training as a Medical Engineer, Samuel has now completed his training.His final project was a temperature monitoring and control system for a newborn unit. Congratulations Samuel, we celebrate your perseverance through a pandemic and other challenges to complete your training. We pray God will bless your resilience.

Penninah is a woman of persistent prayer. In 2007 she started having eye problems and eventually the treatments stopped working and she lost her eyesight. That’s when her husband left her with her daughter to raise alone. After she lost her eyesight, she prayed for 10 years for an opportunity to receive training to be able to support herself and her daughter. We were able to enroll Penninah in a school for the blind to learn Braille first and then learn to use a Braille knitting machine. Penninah worked hard for three years to complete her training. We were able to help Penninah further with the purchase of a Braille knitting machine and she is now able to work from her home knitting sweaters and making some income to support her daughter with.