My life before the streets
My name is Erastus, I am 21 years old. My father worked in a factory in Nairobi. He had put our family on a good path by opening a small shop for my mum to earn a living at the same time as taking care 4 small kids.
In 2005, he passed away of an unknown illness. My story turned around at that time. I was 5 years old. Our widowed mother became a single mother, struggling to make a living while taking care of us kids.
After 2 years in primary school, I had to drop out in class 3 at 7 years old, because my mum could not afford all of us to be in school.
3 years in the street
In the street, my friends and I used to struggle, we would scavenge for plastic and metal from rubbish hips and Mukuru’s rivers to sell them. We would get 10 KES (Euros 0.10) per kilogram. If we were lucky to find food in the garbage, we would eat. We also used to beg in traffic. I would go home to sleep, but wonder around the street the all day.
My mother would expect me to bring money home, but I was 8 years old and needed to think of feeding myself first. I would give her only if I had some change after eating food.
When I was living in the street, I saw this way of life as normal because there is nothing else to do. Now that I look at it from a distance, I can see I wasn’t comfortable.
I was 10 years old when I met MSDP’s social workers.
When I was in the street there were some social workers from MSDP talking with street children like me. I was taken to their rescue centre: Halfway House. I was lucky to have been rescued from the street at a young age, because it was easier to readapt to normal life than if I had been older.
When I arrived at MSDP rescue centre, we were 20 kids and we were all going through the same thing. There was no cook at the time, the older kids would cook and teach us how to cook. We were introduced to some learning: English, mathematics and spiritual teachings. I stayed for one year.
MSDP took me back to St Catherine primary school. I was lucky I had a mother and could go home after school while all my schooling materials and fees was catered for.
I concentrated on my studies
Through MSDP, a lady from Europe sponsored me to go to boarding school in Nakuru, at Excel Academy, a good private school. So in 2011, at 11 years, I entered class 4. It was comfortable, I was provided everything by my sponsor: books, materials, uniform. The only thing was on visiting day, other children were visited but I was not. Though I got motivation from my sponsor and Bairam, a social worker from MSDP, regularly checked on me. I completed my primary school by scoring 435/500 in the Kenya Primary Certificate Exams, which was within the top scores nationwide.
I was admitted at Maseno High School, which is one of the top national high schools in Kenya. Though, it was a bit problematic joining high school because my sponsor left me stranded.
As I was a good performer, the director of my primary school did my school material shopping and paid my bus fare to high school. I went to Maseno high school. When we closed after the 3rd term, I lost hope because I didn’t have money for pending school fees and for the next year school fees.
The luckiest day in my life
At the end of my first year in secondary school, I followed up on all my scholarships application, but all I got were negative responses. I followed up my application at the Jomo Kenyatta Foundation. First I was told it was too late and I was really loosing hope. At that exact moment, the managing director entered the office. After going through my documents, she realized I was performing very well, and told the officer “this boy is going to join the scholarship program, organize for him”. It was a lucky day.
I got the Jomo Kenyatta foundation scholarship until I completed high school. I did well in high school. I was the academic captain, I represented the school in many contests, such as mathematics contests. For the Kenya Secondary Certificate exam (KSCE), I got A plain (83 pts, which means I got A plain in 6 subjects and A- in one subject). Again I was a top student!
I want to help people from where I come from
I wanted to be a pilot. In high school I did aviation technology as a subject, but now there was no public university to do aviation (there are all private schools). My next area of interest was medicine. If I look at where I am from, so many people are suffering from illnesses. My mum has a long term sickness, my dad died of a swelling in the neck which we have never understood where it came from. I want to help people from where I come from. I still hope after my 6 years of studies and I will have some cash, I can join pilot school then.
MSDP came through again!
I joined Medical studies at University of Nairobi. As a top student, I am benefitting from a government bursary and a student loan. I still cannot afford food, school materials and personal effects. I reached out to MSDP recently in 2021. After discussing my situation, MSDP has agreed to support me with some shopping to support my living cost. They also offered me a short term job to be a career at Halfway House during the Christmas holiday. It really helped me.
I would like to show people who think they don’t have a future that everything is possible. That is my core intention, show people, you are from this place, but you can reach anywhere.
My vision for myself, I want to become a clinician. If I get a chance I would work in a charitable institution. When I walk in town, I see people begging, I tell myself, If I succeed I will open a place to stay for them.
Many children have succeeded after going through halfway house. On behalf of them I would like to thank MSDP.