Dear friend,
Do me a favor and think back to when you were a senior in high school. Remember the carefree joy of being 18 years old with little to no responsibility or worry. What were you looking forward to after graduation? Going to college? A cross country road trip? A fun summer with your friends? Whatever it was, the future was bright and your possibilities were endless.
During my trip to Gilgal High School in Kenya this past February, I learned quickly that kids in their last year of high school, frequently find themselves asking, “what’s next?” The cost of continuing on to higher education is overwhelming, discouraging most kids from their pursuit of continuing on to get a college degree.
These kids don’t have money, but boy do they have dreams. Beautiful, passion-fuelled dreams.
Dreams of going on to University and pursuing a degree in things like law and teaching and making the world a better place. Dreams of changing their communities and bettering their country’s political atmosphere. Dreams of helping kids who were just like them - orphaned, desperate, and alone.
I had the chance to talk with young people who broke down in tears because their dreams of being the first in their family to graduate, let alone attend University, seems like nothing more than a fantasy. These kids grew up in our Kinship Homes. They excelled and they earned good grades. Listening to their stories and watching them wipe their tears, I found myself wondering, “what can we do to get these kids to University?”
I did some investigating and found out that the cost of attending a 4 year University in Kenya is…*brace yourself*.... $5000USD. I just about fell off my chair when I heard that because I immediately compared that cost to attending an American University where $5000 barely covers room and board, let alone 4 years of tuition.
I’m writing you this letter simply to say PLEASE keep Kinship United in your prayers as we look for ways to help send these beautiful, young minds to University - not just in Kenya, but in ALL of our Kinship Projects. Keep a look out for future blog posts, campaigns, emails, and news on our website. God has a plan for these kids, and he always provides.
As always, THANK YOU for everything that you do. Without YOU, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do and we appreciate you more than you know.
Blessings,
Michelle Thomas
Kinship United
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