Outcast and Alone: You Helped Steven When No One Else Would

When you support Kinship United, you’re supporting orphans who would otherwise have no one to turn to for help. Orphans who had to grow up too quickly and focus on survival.

Orphans like Steven.

At only 15 years old, Steven knows more heartbreak and hardship than most experience in their lifetime.

When he was just a little boy, Steven lost his father to a tragic road accident. His mother did her best to care for him on her own for years, but she suffered from HIV along the way.

Steven witnessed his mother's battle with the disease since he was a young child. And the memory still stings and often leaves him upset.

Steven encountered challenges in his community due to his mother's illness. His community ostracized him for his association with an HIV-positive mother.

Outcast and Abandoned

Before his mother passed away, he was socially excluded, which only worsened after her death. Steven’s community labelled him an "outcast." His extended family even distanced themselves from him.

With no one to turn to, Steven found himself living on the streets. Every day was a fight for survival. For six months, he slept on cardboard boxes and relied on the charity of strangers for food. That was until a Good Samaritan took notice of him. This man stopped his car nearby and asked Steven why he was there.

Steven recalls, "I almost ran away, thinking he was a bad guy. Little did I know, he was my angel, the one who would bring light back into my life."

The Day Everything Changed

The man returned from his car with milk and bread - a memory that still brings Steven joy. This man, a friend of Pastor Daniel at the Aruba Kinship Project, called him and arranged for Steven to have a safe place to stay.

Despite all the trauma he endured so young, Steven's kind demeanor remains unchanged. Steven now resides in Aruba, considering the Kinship Home as his own, especially after his relatives abandoned him.

When his family cast him out, your support offered Steven a lifeline. Our deepest gratitude goes to you, our generous supporters. Your contributions make it possible for many children like Steven to find a peaceful and loving home. Thank you so much, and may God bless you abundantly.

Written with Elizabeth, our field team member in Kenya