Father Needs You

As we have mentioned in the past, Lucian Muna aka Father (like we use Junior, they use Father) is looking for a sponsor. Although this is not a project of TEP, I am happy to tell Father’s story and see if there is anyone out there willing to help. In 2009 I became very attached to Father. He is turning 9 in July and is extremely clever. Unfortunately he has a very rough life. His mother was very young when she had him and shortly thereafter both of her parents died leaving her the caretaker of their orphaned 5 member family. Their uncles took everything they owned and sold it off leaving them with nothing (a huge problem in East Africa). Father’s mother is extremely mentally ill and causes havoc where ever she goes. She is nearly the world’s worst mother and those who care for Father are at their wits end with her behavior. She beats him, mentally abuses him, tells lies about those who care for them, has sex with different men when he’s around and the list continues. As well, the identity of Father’s biological father is unknown for this reason. Since I first met Father I made a personal commitment to do what I could to help him. Unfortunately for Father, in the name of TEP I am responsible for helping the highest amount of people with the lowest amount of resources and concentrating funds and efforts on one individual is beyond our means. This continues to be one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make. Although I believe I have made the right decision, during my second trip I could see how badly Father needs to be removed from his mother’s care. I am concerned time is running out. To send him to a really good boarding school, close enough that Babu and Ava (his Aunt) can visit him and care for him but far enough away that his mother can’t hurt him, will only cost $700 USD a year. This covers his books, uniforms and school fees. He is currently studying at a local government school for his Standard 1. Unfortunately, everyday he sits on the floor amongst 318 other students with only one poorly trained teacher to help them learn. The last time I spoke to him on the phone he said ‘Aunty Cassie, they don’t even have chalk for the board.’ The worst part is he goes home every night where his mother makes him run ridiculous errands without enough food in his stomach. Despite all of that he scored 19 out of 319 kids on his exams! I couldn’t be more proud of him. Father will need to be supported through Standard 7 and we would hope to get at least a two year commitment from any donor so we can ensure a little stability for him. It would be easy for two or three families to take a portion of the cost so the financial burden is not as great. In fact, we already have the Fitzgerald family committed to a portion of the cost per year. Groups such as businesses, church communities, sports teams, etc. have also been known to sponsor children. This is life or death for Father so please help me find a way to give him the support he so desperately needs. If you directly are unable to help I ask you to please tell Father’s story to someone who may be able to as you never know who could be the key to Father’s future.