Books & Bowls | Hope For Life Kenya

Fueling Minds.

Filling Plates.

Giving Hope.

Help make a lasting difference:
$22,000 will provide six months of nourishing meals for every child at Hope for Life, along with the required set books and events that give high school students the chance to learn, compete, and dream of a brighter future.

Together, we are empowering children to honor God, strengthen their families and transform their communities. Your generosity brings us one step closer to reaching our $22,000 goal by December 3.

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Books To Live By

Every term, Kenyan high school students study African novels and showcase their learning through competitive performances in regional Book Set events. Without books, students can’t participate and miss out on academic credit.

$56 allows one student to participate in book set events for a term.

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Full Bowls, Full Hearts

Most families at Hope for Life Kenya survive on less than $1 a day. Without the nutritious lunch at Hope for Life, many children would go without food entirely. One simple bowl of food means the strength to learn, grow, and thrive.

$95 feeds 150 children for one day

Help a student learn & thrive

BOOKS

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Feed a child for a day

BOWLS

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Before the sun rises over Nakuru, Peter is already awake. It’s 5:15 a.m. The house is quiet. There’s no breakfast waiting, not even a bite of bread. He slips out the door in the dim light and walks briskly toward a nearby farm.

By 5:45 a.m. he begins his task—clearing a rectangle of weeds roughly 25 by 50 feet. He measures the space by pacing it off, then bends down to work quickly and tirelessly.

Older laborers might take several hours to finish such a section but Peter moves fast. If he finishes in time, he earns 250 Kenyan shillings—about two U.S. dollars. That small amount helps feed his mother, three brothers, and sister.

If the morning work ends quickly, he runs home to change into his school uniform. If not, he carries a change of clothes and switches at school before classes begin. At 7:00 a.m., the school day starts. Peter focuses intently. He is in his final year of high school, determined to make the most of every lesson despite his exhaustion.

By 12:30 p.m., hunger gnaws fiercely. The small lunch provided by his school barely takes the edge off. So Peter, and a few other Hope for Life students, dash down the hill to the Hope for Life Center, where a warm, nourishing meal awaits. It’s the first real food he’s had all day and it provides the strength he needs to keep learning.

When the school day ends at 5:30, Peter doesn’t rest. If his weeding wasn’t finished that morning, he heads back to the farm to complete his section and collect his pay. Then it’s home to check whether there’s firewood for cooking. If not, he searches for sticks or charcoal before his sister begins preparing supper—usually ugali and vegetables, eaten around 9:00 p.m.

Only after dinner does he open his books. Some nights, there’s no kerosene for the lantern, so he and his brothers walk to the Hope for Life center, where Josephine welcomes them to study under the glow of electric lights. Around midnight, he finally sleeps—his mind filled with lessons and dreams of a better future.

For Peter, every day is a test of endurance yet he presses on with determination, gratitude, and faith. Hope for Life stands beside him, making sure hunger and poverty don’t steal his education or his future.

Stories of Hope

Stories

About the Book Sets for Students

Each year, up to six books are assigned per grade—two per term. This system is followed every term across all grades in both junior and senior high school. The selected novels are primarily written by African authors and are chosen for their relevance to community issues. The goal is to spark discussion and inspire change through creative expression. Students explore these issues in depth, using drama, poetry, and song to communicate their insights to a wider community.

For instance, one novel might address the historical rejection of multiple births (e.g. twins or triplets), where such children were once killed due to cultural beliefs. After watching student performances based on these books, communities have begun to shift their views—abandoning such harmful practices.

Other cultural themes explored through the books include:

Wife inheritance and succession rights
Abuse and domestic violence
The rights and empowerment of the girl child
Other social or cultural issues impacting communities

At each school the books are thoroughly analyzed. Students write and perform dramas that effectively summarize the themes and plot of the books. They may also create poems or songs inspired by the literature. Once a term, students from 5-6 neighboring schools gather for a 2–3-day festival where they present their performances to the local community, who pay to attend.

Students are evaluated by teachers on criteria such as style, fluency and creativity. Community members are also invited to provide written critiques, especially regarding the issues addressed in the performances. The top two students from each school advance to perform at the sub-county level. Winners there move on to county competitions, and the best from each county perform at the national level. Students who reach the national stage often receive full university scholarships.

DONATE ONLINE TODAY!

If you would rather mail a check, write it out to:

Faith and Learning International
P.O. Box 480
Wheaton, IL 60187
(Include a note that the gift is for Hope for Life Kenya)

Devina, the eldest of two children, is now in her second year of senior high school. When she was just eight, her mother became sick with HIV/AIDS.

Instead of caring for his family, Devina’ father forced them out of his home. After her mother died, he returned—not for her, but only to take her younger brother—abandoning Devina to the care of her maternal grandparents.

Life soon became unbearable. Devina was only ten years old when her grandfather killed her grandmother. With nowhere else to go, she was forced to remain in his home. When he remarried the following year, Devina finally experienced kindness again. Her step-grandmother treated her with love and gentleness. But when her grandfather attempted to kill his new wife as well, she fled, leaving Devina once again alone and vulnerable. Three times, her grandfather’s friends—men of his own age—attempted to rape her. Each time, she ran to Josephine’s home late at night to seek safety.

For one entire school term, she stayed with Josephine just to feel safe. The local chief eventually intervened, recommending that Devina live with her second grandmother, while Hope for Life provided food support. Devina spends weekends with Josephine, where she feels safe and continues her journey of healing.

Her grandmother does all she can—washing clothes and taking day jobs when they are available—but many days there is no work and no food in the house. On those days, Hope for Life provides uncooked food so that Devina will not go hungry. Yet even with this help, the burden of paying school fees is far beyond her grandmother’s reach.

Despite the hardships, Devina dreams of building a brighter future. She is a bright and determined student. But when she is hungry, she struggles to concentrate, and her exam results suffer. When she receives food and educational support from Hope for Life, she feels seen, valued, and strengthened. Devina is deeply grateful for their support.

Paul is a 10-year-old orphan. Just days after losing his parents, he had barely begun to grieve when stones were thrown at him—seemingly out of nowhere.

The attacks left him injured and shaken. Over three months, the stones kept coming. Deeply troubled and afraid, Paul walked to Josephine’s church. Through tears, he told her he felt unsafe. “Please pray for me,” he pleaded. “It would be better to die than to keep facing this.”

Josephine prayed with him and, after the church service, took him to Hope for Life. There, the children surrounded Paul and lifted him up in prayer again. Paul stayed at Josephine’s home for two weeks, but even there, the mysterious attacks continued—two more stones struck him, though no one could be found. Josephine gathered him close, held him in her arms, and led him in a prayer of deliverance that he repeated. From that moment on, the stones ceased.

Paul has since returned to live with his grandmother, although life is still not easy. His grandmother was recently injured and can no longer work. His older sister, though just finished with school herself, now carries the weight of caring for Paul and his younger sister with her small income.

In this fragile household, Hope for Life has become a lifeline. The young children eat lunch at Hope for Life and they go home with extra uncooked food when needed to ensure they do not go to bed hungry.

When their mother ran away, Faith—then in Grade 6—and her younger half-sister Sharon—then in Grade 4—were left behind with her drunken husband. Twice he tried to assault them.

The first time, the girls managed to escape and ran straight to the caretaker at Hope for Life. The second time they screamed, and neighbors rushed to their aid. The neighbors took them to the chief, where the girls explained with courage that Hope for Life had taught them to resist evil with whatever means God provides. Knowing they could not overpower their stepfather physically, but sensing his intentions, they were ready to fight back at the first sign of danger.

The chief brought the girls to Josephine. She summoned their father, who, when confronted, fell to his knees, raised his hands, and swore never to harm them again. He even told his daughters that if he ever tried, they should report him immediately to Josephine.

Today, the girls are safe and back in school. Faith is now in her second year of senior high school, while Sharon continues her studies in Grade 6. Faith plays the keyboard and loves to lead others in worship. Although traditional education can be more of a struggle due to a stressful home situation, book set competitions suit her well. She loves composing music, writing poems and performing in dramas, weaving her own life experiences into art that inspires others.

She is so thankful for the food and educational support Hope for Life provides. She understands that, without it, she would surely be a drop-out.

James is the fourth of seven children. Both of his parents are HIV-positive, though thankfully none of the children contracted the virus. His father struggles to provide through short, unstable jobs, leaving the family in constant uncertainty. James’s mother also battles depression; she often screams, and when she goes without food for two days, she becomes so ill she must be hospitalized.

The strain at home weighed heavily on James. One day he confided to Josephine that he felt so ashamed by his mother’s outbursts that he considered ending his life—planning to throw himself in front of a car on the highway.

To ease tensions at home and protect his mother from anger that arises from hunger, Hope for Life now provides the family with uncooked food so they can prepare meals each night. This steady support has lifted a huge weight from James’s shoulders and given the family a measure of stability.

Today, James is a dedicated young man. He preaches most Sundays at Hope for Life’s 8:30 Morning Glory service, is known for his gift in praise dancing, and serves as a mentor to younger teens. He is finishing his final year of high school and preparing for the national exams—performing well when he can set aside the burdens of home. Thanks to Hope for Life covering his school fees, James and his two older brothers have had the chance to complete their education, which would not have been possible otherwise.

Mercy was only two years old when her mother died from HIV/AIDS. She and her sister went to live with their grandmother, who has cared for them ever since. During COVID, Hope for Life regularly brought food to their home to ensure the girls were not left hungry.

When she was just three or four years old, Mercy shared a testimony during a Hope for Life Sunday fellowship. She recalled the day the government ordered everyone to stay home and Hope for Life closed its doors for a single day. Believing she would have to go without food, despair filled her heart. She said she decided to throw herself into the river to follow her mother in death. But as she walked, she passed the Hope for Life gate and saw bags of cooked meals and uncooked food ready for distribution. Ignoring the distancing rules, she rushed inside and embraced Josephine, who held her tightly.

Even today, since their grandmother is very old, Hope for Life continues to send uncooked food home to support Mercy and her sister. Now in her third year of senior high school, Mercy is thriving. She is outgoing, puts into practice what she learns, and is recognized as a strong leader—her teachers often give her opportunities to grow in that role. She excels in book set competitions, especially drama.

Mercy declares that Hope for Life is God-sent to orphans. She dreams of becoming that same lifeline for other needy children, offering them the hope and support she herself received.