Cyrus

Cyrus is an extremely gifted 17 year old. Despite a very difficult childhood including abandonment by his parents, living on the streets off and on for many years and countless missed meals Cyrus has not only persevered - he has excelled. In the past year and a half at Greensteds he has positively bloomed. He is well liked by the staff, faculty and his peers at Greensteds. He has discovered that he is a real athlete as well as a scholar. We are so excited to have a front row seat to watch his life unfold. His dream is to become a neurosurgeon.

Beryl

Beryl is ten years old and has lived at Springs of Hope Kenya with her sister Harriet for over two years. She is from a very rural area and from a family of thirteen children, plus and assortment of nieces and nephews from deceased siblings of Beryl's parents. Her father is dead and her mother could no longer care for all of the children.

Beryl is a leader at Springs of Hope Kenya and excels at karate. We at KEY feel that with all the change Beryl has endured in her short life that she is not ready for boarding school, but would excel in a more challenging academic environment. We chose Shah Academy which is a day school in Nakuru. By attending a better day school we feel that Beryl’s academic, social and emotional needs will be met.

Ann

Ann's childhood could read like one from a Dickens novel. Unlike Cyrus, Ann has contact with her family and has a grandmother who loves her and has done her best for Ann, despite overwhelming poverty and interference of Ann's mother. Ann's education was also somewhat spotty until her enrollment at Greensteds. She is quickly gaining self-confidence and is a very good student. Ann has yet to understand her many gifts and great strength. Ann has a natural ability working with children and would like to be a forensic psychologist.

Gershom

Gershom is the son of the Director of the orphanage that two of our children, Rebecca and Monti are from. Gershom suffered a broken leg several years ago and did not receive proper medical attention. He had surgery almost two years ago and now walks with barely a limp. He is a very bright young man who had few opportunities in his home town. Gershom would like to become a civil engineer and would like to work with the Kenyan government in a capacity to protect the country's natural resources.

Monti

Monti is also an orphan and his younger brother still lives at the orphanage. After the death of their mother the two brothers were passed around to several aunts. Monti still can not discuss the depravation he and his brother suffered. A bright spot for him was to watch the occasional airplane over head and dream of one day becoming a pilot. With the trips between the orphanage in Lodwar and school in Nakuru Monti has become a seasoned plane traveler and his dream to become a pilot has not wavered. Monti has a beautiful smile and it is a joy to see it. He is a steady and hard worker. He enjoys history, listening to music and playing football. We noticed years ago the quiet dignified way he interacts with younger children. There is a real strength about Monti that he has yet to discover.

Rebecca

When Lee first met Rebecca she was orphaned and living with her grandmother who did not earn enough money to properly care for the grandchildren in her care. The area where Rebecca is from is one of the most remote on earth. The area is extremely arid and there is little vegetation. Rebecca's grandmother still lives a tribal life. Rebecca asked us to send her to a better school than the one she attended while living in the orphanage. Rebecca missed a lot of basics in her early education and is working hard to fill in the gaps. She is a fierce competitor on the athletic field and greatly enjoys the social life she has at Greensteds. She loves having her own computer, bicycle and enjoys swimming - amazing since she is from the desert! Rebecca enjoys returning twice a year to the orphanage and visiting her grandmother. Rebecca would like to be a pediatrician.