Edward came into the Oasis for Orphans program after his two younger sisters were already here. Shortly after his parents died, Edward's youngest sister came to The Children's Home (TCH). Edward was sent to live with a distant relative and his other sister went to live with their grandmother. Then the grandmother died and Edward's sister, Emily, was welcomed into the program. When Emily arrived, she was thankful to be here but she was also distraught over Edward. Day after day, she would refuse to finish her food. Finally, Joseph asked her what was troubling her. She said, "Can I really eat all of this food knowing that Edward is far away and he could benefit from being here?" Emily and Naisoi were both desperate to be reunited with their brother. Joseph made an immediate decision to try to find where Edward was staying and Oasis began looking for a sponsor.
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Edward with his sister's Naisoi and Emily
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The Huffman family, who were on the Oasis Sponsor waiting list, were approached. Kim Huffman says, "Dan and I were attending our oldest sons high school orientation in when Scott and Jill Hayward from Oasis approached us and said there was a 13-year old boy named Edward they wanted us to sponsor. We said we would love to. Turns out, this was the boy I had been praying for already. His two sisters had been rescued by TMD, and he was still missing and living on his own." Edward was welcomed to TCH in June of 2009 and became connected to the Huffman family as his sponsor.
Before Edward had come to TCH, he had attended school irregularly up through Class 5. Frequently, he missed school to tend the cattle or to care for the young children while the adults went to market. When he came into the program, he began going to school every day
as a 6th grader. From the start, Edward has been an extremely diligent student who can often be found studying during holidays and breaks.
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Edward with Kim and Dan Huffman
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In August of 2011, Edward had the opportunity to meet his sponsors just months before he took the Kenyan national exam. Kim tells the story of what it was like to meet their Kenyan son: "In July 2011, Dan and I both traveled to The Hill as part of an education team. Edward was one of our students, and we could tell how smart he was by how well he participated in class and was quick to answer questions. One of our greatest privileges was traveling three hours into the bush to meet Edward's distant family guardians. On the way, Edward pointed out the dilapidated school that he wandered into one day. Even as a young boy without parents, he knew school was the place he wanted to be. Before we left Kenya, Dan and I put our arms around Edward and prayed for his future and the good plans God has for him. We let him know how proud we are of him and that God would direct his path, provide for him and lead him to the high school of his choosing. We prayed that God would give him a strong and sharp mind to do well on his test, and we told him how much we loved him."
God answered these prayers above and beyond! Not only did Edward get the highest score of any child on The Hill on the exam, but he received a full-ride scholarship to high school from a bank in Kenya! We don't fully know the plans God has for His precious son, but the Huffmans and Oasis feel so blessed to be in his life, supporting and encouraging him to be a Godly young man and leader of strong character.
Edward is just one of the many children that are benefiting from the education provided by Oasis for Orphans. This year, 12 children will have the opportunity to go to high school and next year nine more will join them! In Kenya, education is a ticket to a future out of poverty. If you would like to help sponsor a child for high school education, please click on the link below or email mal@oasisfororphans.org for more details.
Sponsor a high school student
